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Alfonso H. Lopez

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Alfonso Lopez
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 11, 2012
Preceded byAdam Ebbin
Constituency49th district (2012–2024)
3rd district (2024–present)
Virginia House Democratic Whip
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 2016
Serving with Mike Mullin
Personal details
Born (1970-07-28) July 28, 1970 (age 54)
Williamsport, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseSarah Zevin
Children2
Alma mater
(JD)
CommitteesAgriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources; Labor and Commerce; Public Safety; Rules
WebsiteOfficial website

Alfonso Hoffman Lopez (born July 28, 1970) is an American politician, former Obama administration official, and member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He has served in the House of Delegates since January 2012, representing the 49th district, which includes parts of southern Arlington and eastern Fairfax Counties, in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.[1]

Upon his election in 2011, Lopez became the first Latino Democrat to be elected to the Virginia General Assembly.[2][3] He is a member of the Democratic Party, a former at-large member of the Democratic National Committee, and has served as the Virginia House Democratic Whip since 2016.[1][4]

Early life, family, and education

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Alfonso Hoffman Lopez was born on July 28, 1970, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to Carole (née Hoffman) and Alfonso Chacón Lopez.[5] His father, a former undocumented immigrant from Venezuela,[6][7] came to the U.S. at the age of 19 and worked as a busboy before teaching himself English and working toward a management position with the Marriott Corporation. He is now retired. His mother, an American woman of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, taught and counseled in the Arlington Public Schools system for thirty years before passing away in 2008.[8][9]

As a young child, Lopez's family traveled extensively, living in Liberia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Venezuela, before settling in Northern Virginia. He attended Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax County, Virginia, graduating in 1988. He received a B.A. degree from Vassar College in 1992 and a J.D. from the Tulane University Law School in 1995. While in law school, he twice served as an intern in the Clinton administration, first in 1993 for the Domestic Policy Council and again in 1995 for the Council on Environmental Quality. Lopez credits the experience of interning at the White House for igniting his interest in politics and policy.[9]

Early career

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After graduating from law school, Lopez worked on policy issues for Physicians for Social Responsibility, before joining the staff of Senator Robert G. Torricelli as a legislative assistant in 1999. He later worked as a lobbyist for the Arlington-based firm Alcalde & Fay, representing clients such as the city of Virginia Beach.[9]

During this time, Lopez became active in Virginia politics. In 2004, he served as the president of the Arlington Young Democrats and helped found the Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia, the Latino caucus arm of the Democratic Party of Virginia, serving as its first president. That same year, he was named the “Virginia Young Democrat of the Year.”[10] In 2005, after the election of Lt. Governor Tim Kaine as governor of Virginia, Lopez was appointed Deputy Policy Director for the governor-elect's transition team.[11]

Kaine administration

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In 2006, Lopez was named by Governor Kaine as the Director of the Virginia Liaison Office in Washington, D.C., a cabinet-level position responsible for directing and supervising congressional and federal relations for the Commonwealth of Virginia. In that role, Lopez also served as the Governor's representative to the National Governors Association, Democratic Governors Association and the Southern Governors Association.[4][11]

Obama administration

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In 2010, after the conclusion of Kaine's term as governor, Lopez joined the Obama administration as Assistant Administrator for Congressional and Legislative Affairs at the Small Business Administration (SBA).[4][11] While at the SBA, he worked with Congress and Obama administration officials to pass the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010.[12]

Virginia House of Delegates

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Elections

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2011

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In 2011, Virginia Delegate Adam Ebbin announced that he would not seek reelection to the House of Delegates in order to campaign for the Virginia Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Patsy Ticer. On May 4, Lopez announced his candidacy for the House of Delegates seat being vacated by Delegate Ebbin, representing Virginia's 49th district. He prevailed against opponent Stephanie Clifford with 66.07% of the vote in the Democratic primary on August 23[13] and ran unopposed in the general election.[14]

2013

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No Democratic primary was held in 2013 for the 49th district and Lopez was renominated without contest. Lopez faced Terry Modglin, the nominee of the Independent Green Party, in the general election held on November 5. Lopez won the general election with 77.98% of the vote.[15]

2014

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In February 2014, Lopez announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives seat being vacated by retiring Congressman Jim Moran.[12] Lopez ended his candidacy the following April, before the Democratic primary.[16]

2015

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No Democratic primary was held in 2015 for the 49th district and Lopez was renominated without contest. Lopez faced no opposition in the general election held on November 3.[17]

2017

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No Democratic primary was held in 2017 for the 49th district and Lopez was renominated without contest. Lopez faced Republican candidate Adam Roosevelt in the general election held on November 7. Lopez won the general election with 81.30% of the vote.[18]

