This article originally appeared here, at fairfaxtimes.com
Democratic and Republican voters selected their nominees for Congressman Gerry Connolly’s seat. Connolly passed away in late May.
Former Connolly staffer and current Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, was endorsed by Connolly before the lawmaker’s death. He won the Democratic nomination, and Great Falls resident Stewart Whitson, a former FBI agent, won the Republican nomination.
The two candidates will now face off in the special election on Sept. 9. With Fairfax County being predominantly Democratic, political experts predict Walkinshaw will win the seat.
According to a statement from the Fairfax County Democratic Party. Democratic voters cast nearly 40,000 votes in early and in-person voting. Republican voters cast about 2,600 ballots.
Democratic voters cast 23,537 votes out of 39,444 ballots for Walkinshaw, accounting for 59.67% of the popular vote. On the other side of the ticket, Whitson collected 1,019 out of 2,609 votes, good for 39.05% of his party’s popular vote in early and in-person voting.
Walkinshaw served as Connolly’s chief of staff for over 10 years. Since 2020, he has been the Braddock District Supervisor. Out of the 16 voting locations, Walkinshaw received the majority of the votes at each of them. He graduated from New York University in 2005 with a degree in politics.
Walkinshaw’s campaign website reports that some of his top priorities are domestic violence prevention, gun control, education, and climate change. He says that his work on the Board of Supervisors establishes his track record on his policy goals.
“Democrats turned out in record numbers for a firehouse primary, ” Manisha Singh, 11th Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair, said. “It is now time for us to unite behind the Democratic nominee, James Walkinshaw, and send him to Congress.”
As a former FBI agent, Whitson served as a senior director of federal affairs at the Foundation for Government Accountability since 2021. Whitson served in the U.S. Army, and completed over 300 combat missions in Iraq, including one which led to a hostage being rescued, during his service. Whitson received his bachelor’s degree in political science and a law degree from the University of Minnesota and his master’s from George Washington University.
Whitson’s campaign website lists his top priorities as cutting taxes, securing the border, and eliminating wasteful spending.
Whitson faces a difficult task of taking the seat away from the Democratic stronghold, where it has gone blue every year since 2008. Regardless of the history, Rosie Oakley, chairman of the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee, is looking forward to the future of her party in the area.
“This is a new day for the Republican Party in Northern Virginia,” said Oakley. “With Stewart Whitson as our nominee, we’re ready to take our conservative message directly to the voters and win this seat back for the people of the 11th District.”
With the candidates now selected for the special election, both campaigns are expected to intensify their efforts in the coming months, gathering additional endorsements and raising funds. Early voting begins on July 25, and the election will take place on September 9.