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Fairfax County, Virginia
Steve Descano
Commonwealth's Attorney (Fairfax County)
Democrat
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
0
/ 100
F
Raw: -30 of 12 dynamic max
· 6 of 30 answered
·
-30
foreign-influence adjustment
Local tier30 of 50 rubric questions apply at this office level — federal-only questions are marked N/A and excluded from the dynamic max. How tier grading works →
Last verified: · scorecard-level timestamp
✝ God First
0/ 70
🏛️ Local First
0/ 30
National Rank
#8,941 of 8,966 · bottom 0.3% among candidates with at least one scored answer
See the full rankings →Score adjustments
Foreign-lobby money compromises America First. The U.S. has no formal mutual-defense treaty with Israel; AIPAC operates a super-PAC (United Democracy Project) that spent over $100M during the 2024 cycle on independent expenditures against U.S. candidates who criticize Israeli government policy. A candidate who has accepted that money has, in their own revealed preference, accepted a foreign-policy filter on their congressional vote. The same logic covers China-linked donations, where federal law also prohibits CCP members from contributing.
For every candidate with a documented donor record, two things happen: (1) the specific category question is marked False (foreign_policy_restraint[q4] for AIPAC + China; economic_stewardship[q5] — the WEF/ESG/Davos capture question — for Soros-network donors), so the per-category subscore drops by 2 points; (2) an additional dollar-bracket adjustment is applied to the total, making the penalty proportional to the magnitude of the funding. Both impacts are visible on this page.
Base score 0/100 → Adjusted -30/100
- Open Society / Soros donor network-30Fairfax County (largest VA county) Commonwealth's Attorney. Soros's Justice & Public Safety PAC spent over $950K supporting his 2019 + 2023 campaigns. Stated policies: never seek death penalty, decline to prosecute marijuana possession, decline cash bail in most cases.The Open Society Foundations and the Democracy PAC vehicles tied to George Soros / Alex Soros are direct funding rails for the WEF / ESG / Davos capture agenda — Soros is a founding World Economic Forum attendee and OSF is one of its largest civil-society partners. RESOLUTE Citizen treats documented Soros-network contributions as a failure on economic_stewardship/q5, the question that asks whether the candidate opposes WEF/ESG/Davos economic capture and supports anti-trust action against monopolistic financial cartels — accepting money from the architect of that capture is a revealed preference against it. The same Soros DA network is documented to decline prosecution of attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers and refuse to enforce state abortion restrictions; that pattern is tracked separately under sanctity_of_life claims. A dollar-bracket adjustment is also applied to the total score.
Contact This Official
Reach out directly. Your voice matters. Proverbs 29:2 — When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.
Official Profile
Religion: NOT PUBLICLY DISCLOSED — no statement of faith located in his official county bio, campaign site, Wikipedia, or press coverage reviewed.
Education: B.S., United States Military Academy at West Point; J.D., Temple University Beasley School of Law. (NOTE: Some informal references state 'Naval Academy / Georgetown Law' — the public record per Wikipedia + consistent press coverage shows West Point + Temple Law.)
Background: Former U.S. Army Aviation Officer (NOT Navy as some informal sources state). Six-year federal prosecutor at the Department of Justice under the Obama administration, financial crimes. General counsel / COO at Paragon Autism Services. NAACP representative on the Fairfax County Police Civilian Review Panel. First elected Commonwealth's Attorney of Fairfax County, VA Nov 2019; sworn Jan 2020; re-elected Nov 7 2023 with 77% over Ed Nuttall (R); current term ends Dec 31 2027 — NEXT election Nov 2027. Married to Ryanne; daughter Charlotte. ~$600K of his 2019 primary cash came from George Soros's Justice & Public Safety PAC (~2/3 of total when combined with the New Virginia Majority PAC). Subject of a 2021-23 recall petition that did not reach the ballot. Subject of an active U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation opened May 7 2026 over a written office policy directing prosecutors to 'make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences' (DOJ press release).
