See below for video and some highlights from the VA11 Democratic candidates forum this evening, starting at 6:30 pm. With early voting having started today, and with the “firehouse primary” set for Saturday, Democrats are just about ready to decide who they want to fill the seat left vacant by the tragic death of the late, great Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11). For information on the candidates’ positions on the issues, see here. The nine candidates participating in tonight’s forum, per WJLA, are: Amy Papanu; Amy Roma; Candice Bennett; Dan Lee; Irene Shin; James Walkinshaw; Leo Martinez; Priya Punnoose; Stella Pekarsky.
P.S. BTW, I hear there were 1,400 voters today on the first day of early voting in this “firehouse primary.”
UPDATE 8:31 pm – Closing statements, candidates going from left to right. Mostly, the candidates reiterated their main themes that they talked about the rest of the evening, so I’m not going to reiterate everything (Shin took a swipe at Walkinshaw, saying she didn’t inherit an email list or a Twitter account. Walkinshaw said he’s proud to be endorsed by Gerry Connolly, Jennifer Wexton, etc.; says he won’t back down from Trump or Trump’s right-wing MAGA allies in Congress). Excellent debate tonight, by the way – substantive, no personal attacks, well moderated by Rep. Subramanyam. Also, just gotta say, ANY of these candidates would be better than pretty much any Republican currently in Congress. And no, that’s not meant as a backhanded compliment; I’m saying that these are really excellent people with great ideas, and that it’s crazy anyone votes Republican. As for the VA11 Democratic nomination, it’s now up to the voters – let the best candidate win, then let’s make sure Democrats all unite and elect that person on 9/9!
UPDATE 8:18 pm – Audience questions. I’m not going to try to capture everything here, in part because I need a break from this (LOL), but will note if anything really jumps out at me. Walkinshaw says we need a ceasefire in Gaza yesterday, humanitarian aid to flow in to Gaza, return of hostages, Hamas committing to stop using civilians as human shields.
UPDATE 8:00 pm – Question about what’s going on with the Democratic Party, how in heck we allowed Trump to get elected; what’s your “hot take?” Walkinshaw says there isn’t any one thing; believes we can turn things around; says he comes from a working class family and Democrats need to think about how our policies sound to working class Americans and how our policies will impact their lives. Shin says we should lean in to our values, not campaign with Liz Cheney; people want to see a difference between Republicans and Democrats, draw a stark enough contrast that people can see them; don’t muddy the lines; moment for generational change, not age so much as a mindset and willingness to try something different. Roma says the 2024 election was very weird; says she lost trust in the Democratic Party because a lot of people knew what was going on with Joe Biden but didn’t say or do anything, led to us swapping out our presidential candidate at the last minute; need to make sure that we are real, present candidates people want to vote for; let people have a choice in who their candidates are, don’t choose candidates for people; make sure Democrats have message/style that resonates with people. Punnoose says when people are upset/angry, most of the time it’s because they feel they’re not being heard or understood; that’s a great place for Democrats to start – need to do a better job of communicating what we’re doing. Pekarsky says we have a problem with communication, but it goes much deeper than that, goes to what the point of this job is – public service, not a career that you stay in for decades; when that happens, you lose your connection to community; amount of dark money being funneled into coffers of career politicians shuts everybody else out and “that’s our problem.” Papanu says we lost the working class; Dems were worried to much about the “fringe issues”; need to improve civic education across the country, particularly in rural America; take back the American flag/patriotism, don’t let the MAGA movement monopolize it. Martinez says we won ballot initiatives in places our candidates lost; there is a big political malpractice issue there; close to 6-7 million Democratic voters stayed home in the last election – they didn’t feel the urgence, because “representation matters”; we cannot win elections if you’re only campaigning in the blue areas of the state. Lee says Dems have overperformed and underdelivered; we need to be relentlessly focused on delivering for the American people, particularly the working class, on a wide variety of issues, including affordable housing. Bennett says we as candidates/the party need to listen to voters, not to consultants running on strategies from 20-30 years ago; what’s happening in NY City right now is reflective of the conflicts we’re seeing within the party; the Biden administration didn’t do enough to protect our systems and elections from foreign interference.
