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Karen Keys-Gamarra
2024 - Present
2026
1
Karen Keys-Gamarra (Democratic Party) is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 7. She assumed office on January 10, 2024. Her current term ends on January 14, 2026.
Keys-Gamarra (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Virginia House of Delegates to represent District 7. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.[source] The Democratic primary for this office on June 17, 2025, was canceled.
Biography
Karen Keys-Gamarra was born in St. Louis, Missouri.[1] Keys-Gamarra moved to Fairfax County in 1990. She earned a bachelor's degree from Tulane University in 1982 and a J.D. from Washington University School of Law in 1987.[1] Keys-Gamarra's career experience includes working as an attorney in private practice, as a state employee, and as a court-appointed attorney representing children in cases involving abuse, neglect, and contested adoptions. Her service experience includes being a member of the Fairfax County Planning Commission. Keys-Gamarra and her husband have three sons who graduated from the district.[2][3]
Keys-Gamarra has been affiliated with the following organizations:[4]
- George Mason University Carter School of Political Leadership, Political Leadership Advisory Council
- Virginia NOW
- Virginia Women's Attorneys Association
- Virginia State Bar
- Fairfax Bar Association
- Time to Fly
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2025
See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2025
General election
General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 7
Incumbent Karen Keys-Gamarra and Cassandra Aucoin are running in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 7 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Karen Keys-Gamarra (D) | |
 | Cassandra Aucoin (R)  | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Karen Keys-Gamarra advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 7.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Cassandra Aucoin advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 7.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Keys-Gamarra received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
2023
See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2023
General election
General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 7
Karen Keys-Gamarra defeated Luellen Hoffman Maskeny in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 7 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Karen Keys-Gamarra (D) | 73.3 | 22,705 |
| Luellen Hoffman Maskeny (R) | 26.5 | 8,199 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 89 | ||
| Total votes: 30,993 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 7
Karen Keys-Gamarra defeated Paul Berry, Shyamali Hauth, and Mary Barthelson in the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 7 on June 20, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Karen Keys-Gamarra | 37.0 | 3,224 |
 | Paul Berry | 28.3 | 2,466 | |
 | Shyamali Hauth | 26.4 | 2,296 | |
 | Mary Barthelson | 8.3 | 720 | |
| Total votes: 8,706 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican convention
The Republican convention was canceled. Luellen Hoffman Maskeny advanced from the Republican convention for Virginia House of Delegates District 7.
Endorsements
Keys-Gamarra received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Keys-Gamarra's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.
2019
See also: Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia, elections (2019)
General election
General election for Fairfax County Public Schools, At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Fairfax County Public Schools, At-large on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Karen Keys-Gamarra (Nonpartisan) | 22.2 | 179,258 |
| ✔ |  | Abrar Omeish (Nonpartisan) | 20.0 | 161,258 |
| ✔ |  | Rachna Heizer (Nonpartisan) | 19.4 | 156,397 |
 | Cheryl Buford (Nonpartisan) | 13.9 | 112,108 | |
 | Priscilla DeStefano (Nonpartisan) | 13.5 | 108,708 | |
 | Vinson Palathingal (Nonpartisan) | 10.8 | 86,751 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 2,457 | ||
| Total votes: 806,937 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ilryong Moon (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
To see a list of endorsements for Karen Keys-Gamarra, click here.
