On Friday, Sept. 5, Democratic candidate for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, James Walkinshaw, along with Virginia Senator Mark Warner, held a press conference in Fairfax, Virginia, ahead of the Sept. 9 special election. The event, which they dubbed “The Bellwether Race to Watch,” was hosted by the Fairfax County Democratic Committee.
“I remain deeply concerned about China’s human rights abuses,” Walkinshaw told the crowd. “I remain concerned about the transnational repression that we have seen from the regime in Beijing and I think it’s really important that the United States of America speak out in support of human rights and against human rights abuses.”
Walkinshaw said that he is concerned that the Trump administration’s changes to the nation’s intelligence apparatus pose a threat to national security, particularly where it concerns communist China.
“The elimination of jobs at the CIA. The elimination of jobs at the FBI. Driving out, in my view, for partisan purposes, the experts that understand how to counter Chinese espionage; how to counter China’s efforts to oppress folks here in the United States,” Walkinshaw said was an issue.
The Trump administration has recently moved to cut the workforce at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by roughly 1,200 positions through retirements and limited hiring.
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At the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), leadership changes have led to several senior officials resigning. The administration has also targeted probationary employees.
“We can’t afford to lose the expertise. So, I’m going to be working to get those folks back to where they belong. Working on behalf of the American people in support of human rights,” Walkinshaw said.
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A ‘strong and clear message’
Virginia Senator Mark Warner, a strong supporter of Walkinshaw’s bid for Congress, said that the “United States has to be, has to have a strong and clear message in support of human rights across the globe.”
He believes that the Trump administration has “abandoned that philosophy,” a philosophy he says has been historically bipartisan.
He claims that the Trump administration deliberately “watered down” an annual human rights report, removing “passages critical of dictators with whom President Trump has a friendly relationship.”
“He has a strange habit of developing these sort of man crushes on dictators around the globe. It changes weekly and he has abandoned our traditional posture as a communicator and supporter of human rights around the globe, including in China,” Warner argues.
He believes that Congress has to be a “strong voice in opposition to human rights abuses everywhere,” and that the current administration is failing to do so.
Warner emphasized the importance of America’s moral leadership on the global stage, noting both the country’s historical strengths and the need to address ongoing human rights abuses.
“For 75 years, post WWII, America’s strength was not just our economic strength or our military. People looked up to America for good values, people came to this country for those values,” Warner said.
On human rights abuses by communist China he said action is being taken and there are plans to escalate these actions in future.
“We have taken action on the Uyghurs, and on the Falun Gong. I mean, I’ve been contacted by many members of the group. I am still reviewing the bill, but if we can get it to the floor, I think we can get it passed,” Warner said of the Falun Gong Protection Act, S.817.
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Three top priorities
If elected, Walkinshaw says his top three priorities include fighting for federal workers, addressing concerns around health care and promoting economic development in Northern Virginia.
Regarding federal workers, Walkinshaw says he has “legislation prepared” that he will introduce on “day one,” which would require “the president, any president” to obtain an “up or down vote” from Congress before any administration can undertake significant restructuring, dismantling of departments, or job cuts within federal agencies.
His next priority is addressing health care issues by preventing what he describes as “devastating cuts to health care, to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act,” via Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” that he says impacts hundreds of thousands of Virginians.
On Northern Virginia’s economy, Walkinshaw noted, “You know, our unemployment rate right now in Fairfax is at the highest level since March of 2021, as we were coming out of COVID,” adding, “And there’s one reason for that. It’s Trump’s DOGE policies.”
The special election to represent Virginia’s 11th Congressional District will be held on Sept. 9.
Walkinshaw will be squaring off against the Republican candidate, Stewart Whitson.
Voters can vote in person on Sept. 9 and all mail in ballots postmarked by Sept. 2 will be counted.
On election day, polls open at 6:00 am and close at 7:00 pm (EST).