[2026-06 RESOLUTE refinement] Roster verified: Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney, sworn Jan 2020, re-elected Nov 7 2023 with 77% vs. Ed Nuttall (R), term ends 12/31/2027 — next election Nov 2027. RELIGION: not publicly disclosed. EDUCATION CORRECTION: West Point BS + Temple Law JD (NOT Naval Academy/Georgetown as some informal references state — Wikipedia + WJLA + DCist + Fairfax Times all confirm West Point/Temple); served as US Army Aviation Officer (NOT Navy). The prototype 'Soros-funded progressive prosecutor' of the conservative rubric — ~$600K of 2019 primary cash from George Soros's Justice & Public Safety PAC plus New Virginia Majority PAC (~2/3 of total). HARD FALSE public_justice q0 (HIGH BAR cleared in REVERSE direction): tweeted 'There is no greater institutional obstacle to real reform than police unions. If you spend your career working for that obstacle, you don't believe in reform' (wjla.com) — affirmative anti-LE-institution advocacy attacking the police union directly. Clears the rubric's HIGH BAR for q0 in the rubric-adverse direction. HARD FALSE public_justice q1: 'From his first day in office, Steve has not asked for cash bail. After formally ending cash bail in 2020...' (stevedescano.com/results1); declines marijuana possession prosecution; 'I'm against the death penalty, period, full stop' (boltsmag.org); named 'America's Worst Prosecutor' by AEI; DOJ civil rights investigation opened May 7 2026 (justice.gov). Multi-vector decarceral/Soros-DA policy posture — cleanest local rubric-adverse hit on q1 in the entire VA batch. HARD FALSE public_justice q2: office policy avoids overcharging/mandatory minimums, refuses 3rd-strike enhancements for petty larceny, prioritizes diversion over conviction; multiple high-profile dismissals/reductions in violent cases (Richard Kenneth Cox, Marvin Morales-Ortez, Jalloh probation release) prompted recall petitions and the DOJ probe (fairfaxtimes.com + stevedescano.com/results1) — explicit failure-to-punish posture on the proportional-punishment cell. HARD FALSE public_justice q3: direct quote on addiction — 'addiction is an illness, not a crime' (boltsmag.org); created Diversion Coordinator and 'Taking Root' wrap-around services program. Textbook public-health framing of violent crime / illegal drugs (rubric-adverse on q3 — strongest in the batch). HARD FALSE sanctity_of_life q1: NYT op-ed and X post May 2022 — 'No matter what the law in Virginia says, I will not prosecute a woman for having an abortion, or for being suspected of inducing one' (wtop.com + x.com/stevedescano/1531594579027415045 + foxnews.com). Sanctuary-style prosecutorial declaration — the cleanest abortion-sanctuary hit on local q1 in the VA batch. HARD FALSE border_immigration q2: written office policy in force for 6 years until May 2026 directing prosecutors to 'make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences' — DOJ launched civil rights investigation May 7 2026 into 'preferential treatment' for illegal immigrants on this exact policy; policy was removed from the office website before Capitol Hill testimony (justice.gov + washingtonexaminer.com + wjla.com Apr 2026 House Judiciary). Multi-vector affirmative sanctuary-style policy — strongest border-cell FALSE in the batch. NOT scored sanctity_of_life q4: major identifiable money is Soros JPSP + New Virginia Majority PAC, not the specifically-named PP/NARAL/EMILY's List PACs — conservative null absent a direct PP/NARAL/EMILY donor record. NOT scored refuse_state_overreach q0-q4: rubric direction is COMPLEX — Descano refuses to enforce state laws he disagrees with (abortion restrictions, marijuana, drug-mandatory minimums) but in the rubric-ADVERSE direction; the cell text reads as defending citizens from ungodly overreach, which doesn't quite map to a prosecutor refusing in the opposite direction. Null per discipline rather than overreach the rubric. NOT scored biblical_marriage / family_child_sovereignty / christian_liberty / economic_stewardship / election_integrity / self_defense — no DA-office actions located despite extensive Wikipedia/press/campaign-site review. 0 TRUE / 6 FALSE on cited cells = 0% — coherent prototype Soros-DA progressive prosecutor with abortion-sanctuary declaration + 6-yr immigration-leniency policy + textbook decarceral framing. Active DOJ civil rights probe makes this one of the most well-documented LOCAL records in the entire VA batch. Recommend revisiting after the May 2026 DOJ probe outcome and any 2026-27 cycle.
