Challenger Parisa Dehghani-Tafti wins Arlington prosecutor race

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Challenger Parisa Dehghani-Tafti has knocked off incumbent Theo Stamos in the Democratic primary for commonwealth's attorney in Arlington County.

Dehghani-Tafti won Tuesday after campaigning on criminal justice reform and the rights of those accused.

She was endorsed by former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and The Washington Post and received more than $580,000 from a political action committee funded by liberal billionaire George Soros.

Stamos served as top prosecutor in Arlington County and Falls Church City since 2012 after serving as an assistant and chief deputy prosecutor there for more than two decades. She said the criticisms of her record were unfair and called herself a leader in adopting criminal-justice reforms.

It was one of several northern Virginia races where veteran prosecutors faced tough challenges or opted not to seek re-election.