WATCH LIVE: Candidates for Gerry Connolly’s congressional seat face off in forum on July 28 at 6 p.m.
In two months, some Virginians will head to the polls to pick a candidate to fill the Congressional seat vacated by the late Rep. Gerry Connolly.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced a special election will be held on Sept. 9. Connolly died in May following a battle with esophageal cancer. He served Virginia’s 11th congressional district, which includes Fairfax City and most of Fairfax County.
James Walkinshaw, a longtime Connolly staffer and Fairfax County supervisor, won the Democratic primary. Stewart Whitson, a former FBI agent and Army combat veteran, is the Republican candidate.
This video is no longer available.
WTOP’s Scott Gelman sat down with both candidates to ask them about issues important to Northern Virginia voters.
Abortion
Whitson, who described himself as pro-life and a Catholic father of five, said one of the country’s biggest issues is not doing enough to support mothers and babies.
That’s the case not only in the lead up to the birth of an unexpected pregnancy, but also after the birth happens, Whitson said.
“How can we make it easier for good families to adopt in the U.S.?” Whitson said. “How can we give more resources to help new, unexpected mothers take care of their children?”
Walkinshaw, meanwhile, said he’s a “pro-choice Democrat, 100%.”
“There are a lot of things where government does a great job,” Walkinshaw said. “Telling people and women and families what to do with their bodies ain’t one of them.”
Economy
Walkinshaw said the “chaos of the Trump administration,” including on-and-off tariff policies, is holding the U.S. economy back.
“Right now, we have a president who is more focused on the price of Greenland than he is on the price of groceries,” Walkinshaw said. “So we have to get back to focusing on the basics, making life more affordable for the American people.”
To do that, Walkinshaw said Democrats need to win back the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections.
“Between now and then, we’re in the position of articulating those things and why they’re important and why they’re a better approach than what we’re getting from the Trump administration,” he said.
Whitson, meanwhile, said there’s not a revenue issue in D.C., there’s a spending problem.
Removing “burdensome regulations that are preventing new businesses from growing and launching” is one idea that could help, he said.
Whitson described Virginia as one of the world’s technology capitals, and “the growth of data centers and the growth of AI” is going to open up opportunities “that we can’t even imagine.”
Schools
Whitson said Fairfax County Public Schools is “a national poster child of what not to do in public education” and said the federal government should promote school choice.
To do it, Whitson said that instead of the federal government funneling money to states directly to public schools, it should give that funding to parents, to let parents have control over that money and decide where they want to go.”
Walkinshaw said curriculum decisions “are made and should be made at the local and to some degree state level.” He said it’s a myth that the federal education department determines curriculum in local school districts.
Walkinshaw criticized President Donald Trump’s administration’s decision to “dismantle” the Department of Education. “It’s the kind of error that maybe sometimes is hard to measure” because we will lose research “that we don’t even know what the positive outcomes will be.”
Medicaid
As a result of the recently signed tax and spending bill, Walkinshaw said 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,” Walkinshaw said.
Whitson said 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.
“The Democrats are fearmongering, and so I would just say look at the facts of the bill,” Whitson said.
Trump administration actions
Some experts are describing the special election as a bellwether on next year’s midterms, and as a reflection of how voters may feel about the first months of the Trump administration.
Here’s how candidates responded to questions about the administration’s policies or actions.
Whitson said the first six months of the Trump administration was a “whirlwind of activity, but a lot of that was a reflection of just how far away from common sense that the previous administration moved the country.”
President Joe Biden, Whitson said, pushed “DEI policy on our children behind closed doors, frankly, sleepwalked the world into a war in Ukraine through inaction.”
“Everything that’s done through executive action can be undone by a future administration with a stroke of a pen,” Whitson said. “If you want to make the meaningful changes in the return to common sense permanent, then you have to do that in Congress.”
Everything Trump has done so far “has moved us in the right direction. There’s nothing I disagree with. I actually believe the vast majority of Americans would have my same position if they’re given the facts,” Whitson said.
Walkinshaw called the first months of the new administration “reckless chaos,” specifically criticizing cuts at federal agencies.
“I struggle to think of a policy where I’m aligned with Donald Trump,” Walkinshaw said. “I object to his trade policies and the tariff policies, but I do think he’s right that China has been operating unfairly within the global trade and economic regime for a long time.”
He said, “It’s a good thing for any American president to highlight and talk about that. I don’t think he’s gone about addressing it in a strategic way, but I think he’s on the right path there.”
Cuts at federal agencies
Walkinshaw said federal workers are “under attack” by the Trump administration.
Congressional Democrats, Walkinshaw said, “need to be more aggressive in launching investigations of what the Trump administration is doing.” He said lawmakers could request an independent inspector general or Government Accountability Office investigation.
“I will be a fierce and tireless advocate for federal workers,” Walkinshaw said.
Whitson, meanwhile, said “99% of federal employees are good, honest, hardworking Americans who love our country.”
But, he said, “I also know from my personal experience and from every federal government employee I’ve spoken to there is waste that goes on in the federal government.”
“There are employees that aren’t productive or are insubordinate, and getting rid of those few is really hard, but guess who carries most of the weight when a small handful of federal employees don’t do their job? It’s the good employees that get hurt,” Whitson said. “And so that’s my big focus is how do we look out for the good federal employees?”
Reaction to immigration trends
Immigration arrests are rising in Virginia, and at a faster rate than most other places, The New York Times recently reported.
Walkinshaw said, “Trump’s agenda to terrorize and deport law-abiding families is a distraction from focusing on the small number who commit violent crimes. In Congress, I’ll fight for comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship because America should live up to its values, not weaponize fear.”
Whitson, meanwhile, said immigration isn’t a political issue, but a humanitarian and national security one.
“If there is a lot of ICE activity going on in our area, that’s for a simple reason,” Whitson said. “It’s because the other folks who’ve been in charge, including my opponent, have basically invited illegal immigrants to come here and offered them sanctuary.”
What happens “is maybe there’s some good people who are taking advantage of it, but there’s a lot more bad people that are taking advantage of that,” he said. “That’s the problem. We have to stop that because we have to protect our legal immigrants.”
US role in foreign conflicts
Walkinshaw said the U.S. needs to stand by and support Ukraine in its war with Russia. He said the Trump administration’s “on-again-off-again support for Ukraine strengthens Vladimir Putin and Russia and weakens the United States and our allies in Europe and Ukraine.”
In the Middle East, Walkinshaw said, “Israel is a key U.S. ally strategically, and we need to stand by them and continue to support their defense.” That said, “the lack of aid flowing into Gaza is unacceptable. We need a ceasefire there yesterday.”
Walkinshaw said the diplomatic path is essential in making sure Iran doesn’t produce a nuclear weapon. “With respect to the U.S. strike on Iran, I think it was unconstitutional,” Walkinshaw said.
Whitson said the “Ukraine war is a travesty because it’s the result of inaction and a weak president.”
“Right now, we have Ukraine over there, we have to support right over wrong,” Whitson said.
However, Whitson said, “This needs to not be only the U.S. leading the charge. It needs to be something that all of our allies across Europe and elsewhere are engaged in. They need to do their fair share.”
Regarding Iran, Whitson said he applauds Trump “for his strength on that position.”
“I’m excited to see the rest of the Arab countries around Israel, talking with each other, talking about prospects for peace,” Whitson said. “Folks even in Gaza, and other leaders outside of Hamas are stepping forward and are willing to recognize Israel and promote peace. At the end of the day, all that is a result of strong American leadership.”
“We should be thankful for President Donald Trump for his leadership on that,” Whitson said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
