Dem James Walkinshaw takes Virginia special election, narrowing House GOP majority

Democrats easily won back one of their three vacant House seats Tuesday, with James Walkinshaw trouncing GOP foe Stewart Whitson in a northern Virginia special election.

Walkinshaw, 42, is a former chief of staff to the late Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.), whose sudden death from cancer in May left the seat in the commonwealth’s deep-blue 11th District vacant.

“The voters of Fairfax have spoken clearly: They want a representative who will fight for our community and deliver better results,” Walkinshaw said after clinching the win.

“I am humbled by the confidence they have placed in me and I will work tirelessly to make life more affordable for families, protect our freedoms, and ensure that the 11th District has a strong voice in Congress.”

Democrats hailed Walkinshaw’s victory by a roughly 3-to-1 margin as a strong rebuke of the Trump administration.

However, the district, which sits about 20 miles outside Washington, DC, has long been a Democratic stronghold. Connolly won his most recent term in November 2024 by just shy of 34 percentage points.

Connolly, who repped the 11th District for more than 16 years before his death, was the top Democrat on the powerful House Oversight Committee, a perch he won after edging out “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

Shortly before his death, Connolly penned a letter endorsing Walkinshaw as the man to succeed him in the House of Representatives.

The late congressman’s campaign also moved some $1.8 million to a PAC backing Walkinshaw, per Federal Election Commission records.

Connolly was the third House Democrat to pass away this year, following the deaths of Reps. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) and Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) in March.

A special election for Turner’s old seat will take place Nov. 4 and one for Grijalva’s old seat will be held Sept. 23. A vote to fill the seat of former Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) is set for Dec 2.

The Democratic vacancies had padded the House GOP’s ultra-slim majority and helped leadership navigate the contentious passage of Trump’s marquee One Big Beautiful Bill Act over the summer.

After Walkinshaw gets sworn in, the GOP margin in the House will narrow to 219-213, meaning Republicans will only be able to afford to lose two votes on partisan legislation when the full chamber is present.