An earlier version of this article said the campaign will be in the 10th or 11th Congressional District, but redistricting leaves open a third option of running in another district.
A former Space Force colonel who was forced to retire due to the Trump administration’s ban on transgender people serving in the military is seeking to represent part of Fairfax County in Congress.
Col. Bree Fram filed yesterday (Tuesday) to run as a Democrat in the 11th Congressional District, currently represented by Rep. James Walkinshaw (D). However, with a referendum expected this spring to allow mid-cycle redistricting, Fram told Inside Nova that her bid could shift to Virginia’s 10th Congressional District — represented by Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D) — or another congressional district.
If elected, Fram would become the second transgender member of Congress, following the 2024 election of Rep. Sarah McBride in Delaware.
“I never planned to run for office,” Fram said in a campaign announcement. “Too many Americans are afraid of what their own government is doing to them, instead of confident it’s working for them. That’s why I’m running for Congress.”
Fram, whose relatives served in World War I and II, signed up for military service after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. First serving as an Air Force member, Fram deployed to Iraq and Qatar, oversaw billion-dollar national security programs, and served in senior roles at the Pentagon throughout her time with the military.
Fram became a founding member of the U.S. Space Force in 2021 and achieved the rank of colonel after more than 23 years of military service. Her forced retirement came at the end of 2025 as the Trump administration banned transgender military servicemembers.
A longtime Northern Virginia resident, Fram currently lives in Reston with her wife and their two children, who attend Fairfax County Public Schools.
Her campaign named defending democracy, supporting economic stability for families, strengthening national security, supporting human rights and delivering effective government services as top priorities.
“My oath to the Constitution has no expiration date,” Fram said. “I am simply lacing up for a different battlefield — one where the weapons are words, votes, organizing, and relentless hope. This is our country too. It has always been our country. And it is still worth fighting for.”
In the 11th district, Walkinshaw was elected last September to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, who died of esophageal cancer in May 2025. The 11th Congressional District leans strongly Democratic and includes most of western and central Fairfax County, along with all of Fairfax City.
The 10th Congressional District, while not as dominantly blue as the 11th, has been represented by Democrats since former Rep. Jennifer Wexton flipped the seat in 2018. The district includes the Clifton area in Fairfax County, all of Loudoun County, part of Prince William County, and several other localities. Subramanyam was elected in 2024 after Wexton retired due to her progressive supranuclear palsy diagnosis.
