Analyst: Richmond voters chose grassroots organizing over political clout in 6th district school board race

Being part of the political “establishment” is dangerous ground in 2026, and nowhere was that more clear last week than the 6th District school board race in Richmond.

Anne Holton, who had a distinguished career in education and is the wife of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, lost dramatically to former RPS teacher and VCU science education director Jackie McDonnough. McDonnough won in all eight of the district’s voting precincts, winning a total of nearly 65% of the votes – 5,198 compared to Holton’s 2,765. 

“The size of the victory was stunning to people,” said longtime political analyst Bob Holsworth.

Before all eight precincts were finished being counted, Mayor Danny Avula issued a statement congratulating McDonnough Tuesday night. The next morning, Superintendent Jason Kamras also congratulated McDonnough, saying that the division looks “forward to you joining the team very soon.”

“I also want to thank outgoing Board Member Anne Holton for her service over the past year. We’re enormously grateful for her leadership and know she will continue fighting for RPS and our students,” he continued. 

There’s no mistaking that Holton “is such a big name,” Holsworth said, in Virginia and likely within the country. She was a prominent lawyer and “highly respected” former juvenile domestic relations court judge in Richmond who later served as the state secretary of education from 2014 to 2016 before being appointed to the Virginia Board of Education.

However, he added that her credentials may not have meant as much in the 6th District, where McDonnough’s critique of RPS seems to have resonated. 

She was critical of the division, believing that RPS students are “not being adequately prepared” for college or the workforce, salaries for top employees in central office are too high, and that the division needs a forensic audit into its budget.

Holton had the opposite stance. She believed RPS was “on the rise” and spoke highly of Kamras. At a time when the division’s finances, especially towards top administrators, were under scrutiny, Holton said she believed that the leadership team is worth what the division pays them.

An incumbency disadvantage?

Both candidates also lobbied to be appointed to the school board on an interim basis earlier this year. Holton won, but it may have been a Pyrrhic victory, Holsworth said. It is especially interesting in a city where incumbency usually means re-election.

Holton’s time on the school board included significant cost cutting during the budget process. She was one of two members who voted to close the Richmond Virtual Academy, citing the lack of funding. It was a decision that the Kamras administration initially recommended closing to save funds when he first introduced his budget for the school year, and something Richmond For All, a local political group, pointed out in an anti-Holton mailer. 

That decision, while likely “not a popular move … you wouldn’t have expected that to lead to a 2-1 electoral debacle,” Holsworth said. 

He added that there was some sentiment within the school board that members were voting for her “but were not all that enthusiastic about it,” and said that a member emailed him to say that they’d “rather someone who has been in the community for longer, but it seems crazy to vote against her.”

Local organizers back McDonnough

Beth Almore, a member of the Richmond Education Association – the union representing educators in RPS – said she has “experienced the consequences of RPS leadership that has deprioritized health and safety, eroded workers’ rights, and failed to meaningfully address teacher attrition and burnout.”

“I knocked on doors for Dr. McDonnough because we need school board members who will exercise independent judgment rather than rubber-stamp the superintendent’s decisions. We need school board members who understand that they supervise the superintendent, not the other way around.”

The anti-establishment message resonates with a significant portion of the public, Holsworth said. It is also the message of the Richmond chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, which endorsed McDonnough. 

Having that backing may have also played a role in her win, Holsworth said, adding that Holton’s campaign was “out organized by the DSA,” despite the money she bankrolled. 

Holton is the daughter of the late Linwood Holton, a former governor of Virginia known for supporting civil rights and racial integration of public schools. She based her campaign on her history of helping to integrate public schools as a kid and her ability to bring more state funding to the schools following her state-level experience.

Her history, and what she believes in, makes voters positively disposed to her, Holsworth said.

“Holton is not just a big name, she’s well liked and respected,” he said. “This is not just a big name saying swoop in and elect me. She’s a person with a real history in the city of Richmond on behalf of a cause in which she believes.” 

Fifth District School Board Rep. Stephanie Rizzi wrote in a social media post on Friday that she “was skeptical at first.”

“Why would someone like Anne Holton want to be on the School Board? What is she up to? Which powerful people are behind this?” she wrote. “But after working with her for a few weeks, I found her to be a compassionate, dedicated hard working colleague who just loves RPS and wanted to do what she could to make things better.”

