Virginia’s 11th House District will likely be represented by another Bulova, starting next year.
Democratic voters in the district nominated Gretchen M. Bulova in a quick firehouse primary today (Tuesday) to succeed her husband, David Bulova, after the delegate resigned last Friday (Dec. 12) to accept an appointment in Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger’s administration.
Though the primary was organized in a mere five days, voters had a robust slate of candidates to pick from:
- So Lim, former Fairfax City Councilmember
- Vanessa Cardenas, executive director of America’s Voice
- Gretchen Bulova, chair of the Fairfax County 250th Commission and the county’s History Commission
- Douglas Shuster, president of the Miller Heights Neighborhood Association in Oakton
- Denver Supinger, former chief of staff to Del. Karrie Delaney (D-9)
Still, Gretchen Bulova prevailed with 47.7% of all votes, followed in order by Lim (17.6%), Cardenas (14.9%) and Shuster (12.4%). Supinger trailed with just 87 votes, or 7.3%, according to unofficial results released by the 11th House District Democratic Committee.
All locations have reported at https://t.co/u8e8UVerMu and the winner of the #HD11 firehouse primary is @GMBulova. Congratulations to our Democratic Nominee! @vademocrats @SpeakerDonScott @C_Herring @KathyKLTran @FairfaxDems @FairfaxCityDem
— Aaron J. Yohai (@AaronJYohai) December 17, 2025
A total of 1,188 votes were cast across three primary locations, representing just a sliver of the over 62,000 registered voters in the district, which encompasses Fairfax City and parts of Oakton and the Fair Oaks area.
“We want to thank all of the candidates who threw their hats in the ring to be the next Delegate from the 11th District. We appreciate the voters who came on short notice to cast their ballot,” 11th HD District Chair Susan Weltz said in a press release. “We must now unite behind our Democratic nominee, Gretchen Bulova, and get her elected on January 13th to represent us in Richmond.”
Lim and Shuster both lamented the short turnaround time for the primary when talking to FFXnow outside the Jim Scott Community Center. Voting was also held today at the Fairfax County Government Center and Fairfax Presbyterian Church.
“It’s not the democratic way,” Lim said. “Everybody should have a chance to run for office. Everybody should have a voice to come and vote, but if they don’t know about it, how are they supposed to do that?”
Shuster also said he “didn’t like the way it happened” in terms of the primary process, but he felt a need to get involved as a local community member who has been active on issues like the impact of planned development on transportation safety and congestion in Oakton.
Both Lim and Shuster mentioned addressing the cost of living and advocating for Northern Virginia to get more state funding back from Richmond as priorities.
An analysis conducted by University of Virginia researchers found that Fairfax County generates as much as 20% of Virginia’s general fund revenue, mostly through income taxes, while receiving about 11% of the state’s general fund spending, though some state lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell and Senate President Louise Lucas, have disputed the county’s assertion that it’s being underfunded.
Providence District Planning Commissioner Philip Niedzielski-Eichner, who was present to support Bulova’s campaign, said he was still “impressed by the quality of candidates” who decided to run for the 11th District seat “on short notice.”
The 11th House District Democratic Committee acknowledged the short time frame that both candidates and voters had to get organized. Committee member Penelope Rood thanked more than 100 volunteers who worked at the polls and otherwise helped make the primary possible.
David Bulova resigned last week after 19 years as a legislator in Virginia’s House of Delegates. He will take office as Virginia’s next secretary of natural and historic resources after Spanberger is sworn in as governor next month.
A special election for David Bulova’s now-vacant seat will be held on Jan. 13, a day before the Virginia General Assembly is scheduled to convene for its 2026 session. The special election will have “normal voting hours” of 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and voters will cast ballots at their usual precincts.
So far, no Republican candidates have entered the race.
