James Walkinshaw, a former top aide to the late Virginia Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, won the Democratic nomination Saturday in the special election to succeed his former boss, putting him on track to become the next member of Congress from the deep-blue district.
Walkinshaw, a Fairfax County supervisor, defeated nine other candidates in a party-run “firehouse primary,” according to Democratic officials in Virginia’s 11th District. He won 60 percent of the vote, while his nearest rivals, state Del. Irene Shin and state Sen. Stella Pekarsky, trailed with 14 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
“This victory was powered by neighbors, volunteers, and supporters who believe in protecting our democracy, defending our freedoms, and delivering for working families,” Walkinshaw said in a statement, before thanking the Connolly family “for standing with me as we carry Gerry’s legacy forward.”
Walkinshaw will be the heavy favorite in the Sept. 9 special election to complete Connolly’s term in a Northern Virginia district with a sizable federal workforce and one that overwhelmingly backed Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.
Awaiting Walkinshaw in September will be Republican Stewart Whitson, an Army veteran and former FBI official who won a seven-way race in his party’s own canvass Saturday.
All candidates had just weeks to convince voters they were the best choice to succeed Connolly, a longtime fixture in Northern Virginia politics and the former top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He was serving his ninth term in the House when he died last month of esophageal cancer. The primary also came less than two weeks after Virginia voters picked their nominees for the commonwealth’s off-year state elections in November.
Connolly, who had planned to retire at the end of his term, endorsed Walkinshaw to succeed him before he died. Walkinshaw had served for more than a decade as the congressman’s chief of staff before winning a seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2019.
Walkinshaw had the backing of other Northern Virginia Democrats too, such as Reps. Donald S. Beyer Jr. and Eugene Vindman and former Rep. Jennifer Wexton. He also boasted the support of several labor groups and the campaign arm of the center-left New Democrat Coalition.
The campaign’s short timeline didn’t stop outside groups from investing in the race. A group called Fight for Virginia’s Future spent $1.6 million on independent expenditures to boost Walkinshaw’s campaign or oppose Pekarsky’s bid. Protect Progress, a political action committee with ties to the cryptocurrency industry, spent over $1 million to support Walkinshaw.
A group called People Over Monopolies spent $184,000 in support of Shin’s campaign, while Save Democracy PAC, which focuses on protecting voting rights, spent $161,000 on behalf of Pekarsky.
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