Former Gerry Connolly Chief of Staff Secures Democratic Nomination for Vacant Congressional Seat

James Walkinshaw, the former chief of staff to the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, has secured the Democratic nomination to fill Connolly’s seat in a heavily Democratic Northern Virginia district. In a party-run primary held on Saturday, Walkinshaw garnered 59.54% of the vote, defeating nine other candidates, including state Sen. Stella Pekarsky and state Del.

Irene Shin. Shin finished in a close second with 14.27% of the votes, while Pekarsky came in third with 13.40%.

Walkinshaw, who served as Connolly’s chief of staff from 2009 to 2019 and has been on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors since 2020, received an endorsement from Connolly before his passing. His campaign centered on a commitment to counter Donald Trump’s “dangerous” agenda and protect the interests of the district’s over 50,000 federal employees.

In a statement after his victory, Walkinshaw expressed his gratitude, stating, “I’m honored & humbled to have earned the Democratic nomination for the district I’ve spent my career serving.” He acknowledged the support he received from local residents, volunteers, and allies who share his values of democracy and social responsibility. The primary attracted significant outside financial support, with Walkinshaw receiving more than $2.4 million from organizations like Fight for Virginia’s Future and Protect Progress.

In contrast, Pekarsky was supported by Save Democracy PAC with over $160,000, while Shin had backing of almost $184,000 from People Over Monopolies. Negative advertisements and robocalls also targeted Pekarsky for her previous support of a casino referendum in Fairfax County.

Walkinshaw now heads into the special election scheduled for September as the frontrunner, with a strong electoral advantage as the district leaned heavily Democratic in prior elections. He will face Republican Stewart Whitson, an Army veteran and former FBI official, in the upcoming contest.