UPDATE 7:41 pm – Question about immigration. Bennett says our immigration system is broken and it’s hurting families; need a system rooted in fairness/rule of law…fair/achievable path to citizenship; DACA protections; ending family detention – “children do not belong in cages ever”; hold DHS and ICE accountable for their contempt for the constitution; expand legal immigration pathways. Lee says his parents were immigrants, his wife is an immigrant and an American success story; we need more immigrants because they make this country as successful as it is today; import the greatest talent/minds in the world; keep open our doors – we need them; pursue comprehensive immigration reform, country of open doors. Martinez says he’s a first-generation immigrant connected to a community (Venezuelan American) that’s been under attack; addresses the Spanish-language station; “immigration is my story, my own life”; “immigration reform needs to go back to the days 20 years ago” – “pathway to citizenship.” Papanu says the SCOTUS decision to allow the Trump administration to resume deportations to third countries is a blow to our civil liberties; we are a country built on immigration; support DREAMers; ICE agents are ripping families apart, masks and plain clothes need to go away; proud to be from sanctuary jurisdiction Fairfax County. Pekarsky says his son was scared because ICE was knocking on his classmates’ doors; that’s what we’re doing to our community, “that is disgusting, that is what happens when we lose our humanity”; streamline immigration process; her husband left the former Soviet Union to come to pursue the American dream. Punnoose says she’s hearing a lot of stories like what happened to Pekarsky’s son and his classmates; she feels very strongly about protecting not just the adults and the kids, but the ideal we have for America; this is NOT what America stands for when we dehumanize people and treat them badly; immigrants strengthen our country. Roma says she took team of 40 lawyers down to the southern border, says detention facilities are terrible places to be and this is not what America’s supposed to be; a lot of these refugees are victims of terrible gang violence, rape, human rights abuses, torture, etc.; need to talk about the rule of law; need intelligent immigration reform. Shin says her dad is still a permanent resident green card holder after 40 years in this country; father went back to South Korea, landed at Dulles in January after Trump was inaugurated and was detained for secondary questioning; “the cruelty and the humilitation of it IS the point”; feels very strongly about comprehensive immigration reform. Walkinshaw says he’s proud that Fairfax County is the safest jurisdiction of its size in the country, in large part because we partner with the immigrant community; says he will do everything he can do to protect the immigrant community; this is really about a battle over what America is; believes very strongly that the idea of America is that an immigrant who arrived yesterday is just as American as he is (his family arrived hundreds of years ago); to be an American means you buy into our ideas and our ideals.
UPDATE 7:25 pm – Question about standing up for federal workers, against DOGE, etc. Walkinshaw says we are “uniquely under attack,” mentions endorsements by federal labor unions, work with Rep. Connolly fighting for federal workers; need to use every parliamentary tool to slow down the Republicans; tell federal workers’ stories. Shin says we need to prevent any future administraton from firing 1000s of federal workers, send reinforcements for the unions and bolster the courts. Roma says she also supports humanitarian aid to Gaza; says we should tell federal workers’ stories and explain to people what will happen if we lose those federal workers and how we’ll be harmed; jam up everything in court and get past the midterms; try to restrict the damage Republicans are doing. Punnoose says her dad is a retired federal worker; found it incredibly disrespectful how Trump talked about federal workers being able to make more money in the private sector; said we should talk to Republicans about how their communities will be impacted; making sure that people recognize the humanity in federal workers, not just “nameless, faceless” group of people. Pekarsky says she has one of the largest numbers of federal workers and contractors in her State Senate district; advocated in the State Senate to increase unemployment benefits; says there is not a lot we can do right now in Congress, which is why the courts are so important and also communicating people’s stories and flipping the House next year. Papanou says she’s talked to many of her family, friends and neighbors about how they’re being impacted, worries about political retribution; thinks she can intepret to members of Congress on how these cuts will impact our future and the waste and damage of losing our best and brightest. Martinez says every meeting he has around the district is either with a federal worker who’s lost their job or a family that is fearing they’ll be the next one losing their job; also talking to small businesses worried about the Trump/DOGE cuts harming them; this is one of the characteristics of neo-authoritarianism – Hugo Chavez also said he was combatting fraud, waste and abuse; this is not about reducing the government or improving efficiency, but about building a cult in our federal government; this is going to be a long fight. Lee says our federal workers are a critical part of our national infrastructure that we have to defend and protect; the fact that they’re being fired without any recourse is a shame on our country; need to ensure that our federal workforce can ever be reclassified again so that they can lose their jobs; need to make sure federal pay is on par with private sector and federal jobs are destination jobs. Bennett says federal workers are the backbone of our democracy, NOT political pawns; will fight to restore due process, protect whistleblowers; has seen firsthand what political retaliation looks like; will be a fierce advocate for a professional civil service that is protected…will also fight for federal contractors; this is about defending democracy from the inside out.
