Virginia voters on Tuesday are set to choose their congressional candidate to succeed the late U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, filling a vacant seat to represent a deep-blue, Washington-area suburb in a closely divided House.
In a special election in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, home to more than 700,000 people, Democrat James Walkinshaw will go up against Republican Stewart Whitson.
Republicans only have a razor-thin edge in the House of Representatives, and the contest’s results in what is seen as a reliably Democratic district could be critical ahead of looming spending battles that may result in a government shutdown.
The special election could also serve as an indicator of how voters in Fairfax County, home to roughly 80,000 federal employees and thousands of federal contractors, are responding to the White House’s reshaping of the government workforce.
Walkinshaw, who sits on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, and Whitson, an Army veteran and former FBI agent, were chosen in June to be their parties’ nominees through primaries.
Connolly, an outspoken Democrat who sought key reforms in the federal government, died of esophageal cancer in May. In the months before his death, he was vocal about President Donald Trump’s culling of the federal workforce, which uniquely impacted his district filled with workers.
Walkinshaw previously served as Connolly’s chief of staff for more than a decade and had received the representative’s endorsement before his passing. He bested nine other candidates for the Democratic nomination in June.
If elected, Walkinshaw vowed to fight attacks made by the White House, particularly against federal workers.
“Our community needs a member of Congress committed to fighting anyone who attacks our community and someone with a record of delivering results,” Walkinshaw said at a July debate.
Whitson is a political newcomer who works at the Foundation for Government Accountability, a D.C.-based conservative think tank. On the campaign trail, he touted his resume serving Americans through the military and on Capitol Hill advocating for conservative policies.
He vowed to champion fiscally and socially conservative policies if elected.
“With the support of my wife and the support of our kids, I am stepping up to support our community, because — guess what — we can do better,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.