Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins has endorsed Fairfax County Planning Commissioner Candice Bennett in the special election for Virginia’s open 11th Congressional District seat.
There are 10 Democrats and seven Republicans vying for the seat, following the death of U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly in May. Both the 11th District Democratic Committee and the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee have chosen Saturday, June 28, as the primary date to choose their respective candidates. The special election will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
Gaskins said she met Bennett at the Junior League of Northern Virginia.
“Proud to endorse @CandiceBennettVA for Congress in VA-11,” Gaskins wrote on Facebook. “We met in the Junior League, and she’s never stopped showing up—for women, for workers, for service. She knows how to get results. We need more leaders like that.”
Bennett said on her website that the endorsement means the world to her.
“Mayor Gaskins embodies the kind of bold, compassionate leadership we need right now,” said Bennett. “Her support means the world to me because she knows what it takes to govern with both heart and backbone. Together, we will fight to protect reproductive freedom, defend women in the workplace, and make sure that someone’s constitutional rights or professional stability is not limited by zip code, identity or gender.”
Alexandria’s U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) has endorsed Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, Connolly’s former longtime chief of staff.
