(The Center Square) – Voters in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District will return to the polls Sept. 9 choosing between Democrat James Walkinshaw, Republican Stewart Whitson and independent Chandra Tamirisa.
Walkinshaw and Whitson won primaries on Saturday. All are vying for the seat left vacant following the death of Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly.
Walkinshaw, a Fairfax County supervisor and former Connolly staffer, won a crowded Democratic firehouse primary across 17 voting locations in the district, which includes much of Fairfax County and the city of Fairfax. The Fairfax County Democratic Committee reported high participation, with 39,444 votes cast in total, including over 5,000 early ballots in the days leading up to the primary.
Walkinshaw received 23,537 votes, finishing ahead of Del. Irene Shin (5,613 votes) and Sen. Stella Pekarsky (5,271 votes). Other candidates in the race included Amy Roma, Leo Martinez, Amy Pappanu, Dan Lee, Priya Punnoose and Candice Bennett.
On the Republican side, Whitson, a U.S. Army combat veteran and former FBI agent, won his party’s nomination with 1,019 votes. The 11th District Republican Committee reported that 2,601 Republican voters participated in the nomination process across early voting and primary day.
Whitson defeated Karina Lipsman, Mike Van Meter, Lucas Rand, Sam Wong, Nathan Headrick and Arthur Purves in the race to become the GOP nominee.
The Democratic primary drew significantly higher turnout than the Republican process, reflecting both the party’s larger presence in the district and the broader scale of the Democratic firehouse primary.
The special election will determine who will represent a district that has long been under Democratic control. Connolly, who died in May, had held the seat since 2009, and the district has consistently voted Democratic in recent federal elections.
Democrats are aiming to retain the seat, while Republicans see the special election as a chance to flip the district amid broader efforts to expand their reach in Northern Virginia.
Walkinshaw’s campaign has focused on continuing Connolly’s work on federal workforce issues, transportation and local priorities, while Whitson has centered his campaign on reducing government spending, supporting public safety, and aligning with former President Donald Trump’s calls for change in Washington.
Tamirisa, an economist, will also appear on the ballot in September.
Early voting for the Sept. 9 special election is scheduled to begin July 25.