2017
One of the 12 seats on the Fairfax County Public Schools school board in Virginia was up for at-large special election on August 29, 2017, due to the resignation of former board member Jeanette Hough, who left the position to join her husband on an overseas work assignment. Karen Keys-Gamarra won the election after defeating Sandra Allen, Chris Grisafe, and Michael Owens.[5][6][7]
Results
| Fairfax County Public Schools, At-large Special Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Karen Keys-Gamarra |
63.90% | 41,526 |
| Chris Grisafe | 32.93% | 21,402 |
| Michael Owens | 2.07% | 1,346 |
| Sandra Allen | 1.10% | 714 |
| Total Votes | 64,988 | |
| Source: Fairfax County Office of Elections, "August 29, 2017 Special Election - Official Returns," accessed September 7, 2017 | ||
Funding
Keys-Gamarra reported $125,496.65 in contributions and $125,471.46 in expenditures to the Virginia Department of Elections, which left her campaign with $25.19 on hand in the election.[8]
Endorsements
Keys-Gamarra was endorsed by the Fairfax County Democratic Party and The Washington Post Editorial Board.[9][10]
2015
| Fairfax County School Board, Sully District, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Thomas Wilson |
50.4% | 10,243 |
| Karen Keys-Gamarra | 49.4% | 10,046 |
| Write-in votes | 0.23% | 47 |
| Total Votes | 20,336 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2015 November General", accessed November 3, 2015 | ||
Funding
Keys-Gamarra reported $29,958.87 in contributions and $24,130.37 in expenditures to the Virginia State Board of Elections, which left her campaign with $5,828.50 on hand as of October 28, 2015.[11]
Endorsements
Keys-Gamarra received official endorsements for her campaign from the Fairfax County Democratic Party, the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, and The Washington Post.[12][13][14]
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Karen Keys-Gamarra has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Karen Keys-Gamarra asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Karen Keys-Gamarra, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?
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2023
Karen Keys-Gamarra completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Keys-Gamarra's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a twice-elected At-Large Fairfax County School Board member, a practicing attorney serving as guardian ad litem representing children’s best interests, and a former Fairfax County Planning Commissioner.
My husband and I have lived in the same house for over 21 years and are the proud parents of three adult sons, all Fairfax County Public Schools graduates.
After graduating from Tulane and Washington University School of Law, I practiced public interest law, working with a state agency that protected ratepayers and nonprofits addressing workers’ rights. I practiced in multiple states concerning bankruptcy, employment discrimination, labor law, and criminal and family law. My experience includes service at Eastern Missouri Legal Aid, EEOC (St. Louis), and Teamsters for a Democratic Union. In 1995, I took time off to care for my young boys and volunteered for pro bono cases. When I returned to full-time practice, I worked in family law, focusing on representing children’s best interests as guardian ad litem and developing solutions for families.- Public Education: The most pressing issue facing District 7 is the full funding of a robust public education system, from universal pre-K through college and career opportunities. We must also raise teacher pay and ensure our schools are safe for students and staff.
- Access to Health Care: Codify women's reproductive rights and ensure access to health care. Access to health care for all is a fundamental human right. As Delegate and an attorney who advocates for the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, I will be a leader in expanding access to health care and improving public health overall.
- Public Safety: Ban assault weapons, enact commonsense gun safety laws, and reform the criminal justice system. Among other measures, in response to the Timothy Johnson shooting, I will propose grand jury procedure reforms. My press release discusses the issue. https://conta.cc/3oC6hY7
https://patch.com/virginia/reston/karen-keys-gamarra-runs-june-20-democratic-party-primary-profile
https://patch.com/virginia/reston/karen-keys-gamarra-runs-june-20-democratic-party-primary-profile
As an elected official, I have been responsible to voters and families across Fairfax County. In addition to acting in a legislative and policy-making role, I handle constituent requests, solve problems for families, create new opportunities for all students, and lead the fight or support efforts to resolve challenges facing the schools.
As At Large School Board member, I successfully advocated for the John Lewis Leadership Academy, which focuses on teaching, civics, public policy, and leadership and allows students to serve and learn history. The program began this year after I spearheaded the development, worked with the bipartisan project, and formed a 70-person body of national leaders who advised the effort. This past spring, students of the program followed in the steps of John Lewis on a field trip, learned history from those who lived it, and their trip culminated with walking across the Pettus Bridge.
“Karen reflects the progressive Democratic values I have always represented and has the depth of experience in public service that will enable her to go to work immediately.”
