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

RESULT · UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CERTIFIED

James Walkinshaw, projected winner

Candidate	Votes	Share
James Walkinshaw	252,071	74.3%
Arthur Purves	82,116	24.2%
Dianne Blais	4,199	1.2%
Total Write-ins	1,061	0.3%

About 98% of the expected vote counted. As of November 9. Winners take office next year. Counts can change until states certify. NBC News ↗

Sources re-checked September 25, 2026 · How we research

This seat became vacant after Rep. Gerald E. "Gerry" Connolly (D) died on May 21, 2025; James Walkinshaw won the September 9, 2025 special election to fill the remainder of Connolly's term with 75.1% of the vote. Connolly had entered the 2026 Democratic primary before withdrawing (he is listed among the withdrawn candidates); Walkinshaw then advanced unopposed in the 2026 primary after other contenders (Stella Pekarsky, Amy Roma and Bree Fram) also withdrew. Arthur Purves advanced from the Republican primary unopposed after it was canceled. Cook Political Report, Decision Desk, Inside Elections and Sabato's Crystal Ball all rate the race Solid/Safe Democratic as of September 22, 2026.[1][3]

On the November 3 ballot · 3 candidates

James WalkinshawDINCUMBENTPROJECTED WINNERU.S. Representative for Virginia's 11th District (since 2025)Full profile →Arthur PurvesRFull profile →Dianne BlaisGFull profile →

Issue evidence — side by side

Recorded votes, documented positions and candidates’ own words are shown with sources. “In their own words” quotes a candidate on the topic without inferring a stance. Votes describe specific bills or motions; they do not establish overall support or opposition to a broad issue. A dash means our research has no evidence on that topic, not that the candidate has no position.

Protect legal access to abortion

James Walkinshaw
Supports[4]
His official issues page calls access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion, a fundamental right and says he supports federal legislation to safeguard abortion rights nationwide.
Arthur Purves
Opposes[12]
His campaign site says abortion always takes a life and that it should remain legal only for the rare cases to save the mother's life.
Dianne Blais
—

Stricter gun laws

James Walkinshaw
Supports[5]
His official issues page says he supports legislation to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, close the Charleston loophole and require background checks on all gun sales.
Arthur Purves
Opposes[12]
His campaign site says it is debatable that complex gun laws reduce crime and that such laws turn law-abiding citizens into inadvertent felons.
Dianne Blais
—

Expand immigration enforcement and deportations

James Walkinshaw
Opposes[8]
His official issues page says he has opposed additional funding for ICE and CBP until reforms are delivered, and supports a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Arthur Purves
—
Dianne Blais
Opposes[13]
Says she would eliminate funding for ICE and significantly decrease the CBP budget.

Loosen zoning rules to build more housing

James Walkinshaw
Supports[11]
His official housing page says he has pushed for zoning and permitting reforms to increase housing supply and supports the Road to Housing Act to cut red tape and modernize environmental reviews.
Arthur Purves
—
Dianne Blais
—

Expand public health coverage

James Walkinshaw
Recorded votes[22]
Voted yes on Breaking the Gridlock Act (H.R. 1834, 2026-01-08), which extended enhanced ACA premium subsidies.
Arthur Purves
—
Dianne Blais
Supports[13]
Says the country needs a national health care program.

Faster transition away from fossil fuels

James Walkinshaw
Supports[7]
His official issues page says he supports federal investment in clean energy and is working to repeal rollbacks of clean-energy tax credits.
Arthur Purves
Opposes[12]
His campaign site calls Virginia's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative a new tax on consumers, says warming is not a crisis, and calls for ending the "war on fossil fuels."
Dianne Blais
—

Public funding for school choice (vouchers / charters)

James Walkinshaw
—
Arthur Purves
Supports[12]
His campaign site says school districts should give vouchers to students who leave public schools for private or home schooling.
Dianne Blais
—

Raise the minimum wage

James Walkinshaw
Supports[19]
Cosponsored H.R. 2743, the Raise the Wage Act of 2025 (119th Congress), which would raise the federal minimum wage.
Arthur Purves
—
Dianne Blais
Supports[13]
Says the minimum wage must be raised so no full-time worker needs federal assistance.

