1 of 3 | U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., participates in a ceremonial swearing-in for Representative-elect James Walkinshaw D-Va., in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo
Democrat James Walkinshaw won in Virginia’s solid blue 11th congressional district in an expected win in the bellwether state to succeed the late U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly.
The election to win the seat vacated by Connolly, who died in May aged 75 from lingering effects of esophageal cancer, will give Democrats 213 House members to the GOP’s current majority of 219.
Walkinshaw, a Fairfax County supervisor who was Connolly’s chief of staff and aide for more than 10 years, defeated the Republican nominee: retired FBI agent and U.S. Army veteran Stewart Whitson.
Late Wednesday, Walkinshaw, 42, was sworn in to his congressional seat covering the suburbs of Washington and the large part of Fairfax County.
Meanwhile, Virginia’s congressional delegation offered public welcomes for Walkinshaw as their new House colleague.
U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, now a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said Tuesday on social media that Walkinshaw will “honor Gerry Connolly’s legacy and deliver real results for working families in Virginia’s 11th District,” adding that Democrats were “so fortunate to now have him in Congress.”
Welcome to Congress @JamesWalkinshaw!
Now swear him in. pic.twitter.com/FAUcbZcdKk— Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) (@RepSuhas) September 10, 2025
Walkinshaw announced his congressional bid in May prior to Connolly’s death soon after and revelation that he would not seek re-election.
On Wednesday, MSNBC analyst Jen Psaki, a former White House press secretary under then-President Joe Biden, said on X she looked forward to Walkinshaw’s 9. p.m. EDT appearance on her television show to talk over how he won the seat and outperformed former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris by 16 points.
“Welome to Congress,” U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Virginia, said Wednesday morning.
“Now swear him in,” he added on social media.
