In an election year dominated by state offices, Fairfax County voters now face the prospect of also electing a new lawmaker to represent them in Congress.
Following the death of longtime Rep. Gerry Connolly yesterday (Wednesday), voters will soon need to select a new representative for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District — a critical decision given the Republican Party’s slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rep. Gerald “Gerry” Connolly, an influential Democratic voice for nearly 30 years as a local and national legislator, has died. He was 75.
Connolly, who represented Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, died this morning (Wednesday) at his Mantua home of esophageal cancer, an illness he had battled on-and-off since November 2024, his family announced.
Voters won’t cast their ballots in the Democratic primary election for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District for another year, but that hasn’t stopped early candidates from sprinting out of the gates.
Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who was the first Democrat to enter the race to replace retiring Rep. Gerry Connolly, has already garnered support from the incumbent congressman and former 10th Congressional District representative Jennifer Wexton.
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.
A former longtime adviser to Rep. Gerry Connolly appears to be running to succeed his political mentor.
James Walkinshaw, a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for the past five years, filed paperwork today (Tuesday) to formally seek the Democratic nomination for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District.
Six months after being defeated by Rep. Gerry Connolly in what turned out to be his final election, the most recent Republican nominee for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District will return to the campaign trail.
Mike Van Meter, who garnered almost 33% of the vote in the 2024 general election against the longtime Democratic incumbent, confirmed to FFXnow that he plans to run for the seat in the 2026 midterm elections.
Rep. Gerry Connolly, who has represented Virginia’s 11th district for nearly 20 years, will not seek another term in Congress, he announced today (Monday).
The 75-year-old congressman, who was diagnosed with esophageal cancer late last year, has seen a re-emergence of the illness, according to a statement.
The Trump administration’s freeze on federal grants and loans has left early childhood education programs like Higher Horizons in Bailey’s Crossroads facing financial uncertainty, even after a court ruled the funding must resume.
On Friday (Feb. 7), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) met with staff and educators at the nonprofit Head Start provider to discuss the lingering effects of the freeze, which was triggered by a White House directive pausing federal aid while the administration reviewed how the funds align with its policy goals.
Congressional Republicans are once again pushing to rename Dulles International Airport after President Donald Trump.
North Carolina Rep. Addison McDowell introduced H.R. 691 last Thursday, Jan. 23 to designate the Northern Virginia airport as “Donald J. Trump International Airport,” proclaiming the move a fitting parallel to former president Ronald Reagan’s moniker gracing Washington National Airport in Arlington.
After weeks of discussions, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted along party lines on Tuesday (Dec. 3) to adopt policy packages establishing its 2025 priorities for the Virginia General Assembly and Congress.
The packages seek additional funding from the state legislature, particularly for education and transportation, and set up potential conflict areas with the incoming Trump administration.