2019

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In January 2019, local activist and president of the Arlington Branch of the NAACP Julius "J.D." Spain announced his intention to challenge Lopez in the Democratic primary for election to the House of Delegates.[19] In the primary held on June 11, Lopez carried every precinct in the district and won with 77.14% of the vote.[20][21]

Lopez faced independent candidate Terry Modglin, who had previously run against Lopez in 2013 as the nominee of the Independent Green Party,[22] in the general election held on November 5. Lopez won the general election with 83.29% of the vote.[23]

2021

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In October 2020, preschool teacher Karishma Mehta announced her intention to challenge Lopez in the 2021 Democratic primary to represent Virginia's 49th district.[24] In the primary held on June 8, Lopez carried every precinct in the district and won with 70.50% of the vote.[25][26]

In the general election on November 2, Lopez faced Republican candidate Timothy Kilcullin and independent candidate Terry Modglin, who had previously run against Lopez in 2013 and 2019. Lopez won the general election with 76.44% of the vote.[27]

Committee assignments

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Lopez currently serves on the following committees in the Virginia House of Delegates:[28]

  • Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources
  • Committee on Labor and Commerce
  • Committee on Public Safety
  • Committee on Rules

Caucuses and commissions

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Caucuses

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Lopez has remained active with caucus memberships, founding the Virginia Environment and Renewable Energy Caucus in 2015 with then-Senator Donald McEachin and Delegates David Bulova and Rip Sullivan.[29] In 2018, following the elections of the first two Latina members of the Virginia General Assembly, Lopez founded the Virginia Latino Caucus with Delegates Hala Ayala, Elizabeth Guzman, Patrick Hope, and Jason Miyares—the first of its kind to represent Virginia's Latino population in the General Assembly.[30][31]

Commissions

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Appointed by Speaker of the House of Delegates, Lopez serves as Chair of the Virginia Small Business Commission and as a member of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, the Virginia Commission on Employee Retirement Security and Pension Reform, the Virginia Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation, and the Virginia Water Commission.[28]

Tenure

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Lopez was sworn in on January 11, 2012, as the delegate from Virginia's 49th district.

In the House of Delegates, Lopez has prioritized legislation focusing on environmental issues, immigrant rights, and small businesses.[6][4] His first several years in the House of Delegates, Lopez pushed for legislation granting in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants who had grown up in the Commonwealth, modeling the legislation after the federal DREAM Act introduced in the U.S. Congress.[32] In 2013, he passed legislation creating the Virginia Housing Trust Fund, which provides loans and grant funding for affordable housing projects in Virginia.[33][34] In 2018, Lopez passed legislation extending a state tax credit for jobs created in the field of renewable energy.[35]

In 2015, Delegate Lopez was selected to serve as the campaign chair and political director of the House Democratic Caucus. In 2016, he was appointed Whip of the House Democratic Caucus and currently serves in this position.[4]

Controversies and criticism

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In late 2017, Lopez received criticism for performing work for ICA-Farmville, an immigrant detention facility in southern Virginia, during the later years of the Obama administration. Outside of his service in the House of Delegates—a part-time legislature—Lopez previously served as a partner at two consulting firms focused on business and government management. The employment for the ICA-Farmville facility was indicated on publicly released financial disclosures dating to 2014, 2015, and 2016.[36] A collection of activists and student groups released a petition demanding Lopez sever any ties to the facility, apologize for his association with the facility, and pay reparations to the undocumented immigrants housed at the facility.[37]

In lieu of responding to the demands or providing an explanation, Lopez released a statement highlighting his extensive pro-immigrant legislative record, as well as his leading role in fighting against conservative legislation to ban sanctuary cities and mandate local police compliance with detention requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Several Virginia Latino community leaders and activists released statements expressing their support for Lopez.[38]

The ICA-Farmville facility has not appeared on his public financial disclosures released since 2016.[36] Since 2019, Lopez has worked as a senior corporate and government relations consultant for the Washington, D.C. office of the commercial law firm Becker & Poliakoff.[39][40]

Personal life

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Lopez married Sarah Zevin in 2006.[5] They have two sons, Aaron and Gabe. They live in Arlington, Virginia.[4]

Electoral history

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Virginia House of Delegates, 49th district
Date Election Candidate Party Votes %
Aug 23, 2011[41] Democratic primary Alfonso H. Lopez 2,143 65.93
Stephanie L. Clifford 1,107 34.06
Nov 8, 2011[42] General Alfonso H. Lopez Democratic 7,005 95.89
Write Ins 300 4.10
Adam Ebbin was elected to the Senate; seat stayed Democratic
Nov 5, 2013[43] General Alfonso H. Lopez Democratic 13,087 77.98
Terry Modglin Independent Green 3,505 20.88
Nov 3, 2015[44] General Alfonso H. Lopez Democratic 7,904 100
Nov 7, 2017[45] General Alfonso H. Lopez Democratic 19,308 81.30
Adam Roosevelt Republican 4,391 18.49
Jun 11, 2019 Democratic primary Alfonso H. Lopez 5,024 77.14
J.D. Spain 1,489 22.86
Nov 5, 2019 General Alfonso H. Lopez Democratic 13,586 83.29
Terry Modglin Independent 2,586 15.85
Jun 8, 2021 Democratic primary Alfonso H. Lopez 4,936 70.50
Karishma Mehta 2,065 29.50
Nov 2, 2021 General Alfonso H. Lopez Democratic 19,417 76.44
Timothy Kilcullin Republican 4,946 19.47
Terry Modglin Independent 985 3.88

