Democrats are preparing for a lightning-fast special election this weekend, a caucus that will choose the party's candidate for the House of Delegates seat vacated by longtime Del. Bob Brink (D-46). Late last week, Brink announced he would be stepping down to become deputy commissioner for Aging Services, opening a seat that he was first elected to in 1997. Earlier this week, Republican House Speaker Bill Howell set the special election date for Aug. 19 — setting in motion one of the fastest elections in living memory.

"It's a real shame that the speaker chose to put it on Aug. 19 rather than Nov. 4 because now, under the code of Virginia, we have to have a candidate by 5 p.m. on Monday July 7," said Kip Malinosky, chairman of the Arlington Democratic Committee. "Unfortunately, we are going to have to expedite this process in a way that no one finds ideal."

Three candidates have already announced, and one more is expected to later this week. Four more candidates are considering a campaign. Democrats have selected this Sunday to conduct a caucus so they can have their candidate in time for the election. The first candidate to formally announce a campaign was Rip Sullivan, former president of Legal Services of Northern Virginia. He announced his candidacy at noon on Monday.

"Our next delegate must be an effective voice for our shared progressive values of equality and opportunity," said Sullivan in a written statement. "As a delegate, I would apply my extensive experience in Northern Virginia housing, transportation, education and legal policy to help even the playing field and fight for our Democratic values."

A few hours later, Cherrydale resident David Boling announced he would also be seeking the Democratic nomination. A former antitrust attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Boling served as chief of staff to Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.). When Snyder announced he would not seek another term in 2010, Boling launched an unsuccessful campaign for the Arkansas seat. Now he's running again, this time in Virginia.

"I’m running to succeed the great Delegate Brink because I want to put the Democrats back on the offensive in pursuit of our values and principles," said Boling. "We shouldn’t put politics before people, which is exactly what the Republicans are doing in Richmond now."

Late Monday afternoon, Arlington Democratic Committee communications director Paul Holland announced that he will also be a candidate in the race. A lifelong resident of Arlington, Holland is the son of former state Sen. Edward Holland (D-31).

“I am the candidate in this race with a proven record of public service and who has been working for years to elect Democrats throughout the 48th House of Delegates District,” said Holland. “I will be a passionate and progressive advocate for the environment, education and transportation in Richmond.”

Malinosky says two more candidates are expected to announce during a meeting of the Arlington County Democratic Committee later this week, Arlington County Democratic Committee communications director Paul Holland and Yorktown Civic Association president Andrew Schneider. The chairman said more potential candidates are also considering a campaign, including former Planning Commission member Peter Fallon, Young Democrats of American President Atima Omara-Alwala, Rosslyn precinct captain Steve Baker and Arlington attorney Yasmine Taeb.

"I wish this could have been a longer and more democratic process," said Malinosky. "But we have a lot of really good candidates in the race."