Lockhart Leads Fairfax City Mayor Race
Unofficial results show Kirsten Sides Lockhart ahead of Thomas D. Peterson, with official certification set for Friday, Nov. 13.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in City Hall
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Kirsten Sides Lockhart holds a lead over Thomas D. Peterson in the Fairfax City mayoral race, with 5,925 votes to Peterson's 4,791 in unofficial citywide results. Results from all six city precincts were posted by the Virginia Department of Elections.
Why it matters
The outcome determines who leads Fairfax City's government for the coming term. The City Council field was also settled in the unofficial count, shaping the city's legislative body.
Unofficial citywide totals show Lockhart with 5,925 votes to Peterson's 4,791, a 1,134-vote margin from 11,265 ballots cast by 19,228 registered voters, or 59% turnout. Provisional ballot review and canvass could still change the figures before certification.
The players
Kirsten Sides Lockhart
Kirsten Sides Lockhart is the leading candidate in the unofficial Fairfax City mayoral count.
Thomas D. "Tom" Peterson
Thomas D. "Tom" Peterson is the trailing candidate in the unofficial Fairfax City mayoral count.
Virginia Department of Elections
The Virginia Department of Elections is the state agency that posted the unofficial results.
The details
Voters could select up to six council candidates, and the top six in the unofficial count were Anthony T. Amos, Kelly M. O'Brien, Sandi W. Slappey Brown, María José Padmore, Stacy R. Hall and Rachel M McQuillen. McQuillen led seventh-place finisher Steve S Chang by 728 votes, while Lockhart led Election Day voting in five precincts and Peterson led in Precinct 003.
Timeline
Nov. 4: Unofficial election results published for Fairfax City mayor and council.
Friday, Nov. 13: Scheduled certification of mayor and City Council results.
City Hall
Local races in Virginia follow a state-supervised canvass and certification process run through the Virginia Department of Elections before results become official. The Fairfax City count is following that same sequence, with certification scheduled for Nov. 13.
Residents will not have final election results until certification on Nov. 13, so the leading candidates' positions remain provisional until then. The newly elected mayor and council members will set policy for the city once they take office.
The takeaway
The Fairfax City race is close to settled in the unofficial count, but the official outcome depends on the canvass and certification process. Watching the Nov. 13 certification will confirm the final results.
What happens next
Fairfax City's mayor and City Council results are scheduled for certification on Friday, Nov. 13, and the canvass may run until 5 p.m. that day.
Further reading
For more on how the city's leadership is chosen, see City Hall coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Patch.
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