
Former Gerry Connolly aide wins Democratic primary in bid to replace him in US House seat from Virginia
CNN
Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw will be the Democratic nominee in the upcoming special election to replace the late Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, district party officials announced Saturday after a party-run primary.
Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw will be the Democratic nominee in the upcoming special election to replace the late Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, district party officials announced Saturday after a party-run primary. Walkinshaw will face Republican Stewart Whitson, who also won a party-run nominating event Saturday. Connolly had represented Virginia’s 11th district in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. for 16 years before he died of cancer in May. He endorsed Walkinshaw, who served as his chief of staff for more than a decade, shortly after he announced he wouldn’t be seeking reelection. The special election to fill Connolly’s seat will be held on Sept. 9. Walkinshaw will be heavily favored as Democratic Kamala Harris won the district by 34 points in the 2024. Connolly comfortably held the seat since his first election in 2008. Walkinshaw has served on the board of supervisors since January 2020, where he also chairs the board’s legislative committee. In his endorsement, Connelly had called appointing Walkinshaw chief of staff was “one of the best decisions I ever made.”

One year ago this week, Joe Biden was president. I was in Doha, Qatar, negotiating with Israel and Hamas to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release deal. The incoming Trump team worked closely with us, a rare display of nonpartisanship to free hostages and end a war. It feels like a decade ago. A lot can happen in a year, as 2025 has shown.