In addition to Delegate Plum, our campaign has many other endorsements, including Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall, former Herndon Mayor Mike O’Reilly, Herndon Town Council members Cesar del Aguila and Pradip Dhakal, Senators Dick Saslaw and Dave Marsden, Delegate Vivian Watts, my school board colleagues Karen Corbett Sanders, Megan McLaughlin, Dr. Ricardy Anderson, and Sandy Evans, and Reston Community Leaders John Farrell, John Lovaas, and Laurie Dodd.
I am also the only candidate previously endorsed by Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly, and former Governor Ralph Northam. I was also endorsed by the Washington Post in 2017 and 2019.
Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, Commission on Civic Education
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2019
Karen Keys-Gamarra completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Keys-Gamarra's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Since education is the key to success for our kids, I advocate to bring the concerns of our community to the School Board.
- Every child should have access to a world class education.
- I will work to achieve respectful learning environments for every student and staff member by listening to my constituents.
Supporting our teachers and staff members so that we improve teacher and staff retention and maintain the best qualified employees in Fairfax County.
Improving communication and developing user friendly access to Board Procedures so that parents feel informed before Board action occurs.
Developing dialogue with our students so that they feel supported and have an opportunity to provide feedback on their educational experience.
Developing methods of communication in addition to the Staff Ombudsman so that the Board has an accurate picture of staff member experiences.
Next the learning process is enhanced through collaboration. Research shows that students often learn more when working with their peers. Also, a learning environment that encourages teamwork enhances the learning experience and helps develop problem solving skills. These processes naturally assist a student in developing critical and creative thinking skills. These types of engaging learning environments assists a child in investigating, examining different sources of information and to develop evidence based solutions. Finally, this process helps students to develop goals and to overcome obstacles that leads the child to become a resilient individual and successful learner.
Additionally, this focus must also include achieving optimal mental health and developing a resilient student that understands that failure can be an opportunity to discover the value of an unexpected outcome or disappointment. In short, we must encourage our students to develop as the whole child.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2017
Candidate website
Keys-Gamarra highlighted the following press release on her campaign website:
| “ | Anti-Bullying
Fairfax County, VA – June 6th, 2017 : Today, Governor Terry McAuliffe signed legislation requiring a five day deadline to report school bullying to parents. Virginia principals would be required to notify parents before the deadline. Karen Keys-Gamarra said, “I want to express my gratitude to Governor McAuliffe and the bill's sponsor. As an attorney who advocates for children, I understand the negative impact of bullying: it is a phenomenon that interrupts the ability to learn and causes children to feel unsafe. This bill will improve the notification process and allow parents to intervene earlier. This legislation is a much needed tool for Fairfax County Public School staff to address and discourage bullying. Our counselors, teachers and parents need to partner to make sure every child feels safe and secure while attending school.” Keys-Gamarra added, “This is an important first step to combat bullying in the Fairfax County Schools. Our Governor has always been at the forefront of addressing issues that gravely affect our children. He is knowledgeable about school issues and I am proud that we have a Governor who is compassionate and caring. Bullying is an impediment to learning.” Karen Keys-Gamarra is an Attorney and Guardian Ad Litem (GAL), which is a child advocate attorney who represents the best interests of children. She and her husband are the parents of three boys. Two have graduated from FCPS and one is currently attending FCPS. She and her husband live in Oakton, VA. Karen is a volunteer for the NAACP, and a former CASA volunteer. She is also a Planning Commissioner. Ms. Keys-Gamarra attended Tulane University and the Washington School of Law. Karen Keys-Gamarra is seeking the FCDC endorsement for the FCPS At-Large seat.[15] |
” |
| —Karen Keys-Gamarra (2017)[16] | ||
Inside Nova Q&A
Keys-Gamarra participated in the following Q&A conducted by Inside Nova. The questions provided by Inside Nova appear bolded, and Keys-Gamarra's responses follow below.
