Virginia Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam was the keynote speaker for over 120 attendees of the annual Jefferson-Jackson potluck hosted by the Falls Church City Democratic Committee (FCCDC) last Sunday at the Community Center. Northam has announced his candidacy to run for governor of Virginia next year. He noted that but for current Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and his veto pen, Virginia would be shoulder to shoulder with North Carolina and Mississippi with new egregiously discriminatory laws.

Honored as the winner of this year’s Marian Driver Award presented by the FCCDC was Nancy Schneider in recognition of the “countless hours that she and her late husband Michael spent volunteering, co-hosting events to support Democratic elected officials, volunteering as poll workers and much more.” A special recognition was also made in memory of Richard T. Allan, a longtime FCCDC member who died last October. Expressing appreciation was Allan’s son Jamie.

Also present at the potluck were State Sen. Richard Saslaw, Del. Marcus Simon, Del. Alfonso Lopez and former State Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, Falls Church Mayor David Tarter, who welcomed the crowd, F.C. Council members Marybeth Connelly and Phil Duncan and School Board member Lawrence Webb.