Virginians to choose late US Rep. Gerry Connolly's successor in special election

(AP) Virginia voters on Tuesday are set to choose their congressional candidate to succeed the late U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, filling a vacant seat to represent a deep-blue, Washington-area suburb in a closely divided House.

In a special election in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, home to more than 700,000 people, Democrat James Walkinshaw will go up against Republican Stewart Whitson.

Republicans only have a razor-thin edge in the House of Representatives, and the contest’s results in what is seen as a reliably Democratic district could be critical ahead of looming spending battles that may result in a government shutdown.

The special election could also serve as an indicator of how voters in Fairfax County, home to roughly 80,000 federal employees and thousands of federal contractors, are responding to the White House’s reshaping of the government workforce.

https://apnews.com/article/virginia-election-walkinshaw-whitson-bea9a80e1fe94635918f8e31392f938e