Another Democrat is angling to potentially succeed Rep. Gerry Connolly.
State Sen. Stella Pekarsky (D-36) will campaign for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District seat, stating in an announcement video first shared with FFXnow that she wants to run to provide not just a voice, but also action for those “terrified and angry” about the currently Republican-led federal government.
“My North Star has always been uplifting children and families,” Pekarsky says in the video. “That’s why I’m running for Congress, because I refuse to stay silent and I refuse to back down to the criminal in the White House.”
Currently in her second year as a state senator after previously serving on the Fairfax County School Board, Pekarsky filed paperwork for her Congressional campaign yesterday — the same day as Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw.
Walkinshaw, who served as Connolly’s chief of staff for years before winning election to the county’s Board of Supervisors in 2019, has already secured his former boss’s endorsement, as announced in a letter that the congressman sent to constituents this morning (Wednesday).
The candidacy announcements set the stage for a Democratic primary for the seat that has been occupied by Connolly since 2009. The primary election would likely be held in May or June of 2026.
Pekarsky, 46, made her first bid at elected office in 2019, when she was elected to represent Sully District on the county school board.
She ran for the state Senate four years later, besting incumbent George Barker in a tight primary en route to a 60%-38% general election victory. She represents Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton and Fair Oaks in a redrawn 36th district.
A former public school teacher, Pekarsky now sits on four different Senate committees, including those for education and health and transportation. She’s also a member of the Virginia Commission to End Hunger and the Autism Advisory Council, among other bodies.
During the General Assembly’s 2025 session, she successfully sponsored legislation authorizing local school boards to create policies limiting students’ cell phone usage and expand access to telehealth. She also joined Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell in supporting his ultimately-stalled bill to allow a referendum on a casino in Fairfax County.
“I never thought I’d be here,” Pekarsky says in her campaign video. “But I’m a mom and an educator who can’t stand bullies, and I will not be pushed around.”
Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, which covers most of Fairfax County, has been a Democratic stronghold since Connolly flipped it from Republican control in 2008. The redistricting that followed has helped Connolly to retain the seat by 2-to-1 margins in each of the past five elections.
Connolly announced on April 28 that he won’t seek a 10th term in Congress after seeing a reemergence of esophageal cancer. He made his diagnosis public in late 2024, shortly after winning reelection that November.
So far, only one Republican candidate has joined the suddenly open midterm race: Mike Van Meter, who unsuccessfully challenged Connolly for the same seat last year.
