Democrat James Walkinshaw has secured a victory in Virginia’s solidly Democratic 11th Congressional District, according to NBC News projections, marking a predictable win for his party that adds another Democrat to the closely contested House of Representatives.
The seat had been unoccupied since the passing of the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, who died in May at 75 after battling esophageal cancer. Walkinshaw served for a decade as a senior aide to Connolly.
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With Walkinshaw’s swearing-in, Democrats will have 213 representatives in Congress, while Republicans hold 219 representatives, with three seats remaining vacant due to deaths and resignations. Several significant votes are on the horizon.
Walkinshaw could assist Democrats and some Republicans in moving closer to compelling a vote to release all related documents concerning convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. As of last Wednesday, lawmakers were just two members short of initiating a vote on whether to release the documents.
Government funding is also set to expire at the end of the month, another source of conflict in Washington.
Walkinshaw went up against Republican Stewart Whitson, who had a prominent role at an advocacy group, for the seat just outside Washington in Northern Virginia, where then-Vice President Kamala Harris garnered about two-thirds of the vote in 2024.
Walkinshaw previously served as Connolly’s chief of staff from 2009 to 2019 and received an endorsement from his late boss before Connolly’s passing. Walkinshaw also served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors since 2020.
“James brings unmatched experience, a depth of knowledge about federal issues, and a steadfast commitment to progressive values,” Connolly said in an endorsement touted by the Walkinshaw campaign. “When I took office in 2009, appointing him Chief of Staff was one of the best decisions I made.”
Walkinshaw leaned into criticism of President Donald Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce during his campaign. The district has a particularly high concentration of federal workers.
“Federal employees, know that millions of us honor your service and sacrifice,” Walkinshaw wrote on X in August. “I’ll fight to end Trump’s attacks on our nonpartisan civil service and build a government that works for all.”
More special elections to fill vacant seats in Congress are on tap for later this year. The next one, for the late Rep. Raul Grijalva’s, D-Ariz., seat, will take place in two weeks, on Sept. 23.
