WTOP will be livestreaming the Congressional District 11 Candidate Forum, hosted by the Reston Citizens Assocation, on Monday, July 28, at 6 p.m. Watch it here on WTOP.
Early voting kicked off for a special election in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District Friday, as contenders look to fill the seat left vacant by the late Rep. Gerry Connolly.
Connolly died in May following a battle with esophageal cancer. He served Virginia’s 11th District, which includes Fairfax City and most of Fairfax County.
Voters will be able to cast their ballots in-person from July 25 through Sept. 6. Early voting sites include the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax and the North County Governmental Center in Reston.
Democrat James Walkinshaw, Connolly’s former chief of staff who’s pledged to advance “Gerry’s legacy forward,” is facing Republican challenger Stewart Whitson in the race. The last time Republicans held the posting was in 2006.
From the economy to health care and abortion, Walkinshaw and Whitson previously broke down their standings on various key voter issues.
Regarding the economy, Whitson told WTOP that he believes there is a spending problem, whereas Walkinshaw said he felt as though the Trump administration is holding the U.S. back.
Walkinshaw, speaking to recent tax and spending bill cuts, also said that more than 320,000 Virginians are at risk of losing their health care. “In Congress, I’ll fight back and work to repeal their Big BS Bill — because no Virginian should lose coverage or pay higher premiums to fund this reckless agenda,” he said.
For Whitson, the legislation “didn’t cut Medicaid spending a dime.” He said, “1.4 million illegal immigrants are getting kicked off Medicaid,” in addition to people who are signed up for the program in multiple states.
Both candidates will be participating in a candidate forum Monday, July 28, at the Reston Community Center. The event, hosted by The Reston Citizens Association will include a 60-minute Q&A segment.
Election Day is Tuesday, Sept. 9. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
WTOP’s Scott Gelman contributed to this report.
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