Arthur Purves

Arthur Purves is the Republican nominee challenging Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw in Virginia's 11th District. A retired computer programmer and longtime president of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance, he was the Republican nominee for Virginia State Senate District 32 in 2019. According to his Ballotpedia survey responses, he is running on reducing chronic-disease-driven medical spending, opposing carbon-emissions regulation, and family self-sufficiency.[1][2][3]

Purves says in his Ballotpedia survey response that his family moved to Washington, D.C., in 1953, and that he graduated from Fairfax County Public Schools and earned a high school diploma from the St. Albans School for Boys.[2] He received a BA, MBA and MS from the University of Pennsylvania and worked for 40 years as a computer programmer.[1][2] He moved to Vienna 50 years ago and has two children who attended Fairfax County Public Schools.[2]

Purves has served as president of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance for 30 years and as treasurer of the Fairfax Committee of 100 for ten years.[1][2][3] He was a member of the 2014 Fairfax County Meals Tax Task Force and has served on the Hunter Mill Citizen Budget Committee.[2] He is a member of the League of Women Voters and the Fairfax branch of the NAACP, has been a Scoutmaster for his church, and has taught ESL in Alexandria and at the Tysons-Pimmit Library.[1][2]

Purves ran as the Republican nominee for Virginia State Senate District 32 in 2019, losing to incumbent Janet Howell, 73.5% to 26.3%.[2] He was listed among the candidates in the June 28, 2025 Republican primary for the special election to fill the 11th District seat.[4] He became the Republican nominee for the 11th District in the 2026 general election after the August 4, 2026 Republican primary was canceled.[2]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.