Earlier this afternoon, I had the chance to chat (at his campaign’s request) with VA11 Democratic candidate James Walkinshaw, who is one of nine Democratic candidates listed on VPAP (the others being Joshua Aisen, Candice Bennett, Dan Lee, Leopoldo “Leo” Martinez, Amy Papanu; Stella Pekarsky, Amy Roma, Irene Shin) running to succeed the late, great Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) in the US House. See below for a lightly edited transcript of the interview with James Walkinshaw. Also, keep in mind that the Democratic nomination (which will almost certainly determine the next Congressperson in the 9/9/25 special election, given that this is a deep-blue district) will be determined in a “firehouse primary” on June 28, just over two weeks from now. So stay tuned – and may the best candidate win!
P.S. I’ve now interviewed five of the VA11 Democratic candidates – Amy Papanu, Dan Lee, Leo Martinez, Amy Roma….and now James Walkinshaw.
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Blue Virginia: “I’ve been asking all the candidates – there are a lot of candidates and I don’t know how many voters know that much about them – so I’ve just been asking everybody, I’ll ask you the same thing, just to tell us a little bit about yourself, why you’re running, and maybe your background in Fairfax and/or Virginia politics.”
James Walkinshaw: “Yeah, so I am a lifelong Northern Virginian. My grandfather grew up on a farm not far from Dulles Airport. Obviously that farm is not not there anymore. My dad was a plumber, my mom was a nurse. So I grew up in a working class family. You heard in my announcement kind of the three lessons that my parents really instilled in me: work as hard as you possibly can every day; do the right thing, especially when it’s hard to do the right thing; and never back down from a bully. So I’ve tried to live my life based on those lessons.
I attended New York University, graduated in 2005, moved back home to Northern Virginia – I kind of was like a lot of 22 year olds, wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. But my hometown at the time was represented by one of the most bigoted homophobes in Virginia history in Bob Marshall, and I got involved as you know – maybe that’s where you and I met…”
Blue Virginia: “Yeah that’s where we met.”
James Walkinshaw: “…working on the campaign for Bruce Roemmelt, who was running against Bob Marshall at the time. And you know, that for me kind of sparked an interest in advancing progressive values through the political process here in Northern Virginia. I worked on several other campaigns. I met Gerry Connolly when he was Chairman of the Board of Supervisors in 2007. I helped to get him elected to Congress in 2008. And then in January of 2009, when I was 26 years old, he asked me to be his chief of staff. He took a little bit of a chance on me, I was certainly on the younger side. I don’t know if records are kept, but I was certainly on the younger side of Congressional chiefs of staff at the time. And he put a lot of faith in me, which which I hope was the right decision for him. I think he felt like it was. I spent 11 years as his chief of staff, starting in 2009 when Barack Obama was sworn in. And we had, at least by today’s standards, huge majorities in the House and in the Senate and endless possibilities of what we could accomplish. And we did accomplish a lot. You know, we saved the economy with the Recovery Act and obviously the the Affordable Care Act and Dodd-Frank and really important landmark legislation that I had the opportunity to work on, as as well as delivering a lot back here to Fairfax and to Northern Virginia in terms of funding and economic development and projects.
I was there for the Tea Party wave. And you know, I’m one of those people who unfortunately was not terribly surprised on January 6, 2021, because I was there when the Tea Party was spitting on John Lewis when we were passing the Affordable Care Act. And you could tell at the time that there was a group of people in this country who were very close to engaging in political violence and they just needed somebody to come along and say that it’s okay. And they found that somebody ultimately in Donald Trump. So I lived through that.
I was there for most of the first Trump administration. I was there for the first Muslim ban. I was at Dulles airport next to Gerry as we were protesting and standing up against that. I was there in their initial salvo of attacks against the federal workforce when they tried to abolish OPM and implement schedule F and and on and on and on.
In 2019, I ran and flipped what had been a Republican-held seat on the Board of Supervisors, held by a Republican for a decade in the Bradock district. And I’ve been on the Board of Supervisors for the last 5 years, which is an incredible job that I love dearly – you have the opportunity to have a really tangible impact on people’s lives and see government when it’s closest to the people. You know, we’re at the end of the line at the local government level, so any inactions or actions at the federal or state level, we’re left trying to figure out how to deal with them and improve people’s lives. And I’ve just been so appreciative of the opportunity to do that.
I’m proud of of work that I’ve done. I’ve led the effort to ban guns from our libraries and our rec centers and our government buildings…taken on the NRA – they sued us and we’ve beaten them every step of the way to date. I’ve led to pass historic reforms for workers, so collective bargaining for our county employees. Along with Supervisor Gross, I led our task force in drafting that ordinance. I introduced and got passed a prevailing wage ordinance so workers on county contracts get fair wages and good benefits and safe work sites and training opportunities. I pushed through the first local government Project Labor Agreement in Virginia history, and the project is under construction as we as we speak.
