Three people from Fairfax County are running for a shot at preventing a fourth term for U.S. Sen. Mark Warner.
Warner, Virginia’s senior senator and a former governor, is once again the Democratic nominee on the November ballot.
But his Republican opponent will be decided in an Aug. 4 primary in which the hopefuls are Kim Farington, Bert Mizusawa and David Williams, all of whom have appeared in the Fredericksburg area recently.
Kim Farington
Farington lives in Fairfax Station and is a certified public accountant, inventor, entrepreneur and public servant of 33 years.
When she retired from government service as the chief financial officer of the First Responder Network Authority — where she managed a $100 billion budget — Farington became the founder and CEO of KTech, a small business focused on financial management, cybersecurity and human capital management, her website says. She is also an inventor and holder of three patents.
Farington wrote in a Facebook post last month that she will push for greater transparency in government, focus on policies that make life easier for Virginia families and be an elected official who “starts with listening rather than lecturing.”
“My goal is simple: a government that is more transparent, more accountable and more responsive to the people it serves,” she wrote.
Farington also spoke to the Spotsylvania Republican Committee in June and explained her plan for helping small businesses thrive.
“Most people don’t realize that 99.6% of all businesses in Virginia are small,” she posted on Facebook the next day. “When they do well, they expand and hire more people. Doing this increases the tax base, making life more affordable for everyone.”
Bert Mizusawa
Mizusawa is a retired Army major general, a former senior executive in the federal government and a national leader in law, national security and public service, according to his campaign website.
He commanded a Combined Joint Interagency Task Force in Afghanistan, served as a senior advisor to the director of the CIA, was deputy undersecretary of the Army and worked directly for the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Mizusawa graduated from West Point and earned both a law degree and a master’s in public policy from Harvard.
He posted on Facebook last month that he’s simply a “soldier and a public servant.
“I spent my career serving America in uniform. And if elected to the Senate, I would be the highest-ranking military veteran and most decorated combat veteran currently serving. That matters for Virginia, where defense and national security are central to our economy, our jobs and our way of life.”
Mizusawa also has been endorsed by state Sen. Bryce Reeves, a Republican whose 28th District includes part of Spotsylvania County. Reeves himself was running in the U.S. Senate race, but he dropped out in late December, saying a “serious family health matter and the realities of timing” required his full attention at home.
“My faith and my family come first,” he wrote on X at the time.
David Williams
Williams hails from Reston. He served in the Navy and Marine Corps, then worked at the State Department and later at the CIA.
Williams deployed to Iraq twice as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he led a platoon of Marines and, during his second deployment, engaged in combat operations. He still serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves.
“I’ve spent my entire adult life defending America from foreign enemies — now I’m running to defend her from the destructive far-left policies that threaten our future,” Williams said in an announcement of his campaign launch. “Virginia deserves a senator who will stand with President Trump, protect our values and put working families first.”
He wrote in a recent Facebook post that he wants to “keep America strong and make sure the American Dream is within reach for the next generation.”
“Today, Virginia families are being squeezed by rising costs and growing uncertainty,” Williams wrote. “We need leaders who will fight for our values, strengthen our economy, secure our future and put America First.”
He also met recently in Spotsylvania with the Young Republican Federation of Virginia.
“These young leaders give me real hope for America’s future — and I’ll keep fighting for it,” he wrote on Facebook after the event.
Early voting for the Aug. 4 primary is underway. The last day to vote early in person is Aug. 1.
The general election is Nov. 3.
