Jenny McDonald beat council Vice President Emily Rose Windle by 71 votes in Ward 2. Miles Davis and Nate Prezzy won open seats, and Kim Herbstritt was reelected.

Updated Nov. 14: the totals now include provisional and post-election ballots. McDonald’s Second Ward margin is 71 votes, up from 67 on election night. No result changed.

Jennifer E. “Jenny” McDonald defeated City Council Vice President Emily Rose Windle in Winchester’s Second Ward on Nov. 3.

McDonald had 773 votes to Windle’s 702, a margin of 71. It was the closest of the city’s four council races.

Three of the four council seats on the ballot will change hands in January. Kim M. Herbstritt was the only council member reelected.

The figures come from the Virginia Department of Elections’ unofficial results. All six city precincts have reported, and the totals now include provisional and post-election ballots. The state still labels them unofficial. The State Board of Elections must meet by the first Monday in December, Dec. 7, to ascertain the results, under Section 24.2-679 of the Code of Virginia.

City Council, ward by ward

One seat in each ward was on the ballot. Council races list no party on the ballot.

Ward Winner Votes Runner-up Votes Margin
First Miles K. Davis 2,021 (54.3%) Nancy G. Campbell 1,682 (45.2%) 339
Second Jennifer E. “Jenny” McDonald 773 (52.2%) Emily Rose Windle 702 (47.4%) 71
Third Kim M. Herbstritt 974 (65.2%) Brenda K. Crouse 505 (33.8%) 469
Fourth Nate J. Prezzy 1,339 (59.4%) Klio N. Stroubakis 896 (39.8%) 443

Write-in votes ranged from five in the Second Ward to 18 in the Fourth.

Who leaves and who joins

The four seats were held by members whose terms end in 2026, according to the city’s City Council and Mayor page, as listed in our City Hall guide.

  • First Ward: Richard Bell was not on the ballot. Davis takes the seat.
  • Second Ward: Windle, the council’s vice president, lost to McDonald.
  • Third Ward: Herbstritt returns for a new four-year term.
  • Fourth Ward: Kathy Tagnesi was not on the ballot. Prezzy takes the seat.

The other four council members and Mayor Les Veach serve through 2028. Council terms for members elected in November begin Jan. 1, under Section 24.2-222.1 of the Code of Virginia.

How the Ward 2 race was won

Windle won the Election Day vote, 382 to 374. McDonald won the early and mailed vote, which settled the race:

  • Early voting: McDonald 334, Windle 276
  • Mailed ballots: McDonald 53, Windle 36
  • Provisional ballots: McDonald 12, Windle 8

School Board

Voters filled two at-large seats and the Fourth Ward seat.

  • At large (vote for two): Kylie Gaynor Zoller had 5,596 votes and Melissa A. Harris had 4,651. They were the only two names on the ballot for the two seats, and both already serve on the board, according to the School Board page. Write-ins totaled 174.
  • Fourth Ward: Don M. Comer beat Max Wise, 1,081 (56.2%) to 806 (41.9%). Board Chair Bryan Pearce-Gonzales holds the Fourth Ward seat now and was not on the ballot.

Congress: Winchester backed Macy, the district chose Cline

Winchester voted Democratic in both federal races. In the 6th District, the rest of the district outvoted the city.

  • U.S. House, 6th District: Democrat Beth A. Macy had 6,079 votes in Winchester (64.2%) to Republican Ben L. Cline’s 3,379 (35.7%). Across the district, Cline had 177,180 votes (55.0%) to Macy’s 144,195 (44.8%).
  • U.S. Senate: Democrat Mark R. Warner had 6,205 votes in Winchester (65.5%) to Republican Bert Mizusawa’s 3,245 (34.3%). Statewide, Warner had 2,251,568 votes (61.6%) to Mizusawa’s 1,393,704 (38.1%).

Frederick County, which surrounds the city, went the other way. It gave Cline 22,699 votes to Macy’s 18,109, and Mizusawa 22,162 to Warner’s 18,612.

The 3 constitutional amendments

All three amendments to the Constitution of Virginia passed statewide. Each passed by a wider margin in Winchester.

Amendment What it does Yes in Winchester Yes statewide
Question 1 Protects personal decisions on reproductive care, including abortion; allows third-trimester limits 68.5% 62.9%
Question 2 Removes the ban on same-sex marriage 65.5% 57.9%
Question 3 Sets a right to vote; restores voting rights on release from incarceration 62.6% 56.9%

In Winchester, Question 1 drew 6,419 Yes votes to 2,952 No. Question 2 drew 6,132 to 3,233, and Question 3 drew 5,849 to 3,492.

Winchester also approved a 1% sales tax for school construction, 56.4% to 43.6%. Our sales tax story explains what it does and when it could start.

What it means for you

  • Every ballot group is now counted. Provisional ballots gave McDonald 12 more votes and Windle eight, widening the Second Ward margin from 67 to 71. The State Board of Elections still has to ascertain the results by Dec. 7.
  • The council changes Jan. 1. Davis, McDonald and Prezzy join; Bell, Windle and Tagnesi leave. Our City Hall guide will list the new members’ contact details once they take office.
  • Not sure of your ward? Check the city’s voting wards map. Each ward has two council members.
  • Questions about your ballot go to the Office of Elections and Voter Registration, 107 N. East Lane, 540-545-7910. Our Winchester voting guide has the details.

Winchester Now does not endorse candidates. We will update this story when the State Board ascertains the results.