Candidates in the Virginia special election to succeed the late Democratic Rep. Gerald E. Connolly are facing a sprint, especially compared with their counterparts looking to fill other open House seats this year.
While those running for a vacant seat in Arizona will have had months to campaign before their July primary, the Democrats who’ve announced bids to complete Connolly’s term have less than a month to officially campaign for their party’s nomination for Virginia’s 11th District ahead of a September special election.
They include James Walkinshaw, Connolly’s former chief of staff and now a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; state Sen. Stella Pekarsky; state Del. Irene Shin; Fairfax County Planning Commissioner Candice Bennett; attorney Amy Roma; former Democratic National Committee member and onetime Venezuelan legislator Leo Martínez; health care entrepreneur Dan Lee; Navy veteran Josh Aisen; and former CIA operations officer Amy Papanu.