What three things most need to be improved within the school system?
| “ | Our teachers leave on a regular basis at an alarming rate. We’re losing our best and brightest teachers to neighboring school systems, and I’ll fight to make sure that our teachers feel welcome to stay here in Fairfax County.
We have to decrease our class sizes – it’s so important that our students feel that they have access to a quality education and we need to ensure that they do. I’m a firm believer that we must celebrate diversity in our school system. We have to make sure that students from different socio-economic backgrounds have the same ability to achieve success.[15] |
” |
| —Karen Keys-Gamarra (2017)[17] | ||
Where should the school system focus in the future?
| “ | We should continue to make advanced learning available.[15] | ” |
| —Karen Keys-Gamarra (2017)[17] | ||
Aside from just increasing salaries and benefits, what steps should be taken to boost teacher recruitment and retention?
| “ | We have to increase overall morale for our educators. I fully support implementing an anonymous feedback tool which allows teachers to feel heard in the classroom, even if their administration does not have the same approach. I believe that we also need to give our educators proper planning time for their lessons along with other sustainability practices that will help increase loyalty to our schools. We should also consider streamlining procedures and paperwork that is not directly related to providing learning opportunities for our students.[15] | ” |
| —Karen Keys-Gamarra (2017)[17] | ||
What other priorities and initiatives would you focus on, and which programs would you consider putting on the chopping block?
| “ | I am deeply concerned about the increase of bullying incidents. If elected, I would like to work with our staff to institute a bullying initiative that educates our students about bullying, its effects and methods.
I would also like to encourage positive leadership skills that rest on basic principles of kindness, integrity and respect for others.[15] |
” |
| —Karen Keys-Gamarra (2017)[17] | ||
2015
Keys-Gamarra's campaign website listed the following themes for 2015:
| “ |
With your help, excellence is and will be the standard found in every Fairfax County Public School classroom. As a Guardian ad litem—which means that I am appointed by the court to advocate, defend and protect the best interests of children—I seek solutions for children with members of the educational community, including administrators, teachers, counselors, social workers, special education staff and other professionals. My main focus is resolving difficult issues for children to assist them in going forward and achieving their very best. My main core beliefs are: 1) That every child deserves a quality education. It takes hard work and focus to build and maintain a quality educational system and Fairfax County provides a first class education. With your help and an opportunity to listen to the voices of parents and members of the community, I believe excellence is and will be the standard found in every Fairfax County Public School classroom.[15] |
” |
| —Karen Keys-Gamarra (2015)[2] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
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Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Virginia scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 10 to March 9. Special sessions occurred May 13, 2024; June 18 to July 1; and July 18, 2024.
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See also
2025 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Virginia House of Delegates District 7 |
Officeholder Virginia House of Delegates District 7 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on October 22, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Karen 4 Fairfax Kids, "Bio," accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ Centre View, "Low-Turnout High-Stakes Special Election for School Board," July 31, 2017
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 7, 2023
- ↑ Inside Nova, "Court OKs School Board special election in Fairfax," June 15, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Judy Flaig," Election Manager, Fairfax County Office of Elections, July 5, 2017
- ↑ Fairfax County Office of Elections, "Precinct Status Report - August 29, 2017 Special Election," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed January 17, 2018
- ↑ Metro Weekly, "Parties select endorsees for Fairfax County School Board special election," June 28, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Karen Keys-Gamarra for Fairfax school board," August 25, 2017
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed October 27, 2015
- ↑ Fairfax Democrats, "2015 Elections: Your Candidates," accessed October 9, 2015
- ↑ Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, "2015 FCFT School Board Candidate Endorsements," accessed October 9, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "For Fairfax School Board," October 25, 2015
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Karen Keys-Gamarra for Fairfax County School Board At-Large, "Issues: Education," accessed July 20, 2017
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Inside Nova, "Q&A: Fairfax School Board contenders sprint to the finish," August 22, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Marie March (R) |
Virginia House of Delegates District 7 2024-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Fairfax County Public Schools, At-large 2017-2023 |
Succeeded by - |
