Independent Rappaport poised to break GOP sweep in Town Council election

With 8 of 8 precincts reporting in the Town of Front Royal, it appears that independent conservative Bruce Rappaport has broken through the GOP stronghold to win one of three seats that were up for grabs in the general election.

Asked about his apparent second-place finish, Rappaport told Royal Examiner, “I’m really humbled by the town’s voters’ confidence in me for playing a role in the future vision of Front Royal. It appears that early voting played a role in the result, and I worked hard to reach those early voters.

“You never know how things are going to work out until the fat lady sings,” Rappaport added with a nod to the famous NBA playoff quote of former Washington Bullets head coach Dick Motta, adding, “I look forward to serving the citizens of Front Royal, and I won’t let them down.”

The Front Royal Town Council will see some new faces come January.  However, a familiar face, incumbent Amber Faith Morris, was the top vote-getter, with 2,345 ballots cast, or 27.29% of the total vote. Rappaport received 2,108 votes, or 24.54 % of votes cast, seeming to assure him a seat on council.  Republican Joshua L. Ingram rounded out the top three, with 23.94 % of votes, 2,057, bringing a second new face to council.

Placing fourth in the race was Zachary W. Jackson, garnering 1,948 votes, 22.67%, while write-in votes for the open council seats came in at 135 votes or 1.57% of total ballots.

Jackson, a 27-year-old Republican, was appointed in May to replace Councilman Scott Lloyd, who resigned on March 28.  He opted to run for an open seat in the election, but coming in behind Morris, Rappaport, and Ingram, his time on the council has come to an end.

Vice Mayor Lori Cockerell, who was the lone candidate for mayor, received 3,407 votes, or 94.53%.  Mayor Chris Holloway announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection.

Republican-endorsed candidate R. Wayne Sealock took a majority of the votes in the special election to fill the vacancy created by Councilman E. Scott Lloyd’s resignation. He will fill the unexpired term that ends Dec. 31, 2024. The unofficial election results show Sealock garnering 61.7% of the votes, which translates to 2,435 votes. Gene M. Kilby received 1,245 votes, 31.48% of the total ballots cast. L. Jaroma, who withdrew from the race earlier this year, got 238 votes, or 6.02 % of ballots cast. Write In candidates got 37 votes, or 0.94% of the vote.

Election results are unofficial according to the Virginia Department of Elections.

Member House of Representatives (06) Results by Precinct