politics in N Arlington (Fairfax, Orange: low crime, neighborhoods, high schools)

[hesitantnova]

You all have been very helpful already, and I'm so grateful that I'm back with another question. As I've stated, our primary objective is our kids' happiness. Second to that is character, as I mentioned, but I also have political concerns. I am in a bit of a mixed marriage, politically speaking, which means my husband and I are tolerant of differing views. We once lived among the so-called liberal elite in Boston, and I have to say I was offended by what I perceived as a blanket assumption that if one is intelligent, one is liberal. Would I find the same difficulty in N Arlington? I really feel we have little choice of location, given his office location and our other objectives, but I am interested to know how strong of a liberal vibe there is in Arlington. Though not mandatory, I would love to be in a politically mixed neighborhood. I figure conservatives have to live close in, too, right? (And in our book, conservative does not equal elitist!)

[OrangeFish]

Due to the nature of my work, I am tangentially involved in local politics, and happen to work with individuals heavily involved in Arlington politics and representing both Democratic and Republican parties. Arlington as a whole is heavily Democratic, although North Arlington is less so.

I have some links to recent election results based on at least zip code if not down to census tract, and I'll try to dig those up for you for your review.

ETA: The only map I have is subscription-based so I cannot post it here. However, the state Board of Elections website has historical returns for Congressional races, including returns down to the precinct level from the November 2010 election.

November 2, 2010 General and Special Elections Official Results: Arlington County

You can drill down to precinct level data at that link.

Note that Virginia does not have voter registration by party (as other states due, such as Massachusetts) and some might argue that looking at November 2010 election results is hardly representative of political affiliation as the Republican candidate was facing a long-time and well-financed Democratic incumbent. So I guess I am saying to take the results for what you will, and they are simply a snapshot in time.

ETA2: Should have provided information on the Arlington precincts - you can do all sorts of searches or even download a huge map for your very own:

Arlington County: Polling Places

[irvine]

There are as many Caren Merrick (R for state senate) as Barbara Favola yard signs (D for state senate) throughout N Arlington. A republican was elected and served on the Arlington school board for a number of years in the past decade, but the last republican on the county board was sometime in the mid-90s I believe.

Honestly, there is no overbearing, self-righteous liberal elite like in Boston, Berkeley, or parts of LA in Arlington. However, compared to Southside Virginia, Arlington and most of Fairfax County is very liberal. If the Arlington county board members were elected by neighborhood districts and not at-large, there would definitely be a republican presence on the board.

The neighborhoods around Clarendon are politically-mixed. As OrangeFish wrote, South Arlington is more heavily democratic. In the mock elections at my old jr high in N Arlington, I recall the republican candidate once narrowly won. And on the street where I grew up in the 90s there were republicans and democrats. The high schools in North Arlington still maintain Young Republican and Young Democrat clubs. And the military families from Fort Myer at W-L tend to be politically conservative.

You will find friends of all political stripes. In fact, in democratic South Arlington a populist, anti-tax web blog has become quite popular lately.

[brooklynborndad]

In all fairness, the folks in Boston have a heritage going back to William Ellery Channing, John Quincy Adams, Charles Sumner, and the early 19th c Unitarians, abolitionists, proto-feminists, etc. They changed our country and mostly for the good.

Combine that heritage with reinforcement by their academic institutions, and by a parochialism that is, sadly, somewhat out of place in 2011, and where they are coming from is fairly understandable.

Im not saying its always comfortable to live there - but I'm glad it still exists in our country. I've certainly been in places where the opposite homogeneity exists.

Arlington DOES vote fairly consistently more Dem, and for Dems who are more "left" than Fairfax does, AFAICT. But my sense also is that there are plenty of republicans and moderate Dems in North Arlington.

[brooklynborndad]

just to amplify - one thing you will find here is that Dem doesnt mean liberal in quite the way it does there - aside from the presence of DLC type party establishment folks in DC, theres a southern moderate Dem style here. Plus the simple fact so many are deeply involved in govt and policy, which leads IMO, to a more pragmatic, less ideological take on things.

[irvine]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

just to amplify - one thing you will find here is that Dem doesnt mean liberal in quite the way it does there - aside from the presence of DLC type party establishment folks in DC, theres a southern moderate Dem style here. Plus the simple fact so many are deeply involved in govt and policy, which leads IMO, to a more pragmatic, less ideological take on things.

