Prince William County Clerk of Circuit Court

Prince William County Clerk of Circuit Court is an elected office in Prince William County, Virginia that dates back to the 1700s. The clerk serves an eight-year term, earns $162,740 a year, and has more than 800 responsibilities listed in the Code of Virginia. On 18 April 2017, Jacqueline Smith was elected clerk with 53.93 percent of the vote. Democrats said that Smith's victory signaled the end of Donald Trump.

In 2017, Jacqueline Smith and Virginia's 50th House of Delegates district delegate Jackson Miller ran in a special election for the office, to complete the term that ends in 2013. Smith previously ran in 2015, and lost by a small margin. Jackson's candidacy emphasizes the importance of the role, and the race is getting statewide attention, partly because of Prince William County's pivotal electoral location in the state. The election was widely viewed as an early test of Virginia political sentiment in the Donald Trump era.

Another aspect of this race that made it closely watched was that Miller's loss meant that he would run in the primary against Hal Parrish, another Republican delegate candidate. Prior to Parrish's announcing his candidacy, that race was considered to be among the most promising pickup opportunities for Democrats. Now it seems there will be a primary battle between Parrish and incumbent Republican Jackson Miller. Miller's campaign literature omits mention of his being a Republican, presumably because Prince William County leans Democratic.

On 4 April 2017, the candidates participated in a debate held by the League of Women Voters and the Muslim Association of Virginia. On 22 March 2017, the candidates attended a debate organized by the NAACP.

The incumbent clerk is Robert S. FitzSimmonds III, a former deputy clerk who ascended to that office following the death of Michèle B. McQuigg. McQuigg ended the practice of performing weddings, while Smith earned the praise of transgender journalist Danica Roem (who is running in Virginia's 13th House of Delegates district) for defending LGBTQ rights by agreeing to preside over marriage ceremonies of same sex couples.

...
Wikipedia