Democrat Walkinshaw Wins House Seat in Virginia Special Election

Democrat James Walkinshaw won the special election for Virginia’s 11th district, holding on to the Democratic-leaning seat in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and narrowing Republicans’ margin of control in the US House.

While Democrats were widely expected to hold the seat, Walkinshaw’s win is a positive sign for the party ahead of the state’s closely-watched governor election this November. Democrat Abigail Spanberger is running to replace incumbent Republican Glenn Youngkin, who is prevented by term limits from running again this year.

The Virginia governor’s election will be one of the first real tests for how voters are responding to President Donald Trump’s second term. Spanberger, a former representative, is seven points ahead of Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, according to an Aug. 19 Roanoke College Poll. Earle-Sears is the state’s lieutenant governor.

While Virginia voted for Democrats Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris in the three presidential elections Donald Trump contested, it has backed Republicans at the state level in recent years. Youngkin led a GOP sweep in 2021, the most recent state leadership election, alongside Earle-Sears and state attorney general candidate Jason Miyares.

Walkinshaw will fill the seat vacated in May by the death of Representative Gerry Connolly. The Fairfax County supervisor was a former chief of staff to Connolly, including during the first Trump administration. His district includes most of Fairfax County in the northern Virginia suburbs.

Walkinshaw’s win will narrow the Republican majority in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson will now only be able to afford two defections from his party and still pass legislation, assuming all members vote and Democrats unanimously oppose him. Currently that margin is three.

It’s set to narrow even further — there are three more vacant seats in the House to fill, two of which were held by Democrats who died in office, and a third was held by a Republican who resigned. While all three seats are expected to be filled via special elections later this year, the Democratic seats are scheduled first, meaning Johnson may see his margin shrink further over the coming months.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Alicia Diaz in Washington at adiaz243@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Megan Scully at mscully32@bloomberg.net

Derek Wallbank

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