Video, Highlights From James Walkinshaw’s VA11 Democratic Campaign Kickoff; Walkinshaw Declares “I’m running for Congress because we’re in a five-alarm-fire moment for our country”

I haven’t endorsed a candidate in the VA11 Democratic race to replace the late great Rep. Gerry Connolly, but I know the characteristics that I *do* want in Connolly’s successor. In no particular order, a few of those are: a) I definitely want someone who is a serious person, preferably with a lot of government or political experience, bonus points if that government or political experience is relevant to the 11th Congressional District; b) preferably someone similar to Connolly ideologically, pretty much a pragmatic progressive (we definitely do NOT want to move to the right with his replacement); c) someone who can step in and do the job on day #1 (or soon thereafter), because these days, given the dire situation we’re in and the enormous threats we’re facing to our democracy, etc, we don’t have any time to waste; d) preferably someone who knows a LOT about policy, both domestic and foreign policy; e) someone who is a serious person who is running because they want to get stuff done, not just get elected or be a member of Congress; f) it should go without saying that the person should be ethical, hard working, tenacious, and these days preferably fearless; etc.

Of course, with just two weeks to go until the June 28th Democratic “firehouse primary” to choose the nominee in this deep-blue district (note: the special election was set by Youngkin for September 9), we’ll see if voters even have a chance to get to know the candidates – Joshua Aisen, Candice Bennett, Dan Lee, Leopoldo “Leo” Martinez,  Amy Papanu, Stella Pekarsky, Amy Roma, Irene Shin and James Walkinshaw. But it’s going to be tough to introduce themselves to an entire Congressional district, which is why I’m thinking that it’s a huge advantage if you’ve already got some name ID, major endorsements, money, etc. Anyway, we’ll see how it goes…

In the meantime, I’ve had a chance to interview four of the candidates – Amy Roma, Leo Martinez, Dan Lee, and Amy Papanu. I also had a chance to attend Stella Pekarsky’s kickoff on June 1. And earlier this evening, I went to James Walkinshaw’s kickoff (after attending a “No Kings” protest, of course) in Vienna. See below for some video and a few highlights of the speeches at the event – which was attended by probably 250 or so people – by Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay, Gerry Connolly’s widow Smitty, and James Walkinshaw.

Jeff McKay spoke first, saying:

• “I’ve been all around this county today and let me tell you every corner of this county made us proud today. And even with the very dark news this morning about what happened in Minnesota…we will keep those in Minnesota in our hearts today and we will double down on the work that we need to do…”
• “I think the protests today were so fitting. I started my day today with Supervisor Smith and Chair Karl Frisch at an event at Colin Powell Elementary School, where we were unveiling the Colin Powell historic marker. And immediately after hearing the Minnesota news, I’m feeling not happy going into the school, and joy immediately returned when Colin Powell’s daughter took the stage and talked about this outrageous administration and how how her dad would be absolutely ashamed of what’s happening in this country right now.”
• “We have been blessed, and in some ways maybe even taken for granted in the 11th Congressional District, of having the absolute best member of Congress you could ever dream of having in Gerry Connolly. Nobody can [fill] those shoes, and so the best we can do is make sure we send somebody there who can come close to filling those shoes, and that person is without a doubt James….Gerry knew this district, knew everybody in it…knew when he saw someone that had those same attributes. And this is not a time, this is an emergency moment, we’re celebrating No King’s Day today, this is not a moment where you send someone to Capitol Hill who needs a tour guide to show them around. I mean this is a moment where you have to send somebody who not only has the passion but has the strategy to be able to know how to get things done for people. We can’t afford to have a member of Congress just cast a vote up there…there’s a big difference though between knowing how to get things done and just casting the right vote. And that is what is so important about this election. We cannot afford to have anyone representing us in Fairfax County on Capitol Hill that on day one isn’t ready…And that’s what I love about James; he does his homework, he knows what he’s doing, he cares and he has passion for this community, but he’s also a master strategist and knows how to as I said get things done…”

Then Smitty Connolly spoke, saying:

• “Speaking of family, so I’ve known James practically since he was right out of college. That was a long time ago. Not that long ago…Gerry fully relied on James for his guidance, for his intellect, for his compassion, for his commitment to the ideals…his understanding of…our community and what our values are, what matters to us, and his ability to pinpoint Gerry there’s something going on in this neighborhood…”
• “[Gerry] called James to the house and he sat down with James…asked James if James would consider running to succeed him, because Gerry could imagine no one, he knew no one  – Gerry knows everybody –  no one with the experience, the talent, the ability to just take this job on and get it done and deliver for the people of the 11th district the way Gerry did.”
• “I ask you to cast your vote for James next in two weeks from today and on September 9th, because James is Gerry’s son in his heart. Gerry believed in James, he trusted James, he asked that you do the same.”