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
Not yet verified
Candidate (if District Attorney) has committed to prosecuting illegal abortion procedures; (if mayor/council) has supported pro-life city resolutions or refused to declare 'sanctuary city for abortion'
Candidate opposes embryonic stem-cell research, IVF embryo discard, and chimeric experimentation
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and quality-of-life rationing
N/A · out of tier
Candidate has never accepted Planned Parenthood, NARAL, EMILY's List, or abortion-industry PAC funding
N/A · out of tier
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes all forms of same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships in law
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes city/county trans-affirming policies (bathroom mandates on private businesses, Pride flag raisings at city hall, pronouns-required HR rules)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports no-fault divorce reform and policies that strengthen the marriage covenant
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes city/county Pride proclamations, Pride flags at city facilities, drag programming in libraries, and LGBT-affirming K-12 curriculum (school-board-relevant)
Not yet verified
Candidate (school board) opts the district into school-choice transfers + protects homeschool freedom + opposes truancy-based criminal referrals
Not yet verified
Candidate (school board) requires parental notification before any gender/sexuality counseling of minors; (mayor/council) opposes city programs facilitating minor medical procedures without parents
Not yet verified
Candidate (school board) has voted to remove CRT/SOGI/comprehensive-sex-ed/gender-ideology materials from district curriculum and library shelves
Not yet verified
Candidate (mayor/council/library board) supports local enforcement of age-verification + removes sexualized content from library children's sections
N/A · out of tier
Candidate supports faith-based adoption/foster agencies and opposes placement of children with same-sex couples
N/A · out of tier
Candidate affirms the right to publicly profess Christ in all spheres (workplace, military, public office, schools)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports conscience exemptions for Christian medical professionals, business owners, adoption agencies, and educators
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city/county/school board) opposes mandatory pronoun policies for staff + employees + students
Not yet verified
Candidate (mayor/council) supports city/county Christian displays (Ten Commandments, Nativity scenes), invocation prayer at meetings, Sunday-closure where chosen by community
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes city-funded non-Christian religious displays/programming (Ramadan illumination, etc.) at city facilities
Not yet verified
Candidate (city/county) opposes city participation in CBDC pilot programs + supports cash-acceptance ordinances for local businesses
N/A · out of tier
Candidate supports sound-money policies including gold/silver as constitutional money and audit/abolition of the Federal Reserve
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (mayor/council) has voted against deficit-bond issuances for non-capital city expenditures + supports balanced city budgets without service cuts via tax increases on residents
Not yet verified
Candidate supports usury limits, anti-debt-slavery protections, and tithe-friendly tax structures
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city/county) has voted to remove city pension/treasury investment in ESG-aligned funds + opposes city participation in WEF-aligned sister-city programs
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city clerk/county election official) supports hand-counted paper ballots at local precincts where state law permits
Not yet verified
Candidate (city clerk/election official) enforces state photo voter ID + citizenship verification at local precincts
Not yet verified
Candidate supports single-day in-person voting with absentee only for verified medical/military exceptions
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes mass mail-in voting, drop boxes, and ballot harvesting
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city clerk/council) refused acceptance of private election-administration grants ('Zuckerbucks')
Not yet verified
Candidate supports completed physical border barrier and active military border presence
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (DA/sheriff) cooperates with ICE detainers + transfers; (mayor/council) supports local cooperation with ICE rather than sanctuary policies
Not yet verified
Candidate (city/county) has voted against local sanctuary-city ordinances + supports city cooperation with federal immigration enforcement
Candidate supports mandatory E-Verify for all employment and benefit eligibility
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens, tourist births, and opposes foreign ownership of U.S. farmland
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (mayor/council) opposes local gun-registry ordinances + local gun-shop zoning restrictions
Not yet verified
Candidate (city/council) opposes local-ordinance red-flag/magazine/AWB analogs + local gun-shop zoning restrictions
Not yet verified
Candidate supports repeal of the National Firearms Act (NFA), Gun Control Act (GCA), and other federal gun regulations
N/A · out of tier
Candidate supports castle doctrine and stand-your-ground laws with full civil immunity for lawful defense
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes ATF overreach, citizen disarmament initiatives, and U.N. small-arms treaty participation
N/A · out of tier
Candidate has publicly backed law enforcement and opposed defunding/dismantling police
FALSE (0)[7]
Candidate opposes cashless-bail, soft-on-crime, and rogue-prosecutor (e.g. Soros-DA) policy
Candidate refuses to treat violent crime as a "public health" excuse to avoid punishment
Candidate affirms the magistrate's God-ordained duty to bear the sword (Rom. 13:4)
Not yet verified
Official has asserted local control against unconstitutional state mandates
Not yet verified
Official has declined state strings that compel ungodly or unconstitutional local policy
Not yet verified
Official has protected local citizens from state overreach (lockdowns, mandates, ESG)
Not yet verified
Official affirms subsidiarity — decisions made at the lowest competent level
Not yet verified
Official has refused to enforce unconstitutional state directives
Not yet verified
Sources & Evidence
2 Center1 Lean Right2 Right3 Official1 Reference17 Other
www.policedefense.org/sorosmap/Unclassified
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_DescanoEncyclopedia
Ballotpedia ProfileCenter
Ballotpedia ProfileCenter
stevedescano.com/Unclassified
stevedescano.com/policy-prioritiesUnclassified
stevedescano.com/results1Unclassified
stevedescano.com/justiceUnclassified
www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/commentary/meet-s...Right Think Tank
Bias ratings sourced from AllSides and Ad Fontes Media. Classifications for government, reference, and advocacy domains are maintained by U.S.M.C. Ministries; see source_bias.json.