I agree. Not one jurisdiction around DC boycotted Arizona last year. (Although I believe the DC City Council did.) And a ballot measure to support the creation of a public housing agency in Arlington failed a couple years ago. The Democrats are a bit more moderate here as brooklynborndad wrote and in Arlington are largely concerned with transportation and development issues. (i.e. very pro-public transport: streetcars and light rail & the expansion of Metro to Dulles; creating urban villages with mixed-use retail/residential/commercial developments, fighting the toll lanes proposed for I-395 and the expansion of other freeways; supporting the expansion of Capital Bikeshare; etc...)

[JD984]

Agree with all the foregoing. Arlington and nearby areas trend Democratic, but not in the "anybody who knows anything believes X" way that you might find in some parts of the country.

I was actually surprised when I saw that some of the campaign materials for Barbara Favola (a Democrat from Arlington who is running for a State Senate seat in a district that also includes parts of Fairfax and Loudoun Counties) referred to (and I'm paraphrasing here) her "standing up for the progressive values we all believe in," or words to that effect. The tone seemed a bit off to me, precisely because it's relatively rare that anyone suggests there is a PC, orthodox set of political views around here. To be fair, though, it was just one piece of material/web page, etc.

[brooklynborndad]

you get all kinds of odd reversals in local politics though.

David Feld, the GOP nominee for the bd of supervisors against Penny Gross here in Mason district, is OPPOSING the FFX deer hunt and attacking Penny for supporting it. Not what you'd usually expect from the GOP. Partly thats just that at the local level it depends on the idiosynasies of individuals (I doubt there was a long list of folks eager to take on Penny) but it also wouldnt surprise me that we have some folks around here who share GOP views on taxes and spending, but are still more of the antihunting sort.

Similarly, over on an urbanist blog that must not be named, there are several folks who would strike most NoVans as hipster advocates for density - but who do so from an ideologically libertarian POV, and whose libertarianism extends to other issues not related to urbanism. I would not be at all surprised to find such folks in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

[hesitantnova]

OK, all continues to sound great to me. I want a generally nonjudgmental and interesting mix. Thanks so much for all the time and information. You all are evidence that NoVa is filled with fine people to counter the rudeness about which so many complain.

[Carlingtonian]

I've live in N. Arl for about 10 years. Most of what has been posted here is accurate; it is indeed a mix.

I think the Democrats in the SFH neighborhoods of N. Arlington tend to be more conservative in some ways, especially as they get older, more settled, more affluent, and more suburban. Many of them actually *don't* want more density and development near their SFH neighborhoods, higher County taxes, or more public housing. They want quiet streets, reliable services, good schools, and low crime rates. (There are exceptions, of course.)

Yet on the national level and social issues, these Dems are more typical: restoring the Bush-era tax rates on the highest brackets, spousal rights for gay people, access to abortion, environmental protections, etc. I even know Democrats who vote mostly Republican in local elections.

As to the Republicans in N. Arl., I suspect many (if not most) are as conservative as anywhere else, because unlike the Dems (whose conservative leanings reflect a more suburban lifestyle than most Democrats nationally), the GOPers in the McMansions--and make no mistake; that IS their preferred housing, as I have seen over and over--are pretty much living the same lifestyle as GOPers in other places (except for those in rural areas). That said, I wouldn't be surprised if they turned out to be more moderate on social issues than those in the South or Midwest. Perhaps they could be called Kelsey Grammer Republicans. (Then again, with so many folks here moving from everywhere else, who knows?)

The exceptions to conventional party doctrine I see in both groups: Dems here tend to be pro-defense and pro-intervention, and Repubs here tend to not be as into the "government is bad" thing, since many of them work for the government themselves (or contractors). I also think NOVA Democrats are more moderate on gun ownership, in that Dems here seem to be more likely than those in other states (and especially in cities) to own guns or have friends/family who do. Howard Dean Democrats, if you will. (ARRRRRRRRR!!!! Couldn't resist.)

Generally speaking, it definitely gets more Republican the farther north you go in Arlington and the farther you get from the Metro stations.