I'm running for Commonwealth's Attorney because it’s time we end mass incarceration, stop prosecuting low-level marijuana offenses, and ensure no one is above the law. The time for reform is now. Vote Parisa Dehghani-Tafti for Commonwealth's Attorney on June 11th. pic.twitter.com/yQuApuDTTF

Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, a veteran criminal defense attorney serving as legal director of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, defeated Theo Stamos, who presently serves as Arlington County commonwealth’s attorney, or what is usually called a district attorney in other states’ counties.

Two progressive challengers unseated incumbent Democratic prosecutors in northern Virginia, notching another win for the national movement for a more compassionate criminal justice system.

Having secured the Democratic nomination in a solid blue county just outside Washington, Dehghani-Tafti and Descano virtually assured a victory in the general election.

Their wins “represent the real power that issues like criminal justice reform have among voters across the political spectrum but especially Democrats and more progressive voters,” said Quentin Kidd, dean of social sciences at Christopher Newport University. “It not only pushes criminal justice reform higher up the agenda in Virginia, but I’d also imagine it will encourage similar challenges from progressives in other parts of the state.”

Dehghani-Tafti ran on a platform of significantly reducing incarceration in Arlington by, among other things, ending prosecution of marijuana possession and barring the use of cash bail for nonviolent offenders. She argued that Stamos’ tough and racially lopsided prosecutions of low-level offenses have put Arlington out of step with politically comparable counties. The challenger noted that, notwithstanding declining crime in the county, its jail population is 2.5 times the size of neighboring Fairfax County.

Dehghani-Tafti, whose husband is African American, also spoke about the implications of criminal justice reform for her family.

“When I think about why our justice system needs change, I think about my kids,” Dehghani-Tafti says in a video advertisement as her multiracial children appear on screen. “I want to live in a world where the color of their skin doesn’t affect their odds of an arrest.”

Descano promised a similar slate of reforms, including dramatically reducing the use of cash bail and treating drug use as a public health issue.

Unlike many insurgent candidates, Dehghani-Tafti and Descano boasted major establishment support, including an influential endorsement from former Gov. Terry McAuliffe. McAuliffe, who some observers speculate is considering another run at the governor’s mansion, held a grudge against Stamos and Morrogh for publicly opposing his efforts to restore voting rights to former felons.

The two contenders also did not lack for financial backing. The Justice and Public Safety PAC, which is funded by liberal billionaire George Soros, spent over $1 million in support of their two bids.