References & footnotes
Every answer above with a [n] marker corresponds to one of the footnotes below. Wayback-archive links preserve the page as it read at our access date so a reader can verify the citation even if the original URL changes or disappears.
- [1]NYT op-ed and X post May 2022 — 'No matter what the law in Virginia says, I will not prosecute a woman for having an abortion, or for being suspected of inducing one.' Sanctuary-style prosecutorial declaration on the rubric-adverse direction of q1 ('would prosecute violations of state pro-life law' inverse). Unclassified
NYT op-ed and X post May 2022 — 'No matter what the law in Virginia says, I will not prosecute a woman for having an abortion, or for being suspected of inducing one.' Sanctuary-style prosecutorial declaration on the rubric-adverse direction of q1 ('would prosecute violations of state pro-life law' inverse).
- [2]NYT op-ed and X post May 2022 — 'No matter what the law in Virginia says, I will not prosecute a woman for having an abortion, or for being suspected of inducing one.' Sanctuary-style prosecutorial declaration on the rubric-adverse direction of q1 ('would prosecute violations of state pro-life law' inverse).
NYT op-ed and X post May 2022 — 'No matter what the law in Virginia says, I will not prosecute a woman for having an abortion, or for being suspected of inducing one.' Sanctuary-style prosecutorial declaration on the rubric-adverse direction of q1 ('would prosecute violations of state pro-life law' inverse).
- [3]NYT op-ed and X post May 2022 — 'No matter what the law in Virginia says, I will not prosecute a woman for having an abortion, or for being suspected of inducing one.' Sanctuary-style prosecutorial declaration on the rubric-adverse direction of q1 ('would prosecute violations of state pro-life law' inverse). Right
NYT op-ed and X post May 2022 — 'No matter what the law in Virginia says, I will not prosecute a woman for having an abortion, or for being suspected of inducing one.' Sanctuary-style prosecutorial declaration on the rubric-adverse direction of q1 ('would prosecute violations of state pro-life law' inverse).
- [4]Written office policy in force 6 years until removed May 2026: 'Wherever possible, Steve will make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences.' DOJ launched civil rights investigation May 7 2026 into 'preferential treatment' for illegal immigrants on this exact policy; policy was removed from the office website before Capitol Hill testimony. Affirmative sanctuary-style prosecutorial policy (rubric-adverse on q2). Official
Written office policy in force 6 years until removed May 2026: 'Wherever possible, Steve will make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences.' DOJ launched civil rights investigation May 7 2026 into 'preferential treatment' for illegal immigrants on this exact policy; policy was removed from the office website before Capitol Hill testimony. Affirmative sanctuary-style prosecutorial policy (rubric-adverse on q2).
- [5]Written office policy in force 6 years until removed May 2026: 'Wherever possible, Steve will make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences.' DOJ launched civil rights investigation May 7 2026 into 'preferential treatment' for illegal immigrants on this exact policy; policy was removed from the office website before Capitol Hill testimony. Affirmative sanctuary-style prosecutorial policy (rubric-adverse on q2). Lean Right
Written office policy in force 6 years until removed May 2026: 'Wherever possible, Steve will make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences.' DOJ launched civil rights investigation May 7 2026 into 'preferential treatment' for illegal immigrants on this exact policy; policy was removed from the office website before Capitol Hill testimony. Affirmative sanctuary-style prosecutorial policy (rubric-adverse on q2).
- [6]Written office policy in force 6 years until removed May 2026: 'Wherever possible, Steve will make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences.' DOJ launched civil rights investigation May 7 2026 into 'preferential treatment' for illegal immigrants on this exact policy; policy was removed from the office website before Capitol Hill testimony. Affirmative sanctuary-style prosecutorial policy (rubric-adverse on q2). Local News
Written office policy in force 6 years until removed May 2026: 'Wherever possible, Steve will make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences.' DOJ launched civil rights investigation May 7 2026 into 'preferential treatment' for illegal immigrants on this exact policy; policy was removed from the office website before Capitol Hill testimony. Affirmative sanctuary-style prosecutorial policy (rubric-adverse on q2).
