Congressional candidates lay out plans for resisting Trump

Nine candidates running in the Democratic Primary for Virginia’s 11th congressional district all say they will fight against President Trump’s overreach and stand up for federal workers.

But they all bring a different set of skills, experience, and priorities.

The 11th Congressional District Democratic Committee is holding a primary on Saturday, June 28, at 17 locations. Today is the last day for early voting. The winner will run in a special election on Sept. 9 to fill the seat formerly held by the late Rep. Gerry Connolly.

Related story: Details set for primaries for special election

The following candidates appeared at a forum hosted by WJLA on June 24:

James Walkinshaw, a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, representing the Braddock District, and a former chief of staff for Rep. Connolly, said, “I’m running for Congress because it’s time to put the brakes on Trump’s reckless agenda.”

“This is a five-alarm fire moment for our democracy, and we need leaders who are ready to go to battle on day one,” he said.

Walkinshaw laid out a three-part plan on how congressional Democrats should take on the Trump administration: investigate, litigate, and mobilize.

“Democrats have to be more aggressive in investigating the Trump administration, their corruption, their law-breaking, and their incompetence,” he said. He called for Democratic members to collect stories from constituents who know about the corruption and law-breaking that’s going on in federal agencies and bring those stories into courtrooms.

Most importantly, he said, “Every Democratic member needs to be working with activists in their community who are resisting the Trump administration. We have to be organizing. We have to be putting our bodies on the line beside them to bolster that resistance.”

“One of the moral failures of this administration is the dismantling of USAID,” Walkinshaw said. “The idea that we wouldn’t spend pennies to save children’s lives is outrageous.”

He said Fairfax County is safe because we partner with our immigrant communities. He said the nation was built on the idea that an immigrant who arrived yesterday is just as much an American as someone whose ancestors have been here for generations.

Leo Martinez, a former politician in Venezuela, was one of the co-leaders of the opposition against Hugo Chavez. “So, when it comes to understanding how to confront authoritarianism – what works and what doesn’t – I have not only the life experience but also I’ve shown the courage that it takes to do it.”

“To defeat an authoritarian like Donald Trump, you have to understand why he got the power. It’s because there’s a sense of economic insecurity,” he said.

Based on his experience working with small business owners in Virginia, Martinez said, “I understand how to create an economy of opportunity.”

One way to do that is by helping small businesses get access to capital and markets and making the economic case for immigration. “It’s not enough to be anti-Trump, you have to be pro something,” he said.

Amy Roma said: “I’m running for Congress because our democracy is in crisis. We need a leader who knows how to fight back, protect our people, get things done, and most importantly, give us hope in our country again.”

“We’re seeing the government decimated and the rule of law being ignored. We’re seeing the president take over power from Congress,” Roma said. “Like many of you, I’m watching in dismay as our healthcare system is being ripped apart by the Trump administration. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

As a lawyer who worked with all three branches of government, drafted legislation, testified before Congress, and litigated in the courts, she said. “I know how power works and, more importantly, how to stop it when it’s being abused.”

She helped evacuate people from Afghanistan who had worked with the U.S. military, distributed medical supplies during Covid, and helped migrants at the border. “I don’t just talk; I act. Complaining about Trump is not going to change the situation we’re in.”

“On day one I’ll be a legal watchdog, using every tool at my disposal to challenge Trump’s overreach and protect the federal workforce,” Roma said. She vowed to take the lead in restoring checks and balances, rebuilding the decimated federal agencies, and restoring the nation’s global standing.

Litigation is not just about telling people’s stories; it’s about understanding the laws being violated and explaining that to the courts, Roma said. “We also need to negotiate with Republicans to explain the negative impact of what they’re trying to do.”

Stella Pekarsky, a member of the Virginia Senate and former member of the Fairfax County School Board, said her number-one priority is preserving our democracy.

