As the campaign season heats up, the Democratic field is getting more crowded. Four new candidates gave their first pitch to members of the Alexandria Democratic Committee Monday night. And another candidate, Michael Hepburn, said he was likely to announce.

That brings the grand total to 13 candidates seeking six slots on the Alexandria City Council. Although some were bracing for an August primary, recent action from the Virginia State Board of Elections seems to open the way for a primary contest on June 12. For the first time in the history of the city, Democrats will head to polls at all of the precincts in a citywide primary rather than having a “firehouse caucus” at one central location. Party leaders say they are expecting more people to participate in the process.

The five new candidates join an already crowded field. Two incumbent Democrats are seeking reeleciton, Councilwoman Del Pepper and Councilman Paul Smedberg. Two former Democratic members of City Council are trying to return to their old positions, former Councilman Tim Lovain and former Councilman Justin Wilson. And four non-incumbent candidates have already announced their candidacies: Donna Fossum, Sean Hollihan, Charles Sumpter and Boyd Walker.

On the Republican side, two incumbent City Council members are seeking reelection — Councilman Frank Fannon and Councilwoman Alicia Hughes, who ran as an independent in 2009 but will be running as a Republican this year. Insurance agent Scott Gordon ran a short-lived campaign, but he withdrew from the race this week. Former Republican candidate for City Council Phil Cefaratti said Monday night that he will likely announce a candidacy soon.

Unless more Republican candidates come forward, the party will not need to hold a primary or a caucus because they need more than six candidates to have a contest.