The following press release is from the Dan Helmer for Congress campaign. Currently, along with Dan Helmer, announced candidates for the VA10 Democratic nomination include former VA House of Delegates Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, State Sen. Jennifer Boysko, Del. David Reid, former VA Secretary of Education Atif Qarni, and several candidates I’m not familiar with – Krystle Kaul, Brandon Garay, Mark Leighton and Michael Freedman. Also widely expected to run are: State Senator Suhas Subramanyam, Del. Michelle Maldonado; former Del. Ibraheem Samirah, and presumably others as well. Stay tuned…
Del. Dan Helmer Launches Congressional Campaign In VA-10 to Defend Democracy
Fairfax, VA — Today, eight days after leading the historic Democratic takeover of the Virginia House of Delegates, State Delegate and Army veteran Dan Helmer launched his campaign for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.
“My grandparents came to America to escape the Nazis,” said Dan Helmer. “It’s why I volunteered to serve our country and protect the democracy that took us in. While I was proud to serve, I lost friends in Iraq and Afghanistan because politicians lacked the courage to stand up to President Bush’s misguided wars. Our democracy failed us.”
“Today, we face even greater threats to our democracy. MAGA extremists are seeking to undermine free and fair elections and strip away the right to an abortion, all while coddling a gun lobby that floods our streets with weapons of war.”
“In Richmond, I led the fight to pass historic gun safety laws. I fought back against election deniers. And I stepped up to secure a Democratic majority to protect abortion access. In Congress, I’ll continue the incredible work of Congresswoman Wexton and fight just as hard to protect our democracy.”
Speaker-Designee Don Scott praised Helmer saying, “As campaigns chair, Dan Helmer was instrumental to our effort to take the majority. And Dan has a proven record as one of the most effective legislators in Richmond.”
Dan Helmer has consistently eviscerated Republicans at the ballot box. In 2019, he defeated a 17-year Republican incumbent–the last remaining in Northern Virginia. In 2021, Dan won a tough reelection, outperforming the top of the ticket in a challenging year for Democrats. In 2023, as campaigns chair, he led Virginia Democrats back to the majority in the House of Delegates: the first time in 50 years that the party not in the governor’s mansion gained seats in an off-year election.
In Richmond, Dan Helmer passed landmark gun safety legislation to institute universal background checks and red flag laws, as well as prevent domestic abusers from having any access to guns. Additionally, he introduced legislation to ban January 6th insurrectionists from serving in office, voted for the repeal of so-called “Right to Work” laws, defended women’s healthcare, and blocked GOP efforts to ban abortion, while never taking a dime of corporate money.
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More about Delegate Dan Helmer:
Dan lives in Fairfax County with his wife, Karen, a public school educator, and their two sons. He is the son of an immigrant and the grandson of refugees and Holocaust survivors. A graduate of West Point, Dan served tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Korea, owns a small business, and continues to serve as a LTC in the US Army Reserve. Since winning his House of Delegates election in 2019, Dan has represented tens of thousands of voters in the 10th Congressional District across Fairfax and Prince WIlliam Counties.
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