In an expected landslide, Jeanine Lawson, Brentsville County Supervisor, won in the Prince William County Republican Primary, today, to become the GOP's candidate in the election for Chair-at-Large of the Prince William Board of Supervisors.
Lawson is the longest-serving member of the board of county supervisors, having served since 2015 after winning in a special election. She was previously a primary candidate to be the 1st District’s Congressional representative.
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Lawson ran a quiet primary campaign but was publicly endorsed by the Prince William County GOP leadership. They accused Knarr of not being a true Republican, as he had given thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates in recent elections.
Knarr is also planning to sell his land to developers who would build the contentious Prince William Digital Gateway.
As Brentsville Supervisor, Lawson made a positive reputation for herself by protecting neighborhoods from overdevelopment. She was/is also the strongest defender of the rural crescent. Lawson continued to fight for the rural crescent.
However, after the new board took office in 2020 Supervisor Lawson found herself in the minority as a Republican and lost support for many of her causes.
People were expecting to open the crescent to housing developments, but instead, data centers were proposed in the northwest end of the county. Lawson immediately opposed the Prince William Digital Gateway.
Lawson quietly approved many data centers both in and around the data center overlay district in Bristow, Manassas, Gainesville, and Haymarket. Some approached too close to homes for the like of residents, who had not thought might about data centers before 2021, but later learned the ways in which they are incompatible with residential neighborhoods.
In March of 2023, Lawson told residents she realized the tide has turned on that issue. She has since voted to prevent data center development in the Chris Yung Elementary School area.
The data center issue seemingly lost Lawson votes to Deshundra Jefferson-D, but it did not matter, since Lawon was ultimately expected to easily win the Republican primary.
The Democratic election between Chair Ann Wheeler and challenger Deshundra Jefferson was expected to be much closer and is currently neck and neck. More residents participated in the Democratic Primary election.
Jefferson would be a formidable foe since she also opposes over development of data centers in the county.
Lawson released the following statement regarding tonight's election results, just before midnight on June 20.
"We’re very grateful for the huge win. The support has been incredible over the last few months, and tonight's win proves it once again! I’ve always campaigned to be the voice of Prince William residents, and for that reason, they resoundingly chose the candidate in this race that focuses on what’s important to them. We’re looking forward to keeping this momentum going for a strong campaign through November and making sure the Prince William Board of County Supervisors works for the people of Prince William again!"
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