But, you know, the best part of being the Braddock District Supervisor is just the opportunity to work every day with individuals and with neighborhoods to solve problems and make their lives a little bit easier and a little bit better. That’s something that I’m really passionate about. So that’s just a great job.
I’m running for Congress now because we’re in a five-alarm fire moment for our democracy. I have a 4-year-old son, and like every parent I want him to grow up in a country that is a safe, stable, thriving democracy. And I want that not just for my son, but for every four-year-old out there. And we’re in a fight for that right now. The Trump administration is violating the Constitution every day. They’re specifically targeting our community here in Northern Virginia. And I think I’m the best prepared candidate on a list of a lot of great candidates. I think I’m the best prepared candidate to to lead our community in that fight against Trump and the Trump administration.”
Blue Virginia: “You were talking about the Tea Party and how you were there for the Tea Party. And I would argue that the Republican Party, if anything, has even gone more in that direction since then, in a more authoritarian direction. Rep. Jennifer McClellan a couple months ago said that we’re ‘absolutely in a constitutional crisis’, ‘this is fascism, this is something I never thought I would see in the United States’ – that’s a quote from. So this gets at, if you’re in Congress, what’s the best way to fight back against Trump and MAGA? Do you think we should be still trying to work with Republicans, even talking about our quote-unquote ‘friends across the aisle’ at this point? Or should we be more confrontational? Should we try to shut the place down? Or should we be trying to get things done as much as possible, even if Republicans are not even talking to Democrats, they’re just pushing through their big bad budget bill on their own without even any input from Democrats. They’re arresting Democrats all around the country, seems like every day there’s another story. But I mean, what’s the best approach? Gerry Connolly was very aggressive, he was very fierce fighter, he was constantly investigating, is that your model or something different? I agree with you we’re in a five-alarm fire at this point. But the question is, how do you put it out and get back to a building that’s not on fire and collapsing?”
James Walkinshaw: “Yeah, that’s right. Yeah, look, I think right now especially, Democrats in Congress have to fight harder and they have to fight smarter. And I would absolutely continue Gerry’s legacy and work of fighting Republicans tooth and nail when they’re going after our values, when they’re going after the institutions that hold our country together, when they’re going after our democracy, when they’re attacking federal workers in the workforce. And I’ve laid out kind of the three-part plan that I would pursue, at least while Democrats are still in the minority, in the House for the remainder of this Congress. And it’s investigate – you know, we have to be more aggressive in investigating the law-breaking, the incompetence, the corruption in the Trump administration. And Democrats even in the minority in the House can be doing that. I’d be getting those stories from my constituents here in Fairfax and launching those investigations so the American people hear just how bad it is. Litigating – there has been a lot of success in courtrooms across the country and members of Congress can be part of that by getting those stories and their constituents’ voices into the courtrooms via amicus briefs. And then mobilizing – you know, I was out like a lot of folks at the ‘No Kings’ rallies last weekend. And I think every Democratic member of Congress has to be working night and day to help to organize, mobilize and support Americans who are resisting the Trump administration.
In terms of is it possible to work with Republicans, I think on the big issues, the answer is no – we shouldn’t be pollyanish about it; Congressional Republicans are not going to have a Road-to-Damascus moment anytime soon and suddenly start prioritizing democracy over Trump; it’s just not going to happen. Are there issues that are below the radar where there’s a possibility to work with Republicans? Perhaps. You know, when I was in Gerry’s office, he and Darrell Issa, there were many days where at a 9:00 a.m hearing where Darrell Issa was unfairly attacking the Obama administration, they would be screaming and yelling and pounding the table at one another; but then at 2:00 that afternoon, they would be sitting down quietly working on bipartisan legislation to reform how the government acquires and procures information technology products and services. And they got that bill passed, the FITARA, which is saving the federal government billions of dollars and making it more efficient – it’s actually a counter example to DOGE; it’s the right way to make government more effective and more efficient. So those opportunities might exist from time to time.
But for the most part, what Democrats need to be doing is fighting what’s taking place, and articulating to the American people why we need to make a change in November of 2026. And that requires people be disciplined. And one of the things I get frustrated about with Democrats is sometimes we’re not disciplined – we chase every shiny object that’s in the news cycle. And I have been laser focused for weeks in talking about the reconciliation bill, the big BS bill as I call it.”
Blue Virginia: “Big BS, I like that.”