“We need representatives who are able to communicate what they are doing for the American people,” Pekarsky said. She faulted Democrats in Congress for failing to communicate how they are standing up to the Trump administration.

Other top priorities for Pekarsky are affordable healthcare for everyone and “figuring out why we are dismantling our Department of Education.”

As chair of the school board, she said, “I led our board’s opposition against extremist Glen Youngkin’s book bans and attacks on LGBTQ students.”

When she ran for the state Senate against an incumbent Democrat, “it was frowned upon by many, but my community wanted a new vision and new leadership,” Pekarsky said. In the Senate, “I took on large corporations for their tax-gouging tactics. I passed sweeping consumer protection reforms. I took on big health insurance companies.”

Irene Shin, a member of the House of Delegates, said her first bill was to prohibit utility companies from disconnecting families in the middle of public health crises or extreme weather. “I was told we don’t regulate utilities. I said, Why not? We could, and we did.”

“When I look around at Trump and his billionaire buddies who decimated federal agencies and the federal workforce here in Northern Virginia, who are having ICE agencies terrorize our neighborhoods,” Shin said, “I think, surely, this is not how we do things here in America.”

Her top three issues are healthcare, an immigration system that includes a pathway to citizenship, and protecting the resilience of our democracy.

Shin said she is running for Congress because “I don’t see Democratic leaders rising up to meet this moment.”

“When ICE is ripping families apart in our neighborhoods,” she said, “I don’t want to look up and see 45 Democrats signing the Laken Riley Act, which is stripping our immigrant neighbors of their right to due process.” She said ICE agents should be required to wear identification like all other law enforcement officers.

Candace Bennett, a member of the Fairfax County Planning Commission, said, “I’m running because I’m worried, I’m angry, and I’m fed up with a government that treats federal workers like political targets and shows open contempt for the rule of law.”

“I believe in something bigger – that we can fight back, that we can protect our democracy, and we can rebuild trust in public service,” Bennett said.

“This race is not about career politicians. It is about real people,” she said, adding, “I’m backed by regular people, “I’m not backed by political machines.”

Bennett said her top priorities are fighting for federal workers and contractors, “kicking Doge to the curb,” and protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, as well as preserving democracy.

“I would fight to restore due process and protect whistleblowers. I have seen what political retaliation looks like,” Bennett said. I would support a strong, nonpartisan civil service and ensure the administration can’t require sham loyalty tests.”

Amy Papanu, a former foreign operations officer and station chief in the CIA, said, “I’m running for Congress because we’re living in unprecedented times and it should not be business as usual in Washington.”

Her priorities include protecting the federal workforce, protecting the working class by raising the minimum wage, helping small businesses, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and ensuring Congress asserts its authority over the administration.  

“I know how to talk to members of Congress about how the cuts to federal agencies are going to impact our national security,” she said.

Dan Lee, a health entrepreneur with previous jobs in the White House, governor’s office, and the World Bank, said his campaign is focusing on three issues: universal healthcare coverage, a minimum wage of $25 an hour, and affordable dependent care.

As a caregiver for his mother, Lee is worried that Trump wants to take her Medicare away. “That’s unacceptable.” He said, “Our country and our party have failed the working class.”  

Dr. Priya Punnoose said her experience as a pediatric psychiatrist – her ability to listen deeply and solve problems – is critical in these times of divisiveness. “Real leadership means finding common solutions for people with vastly different perspectives.”

Her priorities include making sure Medicare and Medicaid are protected. If that doesn’t happen, hospitals will no longer be reimbursed and will go bankrupt and shut down, she said. Another priority is the need for more mental health services in schools.

Punnoose called Trump disrespectful for suggesting federal workers get higher-paying jobs in the private sector, as many of them are motivated by public service. She said, “We need to educate Republicans in Congress about how their districts will be impacted by the loss of federal workers.”

Ross William Branstetter IV is also on the ballot but didn’t appear at the forum. 

Related story: Walkinshaw launches congressional campaign