FAIRFAX, VA — Four of the six candidates running in the June 17 Democratic Party primary for Virginia lieutenant governor recently voiced their opposition to the Tysons casino proposal, according to reports.
The remaining two candidates received donations from casino backers.
During a May 22 debate hosted by the NOVA Democratic Black Caucus, former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney; Babur Lateef, the Prince William County School Board chair; attorney Victor Salgado and labor leader Alex Bastani said they oppose the proposal to build a casino on Metro’s Silver Line in Tysons, according to Annandale Today.
State Sen. Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) said he supported a referendum to let voters decide whether they wanted a casino or not, according to Annandale Today’s reporting.
The casino bills introduced in 2024 and 2025, which failed, would have given the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors the authority to put a referendum on a ballot to let voters decide whether they support a Tysons casino.
Also See: Early Voting For June Democratic Party Primary Begins: What To Know
While State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-Richmond) did not directly address the proposal to build a casino in Tysons, Annandale Today reported she said a casino “provides good union jobs that enables an economy to grow and expand our middle class. Every time I look at legislation, it is through the lens of working families.”
Although the two bills failed to advance out of the legislature, Senate Bill 982, which was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon), did pass the Senate on a 24 to 16 vote in February. Hashmi and Rouse were among those who voted in favor of the casino referendum bill.
In September 2023, Patch first broke the story that Reston-based developer Comstock Holding Companies wanted to build a casino somewhere along the Silver Line outside the Capital Beltway in Fairfax County.
Since then, the builder, its employees and allies have spent more than $1.5 million in campaign contributions and lobbying efforts in support of the casino legislation.
On Jan. 9, 2024, Building a Remarkable Virginia Political Action Committee, which was created by Comstock Holdings in 2023, donated $4,500 to Hashmi and $5,000 to Rouse, according to the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project.
Related: Controversial Casino Bill Likely To Resurface In 2026: Lawmakers
Rouse also received a $2,500 donation in June 2023 from Warren M. Thompson, president and chairman of Thompson Hospitality.
During the Jan. 23, 2024 meeting of the senate gaming subcommittee, Benita Thompson-Byas, who is the company’s senior vice president, spoke in support of SB 675 and identified Thompson Hospitality as a partner in the casino endeavor.
Early voting is underway in the June 17 Democratic Party primary, which will decide who will face Republican John Reid in the Nov. 4 general election.
Read all of Patch’s reporting on Comstock Companies’ plan to build a casino on Metro’s Silver Line in Fairfax County at Silver Line Casino.
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