June will be a hectic month for many Fairfax County voters.
In addition to participating in statewide elections, Democratic voters will be faced with choosing their party’s nominee for the 11th Congressional District special election to determine the late Rep. Gerry Connolly’s successor.
The Fairfax County Democratic Committee announced today (Friday) that it will select a nominee with a “firehouse primary” on June 28 — 11 days after the party’s June 17 primary, which has the statewide lieutenant governor and attorney general races on the ballot.
“The 11th District Committee is working very hard to make this primary a robust process that is inclusive and accessible, with a broad distribution of voting locations on caucus day,” 11th Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair Manisha Singh said.
Following Connolly’s death on May 21, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin set a special election to fill the remainder of Connolly’s term for Sept. 9. Under state law, it is up to local state party committees to determine the primary process.
But the tight time frame announced by the 11th District committee has candidates and organizers scrambling as they figure out how to move forward.
The primary will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 28. Only one day of early voting has been confirmed so far on Thursday, June 26 from 3-8 p.m., but that could be expanded “pending availability of resources,” according to the committee.
The committee says it’s still working to finalize the locations for both the primary itself and early voting.
“We are coordinating with the library system, government centers, community centers, and public schools to find the locations we need, and with local party committees, neighboring congressional district committees, and the Democratic Party of Virginia to recruit volunteers,” a spokesperson for the 11th District committee said.
The lack of open information has drawn disgust from at least one candidate in the race, with Fairfax County At-Large Planning Commissioner Candice Bennett slamming party officials for failing to provide “clarity, fairness, or urgency.”
“This kind of inside-game politics does not serve democracy — it silences it,” Bennett said. “They knew this moment was coming. The lack of transparency isn’t just needlessly sluggish — it’s a casualty of not putting voters and the urgency of the moment we’re in first. This is about angling for footholds, failing to prepare, and shaping the process to favor themselves. How can we protect our democracy from Donald Trump when we silence voters in our own primary?”
Bennett is one of nine Democratic candidates in the race, a lineup that features both long-time public servants and political newbies.
Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who received Connolly’s endorsement days before his death, and state Sen. Stella Pekarsky, who has earned numerous endorsements from members of the General Assembly, are widely seen as the frontrunners in the race.
They are joined by Bennett, former Navy officer Joshua Aisen, former Venezuelan congressman Leopoldo Martinez and lawyer Amy Roma.
Also joining the race in recent days are state Del. Irene Shin, healthcare activist Dan Lee and former CIA operations officer Amy Papanu.
“We have a variety of excellent candidates, and I look forward to hearing more from each of them,” Singh said. “We will unite behind the eventual Democratic nominee and ensure strong, continued representation for the 11th District — as we have relied on since 2009.”
