Details set for primaries for special election

Both Democratic and Republican committees for the 11th Congressional District have announced details for their Primary elections.

Meanwhile, more candidates have launched campaigns to fill the vacant 11th district seat formerly held by Rep. Gerry Connolly.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin set the special election for Sept. 9. The primaries are run by political parties, not the state.

Both Republican and Democratic committees are holding primaries on June 28, where residents of the 11th district will vote for their preferred candidate.

The Virginia Democrats 11th Congressional District Committee is holding an “unassembled caucus,” also known as a firehouse primary, on Saturday, June 28, with the polls open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at 17 locations throughout the district.

The locations closest to Annandale residents who live in the 11th District are the West Springfield Government Center, Frost Middle School, City of Fairfax Regional Library, and John Lewis High School.

The Democrats are also holding early voting at the Fairfax County Government Center 3-8 p.m. on June 24, 25, and 26.

Democratic candidates on the ballot include the following:

• Josh Aisen –  a Navy veteran who is focused on fighting attacks on the Constitution.

• Candace Bennett – an at-large member of the Fairfax County Planning Commission.

• Leo Martinez – a former member of the National Assembly of Venezuela, who immigrated to the U.S. after being persecuted by the Venezuelan government for standing up to a repressive regime.

• Amy Papanu – a former CIA operations officer.

• Stella Pekarsky – a member of the Virginia Senate representing the Centreville area and a former member of the Fairfax County School Board.

• Priya Punnoose – a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist.

• Amy Roma – an attorney focusing on energy policy.

• Irene Shin –  a member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing the Herndon area.

• James Walkinshaw – a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors representing the Braddock District and former chief of staff for Connolly.

The Republicans are having their primary at Fairfax High School on June 28, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Republican voters can save time by pre-registering online by 11:59 p.m. on June 25.

The following Republican candidates will be on the ballot:

• Nathan Headrick – the founding board member of the Apollo Diversified Real Estate Fund and a founder and board member of the Ridgecrest Foundation, which operates Christian camps for boys and girls in North Carolina.

• Karina Lipsman – an immigrant from Ukraine and national security expert with experience at Peraton and Northrup Grumman. Lipsman ran for Congress against Rep. Don Beyer in 2022.

• Lucas Rand – an Army veteran and administrator at the Reston Hospital Center.

• Mike Van Meter – an addiction counselor and former FBI agent. He ran against Connolly in 2024.

• Sam Wong – an Army veteran and commander of the John Lyon Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3150.