This article originally appeared here, at ffxnow.com
The two major party candidates seeking to represent Virginia’s 11th Congressional District made their case to voters yesterday (Monday).
Speaking at the Reston Community Center in Hunters Woods, Democrat James Walkinshaw and Republican Stewart Whitson discussed a variety of topics ahead of September’s special general election.
A full video of the hour-long forum is available on YouTube.
Whitson, who testified before Congress on government waste earlier this year, continued to express unequivocal support for the worker and funding cuts trumpeted by the Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — despite having once been a federal employee himself.
Having spent nearly 10 years working with the FBI, Whitson appealed to federal workers as “one of you.”
“If you’re someone that was in the government and you felt like you were pushed out and you’re a good employee, and you want to come back in, I want to do everything in my power to help find you a home back in the federal government,” Whitson said. “But you know what else I want to do that’s even more important? I want to find you other economic opportunities.”
Whitson emphasized the need for expertise that “cannot be replicated in any classroom” in private-sector jobs. But Walkinshaw, speaking second, argued that the best way to help the federal workforce was to avoid making swift staffing cuts at all.
“Well, Stewart, if you want to help the federal employees who have lost their jobs, or those thousands who are about to lose their job, you could stop advocating to make DOGE permanent,” Walkinshaw said.
Walkinshaw said that, if elected, he would immediately sign on as a co-sponsor to the “Delete DOGE Act,” which would essentially prohibit federal funding from being used for DOGE activities. He would also introduce legislation “to restore the civil service protections that federal workers need.”
When prompted, Walkinshaw went directly after the Trump administration’s immigration policy, which has led to the arrest of hundreds of people potentially residing without documentation in Northern Virginia.
The policy, which has been touted as a means to “rid our communities of threats to public safety,” is doing nothing more than spreading panic, Walkinshaw said.
“We just learned last week that 60% of those detained by ICE in our region have not been arrested or charged with any crime,” Walkinshaw said. “They’re just rounding people up to scare them. It doesn’t make our community safer, and it is not the right approach.”
Whitson compared immigration to crime, highlighting his experience as an FBI agent and work investigating terrorist organizations in the Middle East.
“I have seen firsthand the violence these guys have,” Whitson said. “MS-13 are not guys armed with handguns. They have AK-47s. They are violent. They are almost no different than ISIS in how violent they can be to their enemies.”
Whitson specifically attacked Walkinshaw for supporting a $28,000 pay raise for members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2023 — despite the Fairfax County Police Department reportedly struggling to fill more than 200 vacancies last year.
The county’s current budget, adopted in May, fully funded pay increases for police as dictated by a 2023 collective bargaining agreement, though Fairfax County Public Schools had to scale back promised raises for its employees.
“They see people illegally crossing the border, but they don’t have the manpower to stop what they’re doing and go take them … My opponent promoted a sanctuary policy forbidding federal employees to stop that,” Whitson said. “He has brought that crime to our neighborhood, and we have to stop it.”
Adopted in 2021, Fairfax County’s Trust Policy prohibits county employees from assisting ICE or sharing information about people’s citizenship status unless required by law or a court order. While the countywide policy remains in place, some immigrant rights groups have raised concerns that revisions to a corresponding police policy may open the door for officers to cooperate voluntarily with ICE.
Since Trump’s inauguration, arrests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have increased 470% across Virginia, WUSA9 reported on July 22.
Both candidates criticized the White House — with Walkinshaw attacking Trump and Whitson attacking Joe Biden — for its handling of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Whitson argued that Biden was a “weak president,” and the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas militants was evidence that “people around the world took advantage of that.”
“It is unacceptable, but it all could have been avoided with a stronger commander-in-chief — period,” Whitson said. “If you think Hamas did that attack without Iran’s consent, you’re wrong. And they never would have done that if President Trump would have been in office.”
Walkinshaw attacked Trump’s current leadership, or his lack thereof.
“We need a ceasefire in Gaza yesterday,” Walkinshaw said. “Donald Trump needs to bring the parties back to the negotiating table and negotiate a ceasefire that brings all of the hostages home to their families, ends the violence and surges humanitarian aid into Gaza that reaches the people and the children, especially who need it.”
Israel and Hamas agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire on Jan. 19 — the final day of the Biden administration — but surprise Israeli strikes broke the truce in mid-March. At least 8,867 Palestinians have been killed since then, according to figures released today (Tuesday) by the Gaza Health Ministry.
In total, more than 60,000 Palestinians have died since the Oct. 7 attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis and involved 251 people being taken as hostages. The deaths include at least 130 people who have reportedly died of hunger due to Israel’s restrictions on aid in Gaza, prompting human rights groups to describe Israel’s actions as genocide.
International pressure for a ceasefire has been growing, with France and Britain now saying they intend to support Palestinian statehood. A majority of American adults also now disapprove of Israel’s actions in Gaza, according to a new Gallup poll.
Early voting is underway for the seat, with the winner set to serve the remaining balance of the late Rep. Gerry Connolly’s scheduled Congressional term.
Between now and Aug. 29, voters throughout the district can vote early at two different locations: the Fairfax County Government Center and Reston’s North County Governmental Center.
Additional early voting locations will be added from Aug. 29 to Sept. 6. The actual election will be held on Sept. 9, when District 11 voters will be required to cast their ballot at their designated polling precinct. More information can be found on the website for Virginia’s Department of Elections.
Following the election, the winner is expected to be sworn into office as soon as possible. Walkinshaw, as the only currently elected official in the race, would be required to resign his seat on the Board of Supervisors if he wins.