References

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  1. ^ a b "Virginia House of Delegates Member Listings". virginiageneralassembly.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  2. ^ Dade, Corey (19 October 2012). "For Hispanics, A Question Of Turnout". www.wprl.org. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  3. ^ "Donald Trump's Reputation With Latinos Spells Disaster For The GOP In November". ThinkProgress. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Meet Alfonso". alfonsolopez.org. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  5. ^ a b "Sarah Zevin and Alfonso Lopez". New York Times. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  6. ^ a b "In Re-Election Bid, Alfonso Lopez Hopes to Keep Advocating For Constituents". ARLnow. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  7. ^ "49th District contenders see areas of agreement, dispute in first forum". InsideNOVA. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  8. ^ "The Voice Vol. 33, No. 8" (PDF). arlingtondemocrats.org. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  9. ^ a b c "Lopez, head of liaison office, is still awed by opportunities in U.S." alfonsolopez.org. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  10. ^ "New Contender in 49th House Race Rips GOP Majority in Richmond". alfonsolopez.org. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  11. ^ a b c "Blue Virginia Interviews with 49th House of Delegates District Candidates: Alfonso Lopez". bluevirginia.blogspot.com. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  12. ^ a b "Lopez Announces Congressional Run". WTOP. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  13. ^ "2011 Democratic Primary (8/23/2011)". vpap.org. Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  14. ^ "General Election: Nov. 8, 2011". vpap.org. Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  15. ^ "General Election: Nov. 5, 2013". vpap.org. Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Va. Del Alfonso Lopez drops out of 8th congressional district Democratic primary". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  17. ^ "General Election: Nov. 3, 2015". vpap.org. Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  18. ^ "General Election: Nov. 7, 2017". vpap.org. Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Arlington NAACP President Launches Primary Bid Against Lopez". ARLnow.com - Arlington, Va. Local News. 2019-01-10. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  20. ^ "Primary Election: Jun. 11, 2019". Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  21. ^ NEWSPAPERS, SUN GAZETTE (11 June 2019). "Incumbent Lopez headed to victory in 49th District primary". INSIDENOVA.COM. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  22. ^ "Del. Lopez Picks Up New Challenger in Candidate Terry Modglin". ARLnow.com - Arlington, Va. Local News. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  23. ^ "General Election: Nov. 5, 2019". Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  24. ^ "Del. Lopez to Get Primary Challenger in 2021". ARLnow.com. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  25. ^ "2021 Democratic Primary (6/8/2021)". vpap.org. Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  26. ^ "Arlington Voters Favor Establishment Democrats in Primary". ARLnow.com. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  27. ^ "General Election: Nov. 2, 2021". vpap.org. Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  28. ^ a b "Virginia House of Delegates Member Listings". Virginia General Assembly. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  29. ^ "Lopez Launches Caucus to Tackle Environmental Concerns in Virginia". Arlington Patch. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  30. ^ "Lopez Announces Formation of Virginia Latino Caucus in General Assembly". ARLnow. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  31. ^ "Local delegate founds Latino caucus in Richmond". InsideNOVA. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  32. ^ "Lopez Reintroduces DREAM Act Legislation". WTOP. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  33. ^ "McAuliffe awards millions for affordable housing in Virginia". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  34. ^ "2013 General Assembly Wrap-up". Better Housing Coalition. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  35. ^ "Legislature extends tax credit for 'green' job creation". InsideNOVA. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  36. ^ a b "Pro-immigrant activists pressure Democratic state lawmaker over ties to Farmville detention center". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  37. ^ "Alfonso Lopez Cut ALL ties to Private Immigration Company and Pay Reparations to Migrants". mijente. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  38. ^ "Statement from Del. Alfonso Lopez, Statements of Support Responding to "La ColectiVa" Criticisms". Blue Virginia. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  39. ^ Wilson, Drew (2019-09-09). "Personnel note: Becker firm expands in D.C., Florida". Florida Politics. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  40. ^ "Alfonso Lopez". Becker. 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  41. ^ "August 2011 Democratic Primary Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  42. ^ "November 2011 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2014-01-03. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  43. ^ "General Election: Nov. 5, 2013". Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  44. ^ "General Election: Nov. 3, 2015". Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  45. ^ "General Election: Nov. 7, 2017". Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
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