U.S. House · Virginia's 11th District

Most of Fairfax County, Virginia, including the City of Fairfax and the towns of Vienna and Herndon.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

✓ Fact-checked 2026-09-25: 15 claims re-checked against their sources · 1 corrected · 0 removed

A second, independent research pass re-opened every cited source for this race and corrected or removed anything the source didn’t support.

  • Walkinshaw's record item misattributed the Military and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee to the Homeland Security Committee; the official bio source shows it is a subcommittee of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Split into two accurate record items.

On the ballot · 3 candidates

Where they stand — side by side

Only positions documented in a cited source are shown. Where an officeholder’s recorded votes speak to an issue, the votes set the position (marked “votes”). A dash means we found no clear public position — not that the candidate has none.

ISSUEJames Walkinshaw
D
Arthur Purves
R
Dianne Blais
G
Protect legal access to abortion—Opposes[1]—
Expand public health coverageSupports[4]votes——
Faster transition away from fossil fuels—Opposes[1]—
Broad tariffs on imported goodsOpposes[5]votes——

The candidates, in full

James Walkinshaw

DINCUMBENTU.S. Representative for Virginia's 11th District (since 2025)

Advanced from the Democratic primary unopposed after other candidates withdrew and the primary was canceled.

James Walkinshaw is the Democratic incumbent seeking his first full term representing Virginia's 11th District, having won a 2025 special election after Rep. Gerry Connolly's death. He serves on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security, focusing on the federal workforce and government operations.[1][2]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Key votes in Congress

  • YesWar Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities · H. Con. Res. 86 · Passed 215–208 · 2026-06-03 roll call ↗The resolution directs the President to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran that Congress has not authorized, invoking the War Powers Resolution. It passed the House with support from Democrats and a number of Republicans.
  • YesResolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · H.J. Res. 72 · Passed 219–211 · 2026-02-11 roll call ↗The resolution terminates the national emergency the President declared in February 2025 to justify a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada, ending that tariff if it becomes law. It passed with a bipartisan majority, including several Republicans who broke with the administration on trade policy.
  • NoConsolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 — full-year government funding · H.R. 7148 · Passed 217–214 · 2026-02-03 roll call ↗The bill provides full-year discretionary appropriations for federal agencies for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, replacing the stopgap funding enacted after the fall 2025 shutdown. It sets spending levels across defense and non-defense programs through September 2026.
  • YesBreaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · H.R. 1834 · Passed 230–196 · 2026-01-08 roll call ↗The bill extends for additional years the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that were expanded in 2021 and had lapsed at the end of 2025, lowering health-insurance premiums for people who buy coverage on ACA marketplaces. It passed with support from nearly all Democrats and a small group of Republicans.
  • YesWar Powers Resolution on Venezuela · H. Con. Res. 64 · Failed 211–213 · 2025-12-17 roll call ↗The resolution would have directed the President to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities in or against Venezuela that Congress had not authorized. It failed after U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels off Venezuela had raised questions in Congress about the administration's legal authority for military action in the region.
  • YesNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 — final passage · S. 1071 · Passed 312–112 · 2025-12-10 roll call ↗The fiscal year 2026 NDAA authorizes roughly $900 billion in defense spending, including a pay raise for service members and funding for shipbuilding, munitions, and missile-defense programs. It also sets policy on military personnel, procurement, and other Defense Department programs for the year.
  • YesEpstein Files Transparency Act · H.R. 4405 · Passed 427–1 · 2025-11-18 roll call ↗The bill directs the Department of Justice to publicly release its investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days, while allowing redactions to protect victim identities, ongoing investigations, and law enforcement techniques. It passed with near-unanimous support.
  • NoContinuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 — shutdown-ending vote · H.R. 5371 · Passed 222–209 · 2025-11-12 roll call ↗The bill reopened the federal government after a 43-day shutdown by funding most agencies through January 30, 2026, and providing full-year funding for a smaller group of agencies through September 2026. It also reversed shutdown-related federal layoffs and funded SNAP benefits retroactively.

On the record — official actions

  • actionServes on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which oversees the federal workforce, government operations and federal IT management, and on its Military and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee.[2]
  • actionServes on the House Committee on Homeland Security.[2]

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand public health coverageFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on Breaking the Gridlock Act (H.R. 1834, 2026-01-08).[4]

  • OpposesBroad tariffs on imported goodsFrom recorded votes

    Voted yes on Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada (H.J. Res. 72, 2026-02-11).[5]

In their words — priorities

  • Protecting the nonpartisan civil service and supporting fair pay, benefits and treatment for federal employees.[2]
  • Strengthening oversight of federal procurement and information technology and holding the administration accountable.[2]

Background

  • Represents a district that includes most of Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and the towns of Vienna and Herndon.[2]

Campaign money

Raised $2.8M · spent $1.8M · $979K cash on hand (through 2026-07-15) FEC filing ↗

Arthur Purves

R

Advanced from the Republican primary unopposed after the primary was canceled.

Arthur Purves is the Republican nominee challenging incumbent James Walkinshaw. A retired computer programmer and longtime president of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance, he is running on reducing chronic-disease-driven medical spending, opposing carbon-emissions regulation, and family self-sufficiency.[1]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • OpposesFaster transition away from fossil fuels

    Opposes carbon caps such as Virginia's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, saying they raise gas prices, and says the warming trend is not an existential crisis.[1]

  • OpposesProtect legal access to abortion

    Urges a no vote on a proposed Virginia constitutional amendment on abortion, saying it normalizes conception outside of marriage.[1]

In their words — priorities

  • Reducing federal medical spending by addressing diet-driven chronic disease.[1]
  • Opposing state and federal carbon-emissions caps, which he says drive up gas prices.[1]

Background

  • Received a BA, MBA and MS from the University of Pennsylvania; worked 40 years as a computer programmer.[1]
  • Has served as president of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance for 30 years and treasurer of the Fairfax Committee of 100 for ten years.[1]
  • Member of the League of Women Voters and the Fairfax branch of the NAACP; has taught ESL in Alexandria and at the Tysons-Pimmit Library.[1]

Campaign money

Raised $11K · spent $11K · $200 cash on hand (through 2026-08-27) FEC filing ↗

Dianne Blais

G

Dianne Blais is the Green Party candidate on the general-election ballot for Virginia's 11th District. Ballotpedia lists no campaign profile, key messages, or campaign finance activity for her.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Research notes & limits

Ballotpedia has no staff-curated or survey profile for Walkinshaw beyond his name and party, so his priorities/background rely on his official House biography page; no independent campaign website content was retrieved for him. Blais has no public campaign materials found beyond her ballot listing.

Sources · 5

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.Virginia's 11th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 2.Biography | U.S. Representative James Walkinshaw · Office of Rep. James Walkinshaw Official record
  3. 3.Virginia's 11th Congressional District special election, 2025 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  4. 4.Roll call: Breaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-01-08 Official record
  5. 5.Roll call: Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-02-11 Official record