Eileen Cassidy Rivera - Democrat for Delegate Virginia House District 5

Priorities for the 5th District

Affordability

Alexandria believes everyone deserves a safe, stable place to call home. Yet families across the 5th District are being priced out of the neighborhoods they love—from Del Ray and Arlandria to the West End.

Eileen will champion more affordable homes near transit, stronger protections for renters, and policies that let seniors age in place and young families stay in the communities they serve. She'll work to lower everyday costs—housing, childcare, groceries, and utilities—so Alexandria's prosperity reflects our values of fairness and opportunity for all.

Public Education Excellence

Strong public schools are at the heart of Alexandria's values. As a former member of the Alexandria City School Board and proud parent of three children, Eileen knows firsthand the challenges our schools face.

She was recognized as Education Advocate of the Year by Tenants and Workers United for her work to close the achievement gap, especially for immigrant and disabled students. In Richmond, she'll fight to fully fund K–12 education, reduce classroom crowding, support teachers and staff, and ensure every child in Alexandria—regardless of zip code, background, language, or ability—has access to excellent public schools and robust school-based mental health supports.

Healthcare, Mental Health & Reproductive Freedom

Alexandria stands for dignity, bodily autonomy, and care for our neighbors. Through her leadership at Fortune 500 healthcare technology companies, Eileen led efforts to improve healthcare for Service Members, Veterans, and their families and launched a national campaign to reduce Veteran suicide by breaking down the stigma around mental health.

As Delegate, she'll fight to expand access to affordable healthcare, defend reproductive freedom, and make improved access to mental health care a top priority—investing in community-based services, crisis response, and prevention so help is available when families need it. She will protect Medicaid and other vital programs so vulnerable Alexandrians do not go without care.

Federal Workforce

Alexandria is home to thousands of federal employees and local government workers who serve our nation and community every day. These public servants are our neighbors—they teach our children, keep our streets safe, deliver essential services, and protect our national security.

Eileen has spent her career working for and alongside federal agencies, including the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Homeland Security. She understands the critical role public servants play and the challenges they face. She'll stand up to partisan attacks on federal workers and fight to protect the jobs, pay, and benefits that support so many Alexandria families. She'll defend against policies that undermine civil service protections, threaten mass layoffs, or politicize the workforce. Our public servants deserve respect, job security, and the resources they need to do their jobs well—and Eileen will be their champion in Richmond.

Immigrant Families

Alexandria's strength comes from our diversity. Immigrant families are our neighbors, coworkers, small business owners, teachers, and healthcare workers—they are essential to who we are as a community.

Eileen is committed to protecting immigrant families from harmful policies that tear communities apart and create fear. She'll fight against cooperation with mass deportation efforts, ensure all children have access to education regardless of immigration status, and protect access to essential services for all residents. As a bilingual advocate fluent in Spanish, she'll be a voice for immigrant communities in Richmond and work to keep Alexandria a welcoming place where everyone can build their future with dignity.

Community Safety

Every Alexandrian deserves to feel safe in their neighborhoods, schools, and public spaces. Eileen believes we can protect our communities while respecting responsible gun ownership.

She'll defend Virginia's common-sense gun safety laws—including universal background checks and red flag laws—and fight against efforts to roll them back. She'll work to strengthen community-based violence prevention programs and ensure law enforcement has the resources needed to keep our families safe. These evidence-based policies save lives, and Eileen will stand firm against extremists who want to weaken the protections that make Alexandria safer.

Climate Protection

Alexandria's future depends on protecting our environment and confronting the climate crisis with urgency and innovation. From flooding along our waterfront to extreme heat impacting our most vulnerable neighbors, climate change is already affecting our community.

Eileen will champion clean energy investments that create jobs, protect the Potomac River and our green spaces, improve air quality, and make our infrastructure more resilient. She'll fight for environmental justice—ensuring that all neighborhoods, especially those historically underserved, benefit from cleaner air, green spaces, and climate solutions. Alexandria can lead the way in building a sustainable future that protects our community and our planet for generations to come.