James Walkinshaw: “And we have them on the ropes on that right now, it’s increasingly unpopular. They’re struggling within their own Republican conference to work out their differences. The longer it drags on, the more unpopular it will be, the more of an anchor it will be around their necks whether they pass it or not, in November of 2026. And we as Democrats, every Democratic member of Congress should not put their head on the pillow at night until they have hammered home the message about how destructive this bill is, including to a lot of folks who voted for Donald Trump. This is a bill that’s going to cut the legs out of a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump, who rely on Medicaid, who rely on nutrition assistance and other programs. So we have to be aggressive and sometimes that means not talking about other things that are going on, as much as we might want to. We have to stay focused on where we can beat them.”
Blue Virginia: “Right. I think I asked all the other candidates where they are, where they see themselves on the ideological spectrum. I think I have a pretty good idea with you, but you can talk about that. And then are there any particular issues where you disagree with the Democratic Party, whether it’s domestic policy or international stuff, I mean Iran is big in the news right now, I don’t know where you’re at on that [right now], or the Middle East or whatever. But anyway, I’m trying to get at where candidates are coming from ideologically and policy-wise, if there’s anything that jumps out as different from the mainstream Democratic view.”
James Walkinshaw: “Yeah, I view myself as a pragmatic progressive Democrat very much in the Gerry Connolly mold. And one of the things that made Gerry so brilliant and effective as a political leader is he was always looking to grow the coalition and grow the tent. So when he was Chairman of the Board of Supervisors and talked about why we should be investing in affordable housing in Fairfax County, he didn’t for the most part talk about it in moral terms, that we should do it because it’s the right thing to do. Of course he believed it was the right thing to do. But folks who believe that are already with us. So he sold it on economic terms in terms of the ability of Fairfax County to grow its economy, continue to be a vibrant place to live and work. And he was able to grow the coalition. It’s one of the reasons this county is as Democratic as it is today. And I think that’s the approach that makes sense for us as Democrats.
I’m somebody who believes in government. I think government is a place where we can come together as a community and solve problems that we can’t solve as individuals, the private sector can’t solve, that nonprofits can’t solve. I believe in the power of government, but as a party we have to be the party of making government work for people, and that’s been my focus at the local level.
In terms of where do I differ from the Democratic Party, look, you know our party has, there’s a spectrum of views. I can tell you even in the House Democratic Caucus in my time there, on almost any issue you have a a spectrum of views. I think one area where I probably would have a different take than a majority, maybe a strong majority of the current House Democratic caucus, would be with respect to defense spending and Pentagon spending. Most Democrats in the House probably would support significant cuts to the defense budget. That’s not something that I would support. One, I think we are in an era where we’re facing significant threats globally, significant strategic competitors globally, and we need to be at the cutting edge. Also, obviously, in Northern Virginia, much of our economy is dependent on both direct federal employment, including military and civilian employment at the Pentagon and other defense installations and in federal contracting. So for a Democrat in Northern Virginia to advocate for significant cuts to the defense budget, the Pentagon budget, would be advocating to put many of our neighbors out of work. So I want the defense budget to be efficient. I don’t want a single dollar to be wasted. I want us to be investing in new technologies, not old weapon systems that no longer work. But I wouldn’t support significant cuts to the defense budget.”
Blue Virginia: “Right. And speaking of the military, it may be used soon in Iran; we’re not sure at this point, but Trump’s talking like that. Where are you on that? I mean, Gerry Connolly was heavily involved in NATO and in foreign policy, so I don’t know if you would be like Connolly in that regard, in following his footsteps and his involvement in NATO. But I’m curious about Iran; it’s obviously in the headlines right now, so I wanted to just get your thoughts on that situation since that could blow up any day now.”
James Walkinshaw: “Yeah, so I released the statement last week when the initial Israeli military action commenced. And I think that statement is as true today as it was then. You know, we have to support Israel’s right to defend itself against existential threats. A nuclear-armed Iran is an existential threat not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the entire world. I also believe that especially now, the United States should be working to deescalate the situation and return to the negotiating table. And the purpose of that negotiation must be a commitment by the Iranian regime to dismantle their nuclear weapons program and to agree to a very robust inspections regime to ensure that they don’t restart that process.”
Blue Virginia: “So are there any other issues, on domestic policy or international policy, where you would be…significantly more…conservative or progressive than most Democrats? Whether it’s on immigration – that’s a obviously big in the news right now – or any other issue on foreign policy, Israel-Gaza let’s say or Russia-Ukraine or anywhere else, that you feel like you differ? Or is that it, pretty much, the military budget?”
James Walkinshaw: “I think Democrats nationally probably have a spectrum of views on all the issues that you laid out, but there are not significant issues where I differ from the Democratic Party platform.”
