Virginia's 11th Congressional District special election, 2025 (June 28 Democratic firehouse primary)
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James Walkinshaw won the Democratic firehouse primary for Virginia's 11th Congressional District on June 28, 2025.[1][2]
On June 3, 2025, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) called a special election for Virginia's 11th Congressional District which was held September 9, 2025. Incumbent Gerald Connolly (D) died on May 21, 2025.[3]
Virginia law requires political parties to nominate their candidates 60 days before special elections, in this case by July 11.[4] The 11th Congressional District Democratic Committee held a firehouse primary on June 28 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with early voting on June 24, 25, and 26 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.[5][6] Political parties, rather than the state government, conduct firehouse primaries, which have fewer polling sites and shorter voting hours.[7] The primary used plurality voting, in which the winner of an election is the candidate that received the highest number of votes.[4]
Nine people ran in the Democratic firehouse primary: Candice Bennett, Dan Lee, Leo Martinez, Amy Papanu, Stella Pekarsky, Priya Punnoose, Amy Roma, Irene Shin, and James Walkinshaw.[8] The candidate list was finalized on June 18.[5][9]
The 11th Congressional District included part of Fairfax County and Fairfax, Virginia.[5] Punchbowl News' Ally Mutnick wrote that the district "borders the Beltway ... [and] ... has more federal workers than any other except those with military bases, making it generally more establishment-friendly. Every candidate in the race will vow to take on Trump, but their styles differ. It’s a fascinating test of whether Democratic primary voters want someone more disruptive of the status quo or someone who adopts a more traditional approach."[10]
According to The Washington Post, before his death Connolly "sought to influence the outcome for his party by endorsing his former chief of staff, Fairfax County Supervisor James R. Walkinshaw (D-Braddock)," on May 7, 2025.[4] Representative Don Beyer (D-Va.) and former Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) also endorsed Walkinshaw.[10]
Democratic leaders within state government endorsed state Sen. Pekarsky (District 36), including Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas (D) and Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D).[11][12]
At least two candidates described themselves as alternatives to what they said were career, party-backed politicians. Shin, who represented District 8 in the House of Delegates, said, "This moment calls for generational change and leaders who actually understand the lived experiences of the people they represent."[4] Lee, a health-tech entrepreneur, said, "The conveyor belt of career politicians don’t know how to fight. ... It’s time for the next generation of leaders who aren’t part of the elected class to step up and take action right now."[13]
Connolly represented the district from 2009 to 2025. A Republican was last elected to the district in 2006. Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+18. This means that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 18 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Virginia's 11th Congressional District the 76th most Democratic district nationally.[14]
At the time of the election, seven special elections had been called for the 119th Congress. From the 113th Congress to the 118th Congress, 80 special elections were held. For more data on historical congressional special elections, click here.
Candidates and election results
Candidates
- Candice Bennett
- Dan Lee
- Leo Martinez
- Amy Papanu
- Stella Pekarsky
- Priya Punnoose
- Amy Roma
- Irene Shin
- James Walkinshaw
Election results
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Candice Bennett | Democrat | 190 |
| Dan Lee | Democrat | 710 |
| Leo Martinez | Democrat | 498 |
| Amy Papanu | Democrat | 396 |
| Stella Pekarsky | Democrat | 5,043 |
| Priya Punnoose | Democrat | 232 |
| Amy Roma | Democrat | 2,697 |
| Irene Shin | Democrat | 5,368 |
| James Walkinshaw | Democrat | 22,403 |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
2024
2022
2020
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Walkinshaw wins Virginia primary to replace Rep. Connolly, his former boss," June 28, 2025
- ↑ 11th Congressional District Democrats, "CD-11 UNOFFICIAL RESULTS," accessed June 30, 2025
- ↑ Virginia Mercury, "Youngkin sets Sept. 9 special election to fill Connolly’s seat in Congress," June 3, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 The Washington Post, "Special election to fill Rep. Connolly’s seat in Congress officially set," June 4, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 ABC News 7, "Democrats set June 28 primary to fill late Rep. Gerry Connolly's seat," June 6, 2025
- ↑ 11th Congressional District Democrats, "2025 Special Election," accessed June 11, 2025
- ↑ The Downballot, "Morning Digest: Why Democrats worry they might lose Texas' second-biggest city," June 6, 2025
- ↑ Mercedes Yanora, "Email communication with 11th Congressional District Democrats Chair Manisha Singh," June 19, 2025
- ↑ FFX Now, "Democrats plan ‘firehouse’ primary for 11th District special election," June 6, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Punchbowl News, "The race to succeed Connolly is on," June 4, 2025
- ↑ The National Herald, "VA Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas Endorses Pekarsky for Congress," May 28, 2025
- ↑ Greek News USA, "VA Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell Endorses Stella Pekarsky for Congress," May 29, 2025
- ↑ Facebook, "Dan Lee for Virginia," June 3, 2025
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed January 10, 2024
