Virginia Democrats sprint to election to replace Gerry Connolly
Virginia Democrats are currently gearing up for a special primary election to fill the vacant House seat of the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, who passed away after battling cancer. The primary is scheduled for June 28, just five weeks after Connolly’s death, prompting candidates to quickly establish thier campaigns in a safe Democratic district that Connolly previously won by a notable margin.
The Democratic nominee will likely be favored in the subsequent general election on September 9.Candidates include James Walkinshaw, a former chief of staff to Connolly; state Senator Stella Pekarsky; and Delegate Irene Shin, among others. A recent poll suggests Walkinshaw leads the crowded field, but a notable percentage of voters remain undecided.
The election format is a “firehouse” primary, which is organized by the party rather than the government, and early voting begins shortly before the primary itself.This election is seen as a critical test for Democratic strategies leading into the 2026 midterm elections, particularly as demographics in the Fairfax County district have shifted due to federal workforce changes influenced by recent political agendas. Additionally, House Democrats are preparing for other special elections and caucus decisions to fill vacant roles following the deaths of Connolly and two other Democratic representatives.
Virginia Democrats vying for Gerry Connolly’s House seat sprint to ‘firehouse’ primary
Virginia Democrats have little time left to campaign for the primary election to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA).
Five weeks after Connolly died after battling cancer, Virginia will hold the primary election for his seat on June 28, where the party will nominate a candidate for the special election. The Northern Virginia seat is a safe blue district that Connolly won by 34 points last year. The Democratic nominee from next week’s primary will be strongly favored in the Sept. 9 general election.
The primary timeline left candidates little time to push their platform, gain name recognition, and prove how they will take on President Donald Trump, versus the Texas and Arizona special election primaries, which allow months to prepare and run what is almost a full campaign. This election will be one of the first to test messaging on what is winning among voters leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, as Democrats fight to flip the House.
“The margins in Congress are razor-thin, and the people of Virginia’s 11th Congressional District deserve representation,” Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman Lamont Bagby told the Washington Examiner. “Voters are looking for a leader who will stand up for them and protect Virginians from Donald Trump’s reckless agenda.”
The nominee will be picked in a “firehouse” primary with early voting beginning next Tuesday, three days before the primary. A “firehouse” primary is an election run by the political party, not the government, to pick the candidate.
Three of the top candidates eyeing Connolly’s seat are James Walkinshaw, his former chief of staff and currently a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, state Sen. Stella Pekarsky, and state Del. Irene Shin. The other contenders are child psychiatrist Priya Punnoose, lawyer Amy Roma, former White House and Massachusetts governor staffer Dan Lee, Fairfax County Planning Commissioner Candice Bennett, Navy veteran Josh Aisen, former Democratic National Committee member and Venezuelan legislator Leo Martinez, and former CIA operations officer Amy Papanu.
A poll conducted by a super PAC supporting Walkinshaw found the former Connolly staffer leading the crowded field, but 36% of voters were undecided.
“As more voters get to know Walkinshaw in this short runway to the special election, he will be well-poised to win this primary and become the next member of Congress representing VA-11,” the poll stated.
The Fairfax County district, which borders the Washington, D.C., beltway, is home to a large population of federal workers who have been greatly affected by Trump’s aggressive agenda to slash federal government spending in his first few months in office. The Department of Government Efficiency spearheaded job cuts for thousands of federal workers, and Connolly had fought hard to advocate these workers during his time in the House.
Aside from the special election to fill Connolly’s seat, House Democrats have also set June 24 for a caucus election to decide the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s next ranking member after Connolly beat out Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) for the top spot earlier this year.
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Four candidates — Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Robert Garcia (D-CA), and Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) — are running to replace Connolly. The job’s focus is countering GOP investigations into former President Joe Biden and other political investigations pursued by Chairman James Comer (R-KY). For now, 70-year-old Lynch is the acting ranking member.
Republicans maintained their ultra-slim majority in the House back in November, but the thin margins have widened after three House Democrats died while in office. Connolly, along with Reps. Sylvester Turner (D-TX) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) died after being sworn into office in January. None of these seats has been filled.
The primary election to fill Grijalva’s seat is July 15, with the general election being held on Sept. 23. Turner’s special election will be held even later. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) has set Nov. 4 as the special election date to fill the congressional seat.
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