Broad tariffs on imported goods

James Walkinshaw
Recorded votes[23]
Voted yes on Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada (H.J. Res. 72, 2026-02-11), which disapproved the tariffs on Canadian imports.
Arthur Purves
—
Dianne Blais
—

Require Congress to approve U.S. military action abroad

James Walkinshaw
Recorded votes[20][21]
Voted yes on War Powers Resolution on Venezuela (H. Con. Res. 64, 2025-12-17), which would have directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Venezuela absent congressional authorization. Voted yes on War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities (H. Con. Res. 86, 2026-06-03), which directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran absent congressional authorization.
Arthur Purves
—
Dianne Blais
—

ISSUE	James Walkinshaw D	Arthur Purves R	Dianne Blais G
Protect legal access to abortion	Supports[4] His official issues page calls access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion, a fundamental right and says he supports federal legislation to safeguard abortion rights nationwide.	Opposes[12] His campaign site says abortion always takes a life and that it should remain legal only for the rare cases to save the mother's life.	—
Stricter gun laws	Supports[5] His official issues page says he supports legislation to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, close the Charleston loophole and require background checks on all gun sales.	Opposes[12] His campaign site says it is debatable that complex gun laws reduce crime and that such laws turn law-abiding citizens into inadvertent felons.	—
Expand immigration enforcement and deportations	Opposes[8] His official issues page says he has opposed additional funding for ICE and CBP until reforms are delivered, and supports a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.	—	Opposes[13] Says she would eliminate funding for ICE and significantly decrease the CBP budget.
Loosen zoning rules to build more housing	Supports[11] His official housing page says he has pushed for zoning and permitting reforms to increase housing supply and supports the Road to Housing Act to cut red tape and modernize environmental reviews.	—	—
Expand public health coverage	Recorded votes[22] Voted yes on Breaking the Gridlock Act (H.R. 1834, 2026-01-08), which extended enhanced ACA premium subsidies.	—	Supports[13] Says the country needs a national health care program.
Faster transition away from fossil fuels	Supports[7] His official issues page says he supports federal investment in clean energy and is working to repeal rollbacks of clean-energy tax credits.	Opposes[12] His campaign site calls Virginia's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative a new tax on consumers, says warming is not a crisis, and calls for ending the "war on fossil fuels."	—
Public funding for school choice (vouchers / charters)	—	Supports[12] His campaign site says school districts should give vouchers to students who leave public schools for private or home schooling.	—
Raise the minimum wage	Supports[19] Cosponsored H.R. 2743, the Raise the Wage Act of 2025 (119th Congress), which would raise the federal minimum wage.	—	Supports[13] Says the minimum wage must be raised so no full-time worker needs federal assistance.
Broad tariffs on imported goods	Recorded votes[23] Voted yes on Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada (H.J. Res. 72, 2026-02-11), which disapproved the tariffs on Canadian imports.	—	—
Require Congress to approve U.S. military action abroad	Recorded votes[20][21] Voted yes on War Powers Resolution on Venezuela (H. Con. Res. 64, 2025-12-17), which would have directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Venezuela absent congressional authorization. Voted yes on War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities (H. Con. Res. 86, 2026-06-03), which directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran absent congressional authorization.	—	—

Research notes & limits

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

Sources · 32

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

1.Virginia's 11th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
2.Biography | U.S. Representative James Walkinshaw · Office of Rep. James Walkinshaw Official record
3.Virginia's 11th Congressional District special election, 2025 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
4.Reproductive Freedom · Office of Rep. James Walkinshaw Official record
5.Reducing Gun Violence · Office of Rep. James Walkinshaw Official record
6.Protecting Health Care · Office of Rep. James Walkinshaw Official record
7.Climate Change · Office of Rep. James Walkinshaw Official record
8.Immigration · Office of Rep. James Walkinshaw Official record
9.Foreign Affairs · Office of Rep. James Walkinshaw Official record
10.Economy · Office of Rep. James Walkinshaw Official record
11.Affordable Housing · Office of Rep. James Walkinshaw Official record
12.Purves for Congress · Purves for Congress Candidate's own words
13.United States House of Representative, District 11 - candidate answers (Dianne L. Blais) · League of Women Voters / Vote411 Candidate's own words
14.11th District Q&A: Dianne Blais, Arthur Purves, James Walkinshaw · VPM News / WAMU candidate questionnaire · 2026-10-07 News report
15.Biography | U.S. Representative James Walkinshaw · Office of Rep. James Walkinshaw Official record
16.James Walkinshaw · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
17.James Walkinshaw · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
18.Virginia's 11th District election results 2026 · NBC News News report
19.H.R. 2743, the Raise the Wage Act of 2025 (Raise the Wage Act of 2025) — sponsors and cosponsors · Congress.gov Official record
20.Roll call: War Powers Resolution on Venezuela · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-12-17 Official record
21.Roll call: War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-06-03 Official record
22.Roll call: Breaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-01-08 Official record
23.Roll call: Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-02-11 Official record
24.Virginia's 11th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
25.Arthur Purves · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-21 Candidate's own words
26.2026 general election: 11th Congressional District · Virginia Mercury · 2026-10-19 News report
27.2025 VA-11 June 28 special primary · Connection Newspapers · 2025-06-23 News report
28.U.S. House · Virginia's 11th District results 2026 · NBC News News report
29.Virginia's 11th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
30.Dianne Blais · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
31.2026 general election: 11th Congressional District · Virginia Mercury · 2026-10-19 News report
32.U.S. House · Virginia's 11th District results 2026 · NBC News News report