The former chief of staff to the late Representative Gerry Connolly secured the Democratic nomination to succeed Connolly in a solidly Democratic district in Northern Virginia, as announced by the local Democratic Party.
James Walkinshaw emerged victorious with 59.54% of the vote in the primary managed by the party on Saturday, according to the posted results from the 11th Congressional District Democratic Committee of Virginia. He triumphed over a field of 10 candidates, which included state Senator Stella Pekarsky and state Delegate Irene Shin, vying for the nomination in the special election.
Shin finished in second place with 14.27% of the vote, while Pekarsky placed third with 13.40%, according to the party’s tabulation.
Walkinshaw served as Connolly’s chief of staff from 2009 to 2019 and has been a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors since 2020. He received an endorsement from Connolly for his campaign prior to Connolly’s passing.
He ran a campaign focused on stopping Trump’s “dangerous” agenda, saying he would fight to protect the district’s more than 50,000 federal workers.
“I’m honored & humbled to have earned the Democratic nomination for the district I’ve spent my career serving,” Walkinshaw said on X. “This victory was powered by neighbors, volunteers, and supporters who believe in protecting our democracy, defending our freedoms, and delivering for working families.”
The race drew some outside spending, with Walkinshaw receiving over $2.4 million in support from Fight for Virginia’s Future and Protect Progress. Save Democracy PAC spent over $160,000 supporting Pekarsky, and People Over Monopolies spent almost $184,000 supporting Shin.
Fight for Virginia’s Future also spent money on negative ads and robocalls criticizing Pekarsky for supporting a bill that would hold a referendum on a casino in Fairfax County.
Walkinshaw will advance to the September special election, where he is the likely favorite to win, as then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried the district by 34 percentage points in 2024. He will face Republican Stewart Whitson, an Army veteran and former FBI official.