Still, opponents used skepticism involving Holton’s fame against her.

Richard Walker, the outreach chair for the Richmond Crusade for Voters who canvassed for McDonnough, said he believed Holton was parachuting in to use the School Board seat to progress to bigger roles like City Council or Richmond mayor.

“My gut feeling was that there was politics being played,” he said. Walker, founder of the nonprofit Bridging the Gap in Virginia, also applied for the 6th District seat earlier this year. 

Holton previously told The Richmonder that she did not ever plan on being mayor.

“I am emphatically not interested in being mayor or any other elected office in the land,” she said in June. “I am 68 years old. This is a capstone opportunity for me, not a stepping stone.”

Holton also had the support of heavy hitters within Virginia’s Democratic Party, like Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Rep. Jennifer McClellan, State Sen. Lamont Bagby and Avula. And she raised over $110,000 for her campaign – the highest in recent Richmond school board history. 

“But that didn’t translate to public support,” Holsworth said. “It didn’t mean anything to the people who were voting.” 

Spanberger’s endorsement “is almost meaningless” in the 6th, he said, and while the 6th District voted for her in the gubernatorial race last year, residents don’t have “any kind of intimate relationship with the governor.” He added that he doesn’t believe “the Mayor has a lot of political coattails these days.”

What appeared to resonate more with voters was McDonnough’s local ties to the community, said Holsworth. She ran on living and teaching within the 6th District for nearly 40 years and maintaining relationships with residents, something Walker pointed to as a 12-year resident himself. She’s a leader within the Highland Park Quality of Life civic association and is known for starting the Highland Park Garden Club.

“I felt that she was more genuine than Holton,” Walker said of McDonnough. 

DSA candidates on a roll locally

The Democratic Socialists of America are on a winning streak in Richmond, effectively running grassroots campaigns in the city. Holsworth pointed to the group previously endorsing City Councilor Kenya Gibson (3rd District) when she ran in 2024 and won 40% of the vote in a three-way race, and Del. Charlie Schmidt, who defeated Michelle Mosby in a primary last year. The two politicians endorsed McDonnough.

Schmidt’s win was specifically interesting, Holsworth said, as “nobody knew who he was, nobody really knew he was going to win,” and they organized effectively to secure his seat to the General Assembly.

The DSA “may be the best grassroots organizing in city politics today,” he said. “These folks know what they’re doing in these local races, and they’re a force to be reckoned with.”

That grassroots effort resonated with Walker as well, but he emphasized that he was not a democratic socialist, adding that he found out later on that she was aligned with the group.

“I’m looking at the person, not the people behind her. I know her desire to run for office was beyond that affiliation,” he said. 

And Tuesday was a historic night for the DSA nationwide. Six congressional DSA candidates won their races in California, Colorado, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania. Democratic socialists also won mayoral seats with Nithya Raman in Los Angeles and Janeese Lewis George in Washington, D.C., adding to Mayor Zohran Mamdani's win last year in New York City. McDonnough personally referenced the Richmond DSA and Mamdani in her victory speech on Tuesday.

Holsworth believes that the Richmond DSA can win again in future races, especially in a city that is predominantly progressive, liberal and has a lot of young voters as a result of VCU. 

Tax increase doesn’t correlate with 6th District results

What interestingly didn’t impact McDonnough’s vote on Tuesday was the Yes4RPS vote. Holton’s campaign specifically was intertwined with the movement to raise the sales tax to support school construction and renovation. 

McDonnough was supportive of the 1% sales tax, but she was vocally more critical of how RPS spends its money. Holsworth said the city supported paying the schools because he believes Richmonders understand that the school desperately needs modernization. And since the funds can’t be used for anything else but school construction, it overcame any reservations people had about how RPS will spend the money. 

So more than 70% of the district chose “yes,” and nearly equal share of voters didn’t go with Holton.

Holton eventually conceded in the race Wednesday morning in a social media post, saying that “while the outcome was not what we had hoped for, this campaign has been the experience of a lifetime.”

“I have congratulated Jackie McDonnough on a well-run race. Jackie cares deeply about our Richmond students and families, and she will serve them well,” she said. 

Contact Reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin at vifatusin@richmonder.org