Walkinshaw served as Connolly’s chief of staff for over a decade and is currently a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. His victory to represent Virginia’s 11th District narrows the House Republican majority to just two seats, likely to cause headaches for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he prepares for votes on contentious legislation such as a short-term government funding deal later this month.

The congressman-elect will be sworn in by the speaker as soon as the House clerk receives the official certification of Walkinshaw’s win. A spokesperson for Johnson did not respond to requests for comment about a specific date.

Walkinshaw not only assists Democrats by narrowing the majority but also will likely be one more signature to add to the discharge petition to force a vote on a bipartisan bill to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. 

Only four Republicans have signed onto the petition, and it needs just two more signatures from either party to hit 218 and trigger the vote on a bill from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA). The GOP and White House have urged their members not to sign, instead pointing to a House Oversight investigation looking into the files.

But Massie and Khanna, as well as other Democrats and Republicans, have argued that many of the files being released by the Justice Department to the committee were already available to the public. Instead, they argue, a vote for the Massie-Khanna bill would trigger the release of all of the information related to the convicted sex offender and since-deceased financier.

If a Democrat also wins in the special election to replace the late Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva on Sept. 23, it is likely the discharge petition will reach 218 signatures by the end of the month — as both Massie and Khanna predicted.

Walkinshaw’s victory adds to a pile of wins for the Democratic Party when it comes to special elections in 2025, mostly from state seats.

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN LEADS IN NEW JERSEY AND VIRGINIA GOVERNOR RACES

However, this win is a first for Democrats when it comes to special U.S. congressional races. Reps. Randy Fine (R-FL) and Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) defeated their Democratic opponents in April to succeed former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz and former GOP Rep. Mike Waltz, respectively.

Special elections to fill the vacant seats of the late Texas Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner and former GOP Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) are set for Nov. 4 and Dec. 2, respectively. If a Democrat wins Turner’s seat and a Republican wins Green’s, Johnson will have a two-seat margin heading into the 2026 midterms.