- [7]Tweeted 'There is no greater institutional obstacle to real reform than police unions. If you spend your career working for that obstacle, you don't believe in reform' — affirmative anti-LE-institution advocacy clearing the HIGH BAR on q0 in the rubric-adverse direction. Local News
Tweeted 'There is no greater institutional obstacle to real reform than police unions. If you spend your career working for that obstacle, you don't believe in reform' — affirmative anti-LE-institution advocacy clearing the HIGH BAR on q0 in the rubric-adverse direction.
- [8]'From his first day in office, Steve has not asked for cash bail. After formally ending cash bail in 2020...'; declines marijuana possession prosecution; 'I'm against the death penalty, period, full stop'; named 'America's Worst Prosecutor' by AEI; active DOJ civil rights investigation opened May 7 2026. Multi-vector decarceral/Soros-DA policy posture (rubric-adverse on q1). Unclassified
'From his first day in office, Steve has not asked for cash bail. After formally ending cash bail in 2020...'; declines marijuana possession prosecution; 'I'm against the death penalty, period, full stop'; named 'America's Worst Prosecutor' by AEI; active DOJ civil rights investigation opened May 7 2026. Multi-vector decarceral/Soros-DA policy posture (rubric-adverse on q1).
- [9]'From his first day in office, Steve has not asked for cash bail. After formally ending cash bail in 2020...'; declines marijuana possession prosecution; 'I'm against the death penalty, period, full stop'; named 'America's Worst Prosecutor' by AEI; active DOJ civil rights investigation opened May 7 2026. Multi-vector decarceral/Soros-DA policy posture (rubric-adverse on q1). Unclassified
'From his first day in office, Steve has not asked for cash bail. After formally ending cash bail in 2020...'; declines marijuana possession prosecution; 'I'm against the death penalty, period, full stop'; named 'America's Worst Prosecutor' by AEI; active DOJ civil rights investigation opened May 7 2026. Multi-vector decarceral/Soros-DA policy posture (rubric-adverse on q1).
- [10]'From his first day in office, Steve has not asked for cash bail. After formally ending cash bail in 2020...'; declines marijuana possession prosecution; 'I'm against the death penalty, period, full stop'; named 'America's Worst Prosecutor' by AEI; active DOJ civil rights investigation opened May 7 2026. Multi-vector decarceral/Soros-DA policy posture (rubric-adverse on q1). Unclassified
'From his first day in office, Steve has not asked for cash bail. After formally ending cash bail in 2020...'; declines marijuana possession prosecution; 'I'm against the death penalty, period, full stop'; named 'America's Worst Prosecutor' by AEI; active DOJ civil rights investigation opened May 7 2026. Multi-vector decarceral/Soros-DA policy posture (rubric-adverse on q1).
- [11]Office policy avoids overcharging/mandatory minimums, refuses 3rd-strike enhancements for petty larceny, prioritizes diversion over conviction; multiple high-profile dismissals/reductions in violent cases (Richard Kenneth Cox, Marvin Morales-Ortez, Jalloh probation release) prompted recall petitions and the DOJ probe. Failure-to-punish posture (rubric-adverse on q2 proportional-punishment cell). Unclassified
Office policy avoids overcharging/mandatory minimums, refuses 3rd-strike enhancements for petty larceny, prioritizes diversion over conviction; multiple high-profile dismissals/reductions in violent cases (Richard Kenneth Cox, Marvin Morales-Ortez, Jalloh probation release) prompted recall petitions and the DOJ probe. Failure-to-punish posture (rubric-adverse on q2 proportional-punishment cell).
- [12]Direct quote on addiction — 'addiction is an illness, not a crime'; uses root-causes/diversion framing throughout; created Diversion Coordinator and 'Taking Root' wrap-around services program. Textbook public-health framing of crime in his own voice (rubric-adverse on q3, strongest in batch). Unclassified
Direct quote on addiction — 'addiction is an illness, not a crime'; uses root-causes/diversion framing throughout; created Diversion Coordinator and 'Taking Root' wrap-around services program. Textbook public-health framing of crime in his own voice (rubric-adverse on q3, strongest in batch).
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