The 69th annual Leesburg Halloween parade was organized by The Leesburg Kiwanis Club.
LEESBURG, Va. — Hundreds of people put on their Halloween best Thursday night for Leesburg’s annual Halloween parade. The evening filled with candy, costumes and a touch of campaigning.
“I am a cowgirl tonight,” Phyllis Randall said.
She’s the Chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and says the parade has grown into one of the largest in the region.
I’m not sure how we got to be like this, but it’s a huge parade,” she said. “I bought almost $500 worth of candy to give out.”
With Election Day just days away, several statewide candidates also made appearances along the route. Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor Ghazala Hashmi said she was excited to be part of the celebration.
Her opponent, Republican John Reid, spoke to WUSA9 at an event in Sterling earlier this week. He explained why his team created an ‘AI debate’.
“One hundred twenty-five days I begged my opponent to do a debate,” Reid said. “The first day I said can we do ten. They can be on the radio, TV, whatever. She said no. She would never do a debate.”
Hashmi defended her decision not to participate in a debate with him.
“What we’ve seen from his campaign and basically the entire ticket is that they just want a spectacle, they don’t want a serious conversation,” she said. “My opponent has shared publicly. He wants to close every public school in Virginia. He has compared abortion access to slavery. He supports the disastrous HR1 bill that has brought so much harm to Virginia.”
When asked if a debate was needed, Hashmi stood by her choice.
“I’ve been able to deliver my message to voters more effectively by talking directly to them. I don’t think it was needed. Not when it would be a spectacle instead of a sincere conversation about policy,” she said.
A few blocks into the parade, Democratic candidate for governor Abigail Spanberger also joined the festivities. She would not answer questions from reporters, but stopped for photos and greeted parade-goers as some in the crowd cheered.
Her Republican opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears, told WUSA9 this week that she’s feeling confident heading into Election Day.
“Yea, you see this big smile on my face,” Earle-Sears said. “It’s because we know we’ve got the momentum, we’ve got the enthusiasm. We have the right message. It’s a common-sense message.”
For those not running for office, the night was a chance to unwind and enjoy a community tradition.
“It’s always a lot of fun to be here,” said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman.
Randall said keeping local traditions alive is especially important during challenging times.
“We’re still going to have hope. We’re still going to smile and try to have fun in this county, and we’re doing that tonight at this parade.” she said.