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James R. Walkinshaw

U.S. House · VA-11 · Democrats · since 2025

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Biography

Overview

James Walkinshaw is a Democratic U.S. Representative from Virginia's 11th congressional district, serving since September 2025. A Northern Virginia native, he previously served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and worked as chief of staff to former Congressman Gerry Connolly from 2009 to 2019. He won a special election on September 9, 2025, to complete Connolly's term, defeating Republican Stewart Whitson by approximately 50 percentage points.

Career

Walkinshaw's legislative focus includes veteran support through discharge review reforms and employment programs, as well as postal service management. At the county level, he chaired the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors' Legislative and Environmental Committees. He has also advocated against federal workforce cuts and supports strengthening government accountability through investigations into executive actions. His early career involved managing successful congressional campaigns and serving as a congressional chief of staff for a decade.

Prior political experience

Walkinshaw was elected to the U.S. House in a special election on September 9, 2025, winning with approximately 60% of the vote in the Democratic primary (held June 28, 2025) against nine other candidates and defeating Republican Stewart Whitson by approximately 50 percentage points in the general election. Prior to Congress, he was elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2019 and re-elected in 2023.

Biographical material adapted from the Wikipedia article (retrieved April 29, 2026), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ideology

Liberal–Conservative (DW-NOMINATE dim 1)

Liberal
Conservative
119th Congress-0.393

Secondary axis (DW-NOMINATE dim 2)(?)

−1
+1
+0.156
Source: Voteview DW-NOMINATE · 148 scored votes

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Officeholding history

TermSeatTerm datesTerminationPredecessorSuccessor
1stU.S. House VA-112025–presentIn progress——

Committee assignments

Current term legislation

Bills sponsored this term9

Bills cosponsored this term10