Democrats in special election Tuesday try to keep open Virginia House seat after Connolly's death

Voters on Tuesday are casting ballots in Virginia's 11th Congressional District special election to replace the late Democratic Rep. Gerald Connolly.

Democratic Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who is Connolly's former chief of staff, and Republican Stewart Whitson, an Army veteran and former FBI official, are facing off in the race that will determine who succeeds Connolly, after his death in May, Roll Call reported.

Walkinshaw is the favored candidate to replace his former boss in the race. Last year, then-Vice President Kamala Harris won the district by 34 points.

After Connolly announced that he would not seek another term, he endorsed Walkinshaw in May, just weeks before he died. Walkinshaw won the Democratic primary election in June, beating nine opponents in a party-run “firehouse primary.”

Like the late congressman, Walkinshaw promised to advocate for federal workers amid job and funding cuts to federal agencies since President Donald Trump returned to office. 

“There aren’t a lot of champions, vocal champions, for federal employees in Congress, and my commitment is, I hope, to have a long career in Congress and to be a long-term champion for federal workers, just as Gerry Connolly was,” Walkinshaw said in June.

Early voting for the election started in July and ended Saturday. Walkinshaw's last get-out-the-vote rally was Sunday, with California Rep. Pete Aguilar, Virginia Reps. Donald S. Beyer, Jr., and Eugene Vindman, and state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, joining him. 

Virginia’s 11th District is one of four current vacancies in the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold 219 seats to Democrats’ 212.