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Virginia's 11th District Votes in Special Election Likely to Tighten House GOP Majority

A Democratic win in the deep-blue Northern Virginia seat would cut Speaker Mike Johnson’s margin to two votes ahead of a Sept. 30 funding deadline.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., left, speaks during a news conference with Democratic congressional candidate James Walkinshaw, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025 in Fairfax, Va. Walkinshaw will face Republican Stewart Whitson in a special election on Sept. 9 to fill Rep. Gerry Connolly's congressional seat in Fairfax County (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Republican Stewart Whitson, left, and Democrat James Walkinshaw are campaigning to represent Virginia’s 11th congressional district.

Overview

  • Democrat James Walkinshaw, a Fairfax County supervisor and longtime chief of staff to the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, faces Republican Stewart Whitson, an Army veteran and former FBI special agent.
  • The seat opened after Connolly died in May, and polls closed at 7 p.m. local time as voters selected a successor in the Washington-area district.
  • More than 48,000 ballots were cast before Election Day, reflecting strong early participation in a district that backed Kamala Harris over Donald Trump by about 34 points in 2024.
  • Federal workforce cuts under the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency have been a defining issue in a district with one of the nation’s highest shares of federal employees.
  • The current House split is 219 Republicans to 212 Democrats, and a Walkinshaw victory would reduce GOP defections allowed on party-line votes from three to two, with additional special elections in Arizona on Sept. 23, Texas on Nov. 4, and Tennessee on Dec. 2 also looming.