UPDATE 7:08 pm – Question about foreign policy, military engagement, strikes on Iran. Bennett says we need to reclaim our moral leadership around the world; what Trump did in Iran this weekend was illegal, he needed Congressional authorization. Lee says Trump “absolutely broke the law,” fully supports War Powers Resolution going through Congress right now, should work multilaterally with allies to ensure peace and stability, engage/create dialogue. Martinez says Trump violated the constitution in attacking Iran, they are hiding the intelligence and there was no imminent threat; on other issues, need to go back to principled leadership, enforce international law, respect human rights, put a priority on Latin America. Papanu says we should always exhaust all diplomatic efforts/negotiations before resorting to force; while Trump may not have been REQUIRED to seek approval from Congress, he should have before attacking Iran’s nuclear sites because of their magnitude; wants to exert oversight on this administration. Pekarsky says yes, Trump should have gone to Congress, but he doesn’t have respect; tenets of foreign policy should be peace – exhaust diplomatic means before putting our people in harm’s way; support democracy around the world, support our allies/maintain our stature don’t just go to war. Punnoose says Trump keeps breaking things at home and abroad, falsely calling it leadership; diplomacy should be the first line of action in all cases, don’t just go in as a lone ranger; focus on humanitarian perspective, international cooperation; peace takes work. Roma says she’s a nuclear energy specialist, says Iran IS developing a nuclear weapon, but we shouldn’t have bombed them, we should have used the diplomatic route (e.g., the JCPOA, which Trump shouldn’t have pulled out of/reneged on US leadership); need to rely on IAEA; make sure Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon but don’t escalate an already tense Middle East, swear on Truth Social, etc – US has to lead and people need to be able to trust us. Shin says what Trump did in Iran was illegal; would support War Powers Resolution; we don’t want to be dragged into an endless conflict…wants the Democratic Party to be anti-war; talks about humanitarian crisis happening in Gaza, asks what obligation America has to prevent more loss of life – need to step up and call for an immediate ceasefire. Walkinshaw says he agrees very much with Amy Roma, nuclear-armed Iran is a threat, BUT Trump’s actions are absolutely unconstitutional (should have gone to Congress after pursuing diplomatic route); dismantling of USAID has been one of many great moral failings of the Trump administration…calls it “outrageous”; doesn’t know what kind of Christianity it is to not spend pennies to save childrens’ lives…
UPDATE 6:50 pm – Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10) asks the candidates their top priorities and how they’d tackle them. Walkinshaw says there’s a lot more that Democrats in the US House can be doing, talks about his three-part plan: investigate the Trump administration aggressively, litigate (including gathering stories from constituents) and mobilize (every Democratic member of Congress should work with activists in their communities who are resisting the Trump administration). Shin says she’s focused most on healthcare (core to her story), immigration (including a pathway to citizenship, requiring ICE to wear identification), government/democracy (John Lewis Voting Rights Act; standing up for federal workers’ job security, etc). Roma says she thinks we need to protect the federal workforce, litigate, investigate, negotiate – including working with Republicans to make things “less worse”- repeal the reconciliation bill, economic well being and restoring our global positioning in the world. Punnoose says her big issue is healthcare, protecting/preserving Medicare and Medicaid; dealing with the mental health crisis we’re facing right now; also mentions the desire to work on education. Pekarsky says we’re all here because we have to protect our democracy, we need representatives who are “louder about it” and can communicate what they are doing for the American people and standing up to the Trump administration – that is where we are falling short; need to be out in the streets with activists; talks about importance of protecting the Department of Education, how we need Medicare for All. Papanu lists her priorities as federal government workforce, national security, building up our middle class and protecting our small businesses; says she knows how to talk to members of Congress; need to exert Congressional oversight; need to put the working class family first, including protecting unions, increasing minimum wage, etc. Martinez says we all agree we have to defend our democracy, that he’s confronted authoritarianism personally; need to draw a line and be very strong regarding our fundamental rights; also need to understand why an authoritarian like Trump got to power – sense of economic insecurity and social anxiety driving people in that direction; make the economic case for immigration, don’t just be anti-Trump, also be “pro-something.” Lee says Democrats need to go back to our roots, focus on issues affecting working class families (livable minimum wage, universal health care, affordable dependent care for kids); must have Medicare for All. Bennett says her top priority is to fight for federal workers and contractors, “kick DOGE to the curb,” protect Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid against the “catastrophic” cuts coming in this budget bill, protect democracy…”we need to make noise.”
UPDATE 6:35 pm – Opening statements being delivered right now. So far, lots of talk about not having “career politicians,” not continuing “business as usual,” fighting for our “democracy in crisis,” the assault on our government/healthcare/rule of law/etc, offering a different vision, and of course the need to take on Trump, DOGE, etc. From left to right, the candidates are Candice Bennett, Dan Lee, Leo Martinez, Amy Papanu, Stella Pekarsky, Priya Punnoose, Amy Roma, Irene Shin and James Walkinshaw.
“Early voting began at 3 o’clock. When I arrived, there were 200 people standing in line ahead of me. The processing went quite quickly and everybody seemed to know what they were doing. By the time I got left it looked like another 300 people in line. Here’s a picture. I was about 50 people back from entering the doors.” – From a voter
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