Former Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., has thrown her support behind Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw in the race to replace retiring Rep. Gerry Connolly in Virginia’s 11th district.
Connolly, who has esophageal cancer, announced last month that he would not seek re-election. He then endorsed Walkinshaw, his former chief of staff.
In a statement first obtained by NBC News, Wexton said Walkinshaw first encouraged her to run for Congress in 2018, when she flipped a Republican-held district. Wexton said she believes Walkinshaw is ready to take on the fight against Trump.
“Given Donald Trump’s and his minions’ relentless attacks on federal workers and our values of justice, equity, and fundamental fairness, we need a champion in Congress who can hit the ground running and fight back on Day One, and I can think of no one better able to do that than James. I enthusiastically endorse him,” Wexton said.
Wexton retired from Congress last year due to health issues. Wexton, who represented the neighboring 10th district in Virginia, has an aggressive form of Parkinson’s disease, which has limited her mobility and speech. She delivered the first House floor speech in history with the assistance of an artificial intelligence program that replicated the sound of her voice.
Walkinshaw is expected to be one of several Democrats to run for the deep-blue seat. State Sen. Stella Perkarsky also launched her campaign this week. No Republican has announced plans to run.
