Fairfax County Supervisor To Run For Connolly's Seat In Congress

FAIRFAX, VA — Supervisor James Walkinshaw (D-Braddock) said Tuesday he plans to run for the 11th District congressional seat in 2027.

The announcement comes a week after incumbent U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly announced he would not seek reelection because of health concerns. Last November, Connolly revealed that he'd been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and was receiving chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatment.

“For me, Gerry is more than a member of Congress. He is a dear friend and mentor who has made me a better person and public servant,” Walkinshaw said in a release. “I spent more than a decade by Gerry’s side in Congress. I helped fight back against Donald Trump’s attacks on immigrants, federal workers, and affordable health care — and we delivered real wins for Northern Virginia, from passing the Affordable Care Act to securing critical investments in our community.”

Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Walkinshaw first elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2019. Prior to that, he served as Connolly's chief of staff for 10 years. He lives with his wife, Yvette, and their son, Mateo, in the Truro neighborhood.

In a video posted on his campaign website, Walkinshaw took aim at President Trump and the GOP-led congress.

"Donald Trump's henchman threatened to throw me in jail. Trump is counting on us to be too scared or too complacent to fight back. But I'm not backing down," he said.

This referred to Trump advisor Stephen Miller's criticism of the county board voting to refuse to release of prisoners to federal officers without a signed request from an immigration judge.

"Fairfax is my home, my family's home, and I've been fighting for it my entire career," Walkinshaw said, in the video. I was chief of staff to Congressman Gerry Connelly for more than a decade in Congress. We fought for this community, families, seniors, federal workers, beating back Republican extremism on the Fairfax Board of Supervisors, I defended abortion access and took on the NRA. And when I refused to turn our local police into Trump's mass deportation force, I was threatened with prison time. I've been in these fights and the urgent threats we're facing now demand leaders ready to go to battle on day one, let's take back Congress, stop Trump's corrupt and dangerous agenda, and then get to work making life more affordable, building a government and an economy that works for all of us, not just the billionaires. That's why I'm running for Congress, because it's time for us to fight back."

Since 2020, Walkinshaw has chaired the county board's legislative committee, overseeing the county's advocacy in Richmond, including securing additional funding for education and adopting common-sense gun safety measures.

Although no other Democrat has formally entered the 11th District race, Mike Van Meter, whom Connolly defeated in 2024, announced his intention to run again.