And finally, James Walkinshaw spoke, saying:

• “The word I have used time after time after time is singular  – [Gerry Connolly] is a singular figure in our community, in Fairfax County, in Northern Virginia, in Virginia and in the nation. And nobody will have the impact that he has had…The thing that’s most powerful actually is the thing that doesn’t have a sign, it’s not on a map; what’s most powerful about his impact is the impact he had on so many lives – the the kind words he had for a constituent who was going through a struggle,  the support and guidance and mentorship he gave hundreds and hundreds of staff and interns and volunteers like myself that has shaped our lives…”
• “I’m a lifelong Northern Virginia; I was born and raised here in Northern Virginia. My grandfather grew up on a farm in Chantilly – spoiler, it’s not there anymore. I come from a working-class family; my dad was a plumber, my mom was a nurse and I learned three lessons growing up: first, you work as hard as you can each and every day; second, you do the right thing, especially when it’s hard; and third, maybe most importantly right now, you never back down to a bully.”
• “When I was 26 years old, as Smitty mentioned, I got the opportunity of a lifetime when Gerry Connolly asked me to be his Chief of Staff in Congress. I was by his side for 11 years. We passed the Affordable Care Act, we delivered millions and millions of dollars in federal funding and economic development to Fairfax and Northern Virginia, and we stood up for federal employees each and every day. And I was there as his Chief of Staff during the first Trump administration when Democrats in Congress stood up, spoke out and pushed back when they tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act…we saved the Affordable Care Act. When they tried to abolish OPM, we stopped them. When they tried to implement Schedule F, to eliminate our nonpartisan civil service, we stopped them. So we can stop Trump – we’ve done it before…”
• “…on the Board of Supervisors, I led our efforts working with my incredible colleagues, took on the NRA and banned guns from our libraries, our parks…We’ve led the Commonwealth in implementing the red flag law…We’ve invested in our schools $500 million increase in county funding for schools in the five years...Despite what you hear from Glenn Youngkin and some folks in Richmond, we continue to have the best schools in this Commonwealth…As chair of our environmental committee, I’ve led our efforts to tackle climate change…Chairman McKay and I working together led the effort to pass historic reforms for workers in Fairfax County…so workers on county projects get fair wages and good benefits.”
• “And today I’m running for Congress because we’re in a five-alarm-fire moment for our country. The red lines have been crossed. The Trump administration is violating the constitution daily. They’re disappearing people into foreign prisons. They’re waging war on Americans in Los Angeles right now as we speak. They’re illegally purging and firing federal employees…”
• “In December 2024, I and my Democratic colleagues on the Board of Supervisors got a letter from Stephen Miller. And the letter said if in Fairfax County, we don’t agree to turn our local police into Trump’s mass deportation force, that they would put us in jail. And some of you all probably remember Nancy Pelosi at Trump’s State of the Union [tearing up Trump’s speech] – that’s what I did with that letter…So we’re in a critical moment right now…”
• “…There’ll be a special election and someone will be sworn in as soon as the next day, potentially, or shortly thereafter. So we need somebody who has the experience to do the job and do the job well on day one, because the stakes are very high right now.”
• “Let me just tell you how I see the job; it’s pretty simple. Step number one is in Congress, Democrats have to put the brakes on this dangerous and reckless Trump administration. And I have a three-part process. First is investigating; Democrats in Congress need to be investigating the Trump administration – their corruption, their incompetence and their law breaking…Second is litigate…We have to continue that pressure; as a member of Congress I would look to get my constituents’ voices and stories into those courtrooms so they are heard and we can work with the courts to stop this unconstitutional, illegal administration from continuing. And third…every Democratic member of Congress in this moment must be working night and day to help to mobilize and organize the resistance to the Trump administration. And I will be there at every rally, at every protest by your side.”
• “Because here’s the thing: authoritarians across history, across the world, what they fear the most is not politicians, it’s not judges. What they fear the most is you the people. They fear the people. That’s what today, No King’s Day, is about….We the people control our destiny in this country. Trump, JD Vance, their MAGA allies in Congress, their hope is that we are scared…They want the chaos that they’re creating in the streets in Los Angeles, the chaos that they’re creating across the globe, the chaos that they try to create in our communities, to make us fearful. But we can’t be afraid, because if we stand together, they cannot beat us, they cannot beat us.”