Who will replace Rep. Gerry Connolly has been a question spinning through Capitol Hill since he announced he was stepping down as top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee late last month, and a shadow race to replace him on the committee starts to shape up.
Back in his Virginia district, the same question is getting asked about his safely blue district, where Connolly has held office since getting elected in 2008.
If Connolly has his way, Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw will be the one to take that role.
“James brings unmatched experience, a depth of knowledge about federal issues, and a steadfast commitment to progressive values,” Connolly said in an open letter to constituents Wednesday morning endorsing Walkinshaw. “This is not a moment for on-the-job training. We need a strong representative, experienced in addressing national issues that affect our community, who can stand up to Trump and lead from day one.”
Walkinshaw served as Connolly’s chief of staff for more than a decade before leaving in 2019 to flip his current Board of Supervisors seat in Fairfax County. The endorsement was first reported by The Washington Post.
Walkinshaw was the first Democrat to announce his candidacy for the seat on Tuesday, in what is expected to be a packed district race. On Wednesday morning, Stella Pekarsky, a Democratic state senator, announced she would also run for the seat. Michael Van Meter, who ran against Connolly in 2024, is the only Republican who has also jumped into the race.
“There is no candidate who can replace Gerry Connolly. But I was by his side during the toughest fights, including during Trump’s first term, and I’m ready to fight for Fairfax on day one,” Walkinshaw said in a statement to NOTUS. “I’m honored to have his support in this race.”
The opening to run for the seat follows Connolly’s announcement that his esophageal cancer returned, which he said would force him to step down from his role on the oversight committee “soon,” as well as retire after serving out his term.
President Emeritus of Virginia Young Democrats Matt Royer told NOTUS in a text that for those familiar with Virginia politics, Walkinshaw’s announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“I don’t think this announcement will come as a surprise to anyone who has followed his career as this seemed to be the most logical trajectory for him,” Royer said. “However, it’s still early and I know we will likely have numerous candidates announcing, but I think if this was the first, it bodes well for the field and for the 11th district.”
Virginia, which has an outsized population of federal workers, is quickly becoming a test case for how the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal government play out among voters. That’s particularly true in the governor’s race happening later this year, but in his announcement video, Walkinshaw indicated that he plans to make it a key piece of his campaign as well.
“Trump is planning on us to be too scared or too complacent to fight back, but I’m not backing down,” Walkinshaw said in his announcement video posted to X. “Fairfax is my home, my family’s home, and I’ve been fighting for it for my entire career.”
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Amelia Benavides-Colón is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated with additional reporting.