I'm Running for Fairfax County Republican Committee Chair!

I wanted to share some big news: I’m officially putting my name in to be the next Fairfax County Republican Committee Chair. This is not a step I ever expected to take, but a lot has changed since 2020—especially for parents like me with kids in middle and high school. I’ll be honest, it was the school mandates that finally pushed me to get involved. First, schools were closed for a year. Then, when they opened back up, the district required kids to wear masks all day and forced athletes to either get the COVID shot or submit to constant testing. I knew those shots were experimental and hadn’t been proven to stop transmission—so the mandates just seemed idiotic. Same with the masks; all the evidence showed they didn’t stop the spread either. To me, these rules were not just bad policy, but flat-out unconstitutional. I want to make sure we never lose our freedom or our parental rights to choose what’s best for our own children.

On top of that, while schools were still closed, I got a survey from the district asking about my racial bias. When I asked the school board why they’d send that out, they pointed me to the One Fairfax policy.

That was the wake-up call. Since then, I’ve been doing everything I can to raise awareness and speak up for parents and kids. In 2022, I started a Moms for Liberty chapter here in Fairfax. The goal? Replace all 12 school board members with people who value transparency, academic excellence, and parental say. I got involved with grassroots groups and tried to help candidates who really cared about our schools.

But I ran into some roadblocks—my chapter was shut down because I wouldn’t blindly endorse certain candidates with questionable backgrounds who refused to fill out even a basic questionnaire. To me, endorsements should always be based on trust and values, not just party loyalty.

Last November, I took another step and ran for delegate—as an Independent. My hope was to be able to connect with neighbors, especially those who don’t usually follow politics or who aren’t interested in engaging with a political party. Through that campaign, it became clear that if we want things to really change in Fairfax, we need to try something different. We have to reach people where they are, and build a movement that goes beyond party lines while standing firm on our core values.

My goal hasn’t changed: we need to shake things up. Right now, 51 out of 52 elected positions in Fairfax County are held by Democrats, including all 18 state delegates and 9 state senators. They’ve voted against every education and health bill that would have protected our kids and instead push for things like climate bills, legalized marijuana, and gambling.

I plan to dedicate myself to grow the committee so we can to find, vet and supporting candidates who can actually win.

That’s why I’m running for Chair—to make sure we stand up for parental rights, personal freedom, and real change. I’m excited to work alongside all of you, and I hope I can count on your support as we take this on together.

Thanks for being in this with me. If you would like to contribute towards my effort, I'm accepting donations to cover the $1,500 fee required to run.

Shelly Arnoldi