Blue Virginia: “Right, there’s the Democratic Party platform and then there’s…I mean if you even take Don Beyer and Gerry Connolly or whatever, they had some differences on different issues, maybe not huge but…”
James Walkinshaw: “Yeah,and you could pick any one member of Congress and I’m sure I would have some some differences with them. One maybe difference in just approac, there are not a lot of members of Congress who come from local government. You know, the vast majority of members of Congress come from state legislatures or are lawyers maybe in the in the private sector. And I do think this is something that Gerry felt very strongly about, having folks in Congress from local government is valuable because we’re the ones who see the end results of legislation. Sometimes a legislator in a state capital or in the United States capital believes a problem has been solved because a bill has been passed and signed into law. And in the local government level, we’re seeing the things that they didn’t think about, the elements of implementation that weren’t funded, the additional red tape or bureaucracy that maybe was unintentionally created. So I think that’s a difference in perspective that I would bring to it and a way of questioning legislative initiatives informed by my experience at the local government.”
Blue Virginia: “Right, well that kind of relates to another question I had – you emphasized the other day at your kickoff event, you were talking about the importance of having experience on the Hill. You know, like Jennifer McClellan came from the state senate in Virginia, I don’t know if she ever worked on the Hill. Also, Suhas Subramanyam just got elected, Eugene Vindman, they didn’t work on the Hill. But anyway, how important is it to have worked on the Hill, be able to find the bathrooms or whatever the joke was. Is that crucial, would you argue, for people deciding who to vote for in this primary that they should look at the experience in that way, or the local experience – you were talking about that a lot, I think that’s very important. Which should be weighted more?”
James Walkinshaw: “I think they’re all important. I would say local experience, regional experience I would also say is important. And I think that’s something that I bring to the race, maybe that’s unique from the other candidates. You know, the member of Congress representing Fairfax has to be not just a local leader here in the 11th district, not just a leader in Congress, but also also a leader regionally. And on the Board of Supervisors and as Gerry’s Chief of Staff, I’ve spent 15 years working at the regional level. So I’ve worked on regional funding for Metro, I’ve worked on regional emergency preparedness and regional transportation issues and environmental issues. I’ve served, I serve currently on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government; so every month I’m working with the DC City Council and Maryland County Council members on the issues that impact our region. I currently chair our transportation planning board, which is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization; we’re developing the region’s long-range transportation plan pursuant to federal statutory guidance. And any transportation project to be built in our region has to be in that plan, so I’m building consensus across the region around that transportation plan. So I think that experience is valuable as well.
And in this unique circumstance of a special election, I think there is tremendous value to having somebody who has worked in Congress at the highest level as a staff member, as a Chief of Staff for Gerry Connolly in this district and can walk in on day one and do the job and do the job effectively. I think in this unique circumstance, that’s particularly valuable.”
Blue Virginia: “OK, so I guess we have a couple minutes left. Any thoughts on the nomination process itself? And how are you planning to reach voters in the very little time we have until the firehouse primary? And anything else you feel like voters need to know or should know?”
James Walkinshaw: “Yeah, you know, in terms of the process, obviously I think that the biggest concern that I have right now from a small-d democracy perspective is we’re not represented in Congress. So when you have a vacancy in the House, the folks who live in that district are not represented. And that’s the biggest small-d democracy challenge that we have right now. I think in terms of the process, the Code of Virginia does not allow for state-run primaries in this kind of situation. I think that’s something that the General Assembly should take a very hard look at, because I think the party is doing the best that they can, and they’re all volunteers and trying to pull together the best process possible under a tight timeline. But there’s no practical reason that we couldn’t have a a state-run primary so folks could vote by mail, folks could have real early voting. The barrier to that is the Code of Virginia, and I hope that the General Assembly and after this race, at least at least one of the folks running, will be back in Richmond in the General Assembly, and I think that’s something they should really take a look at…
Obviously it’s a sprint [to the firehouse primary on 6/28], so the challenge in the campaign has been to get as organized as possible as fast as possible. And I believe you you only have one speed when you’re running for office, which is go. So I’ve been going around the clock from the day that I decided to run, and you know working to earn every endorsement, every dollar, every vote that I possibly can, in the hopes that we’ll be successful. I don’t take anything for granted. I wake up every day believing that I’m 10 points behind. And that’s what I’ll do until the polls close on the 28th. But we’re working very hard and knocking on thousands and thousands of doors and talking to as many voters as possible about our campaign and our message and it’s gone very well so far.”
Blue Virginia: “OK great. Well thanks a lot for doing this, and good luck out there on the campaign trail.”
James Walkinshaw: “Yeah, thank you, I appreciate you doing these in-depth conversations with folks…”
