How To Use This Guide

1. Pick the issues you care about. Rank the two or three that matter most to you, such as federal jobs, data centers, energy bills, housing or health care.
2. Find which office handles them. The U.S. House and U.S. Senate write federal law and set the federal budget, including pay and staffing for federal agencies. The three statewide questions would change the Virginia Constitution, and the local questions decide Fairfax County borrowing and a City of Fairfax sales tax.
3. Compare the candidates. Read where each candidate stands on your top issues, then read the candidates’ own words and who funds each campaign.

The U.S. House Race

What This Office Does

U.S. House members serve two-year terms and vote on every federal law and the federal budget. All bills that raise taxes must start in the House. The 11th District includes most of Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax and the towns of Vienna and Herndon, and is home to many federal workers and contractors. ​

The district uses the same lines as in 2024. Voters approved a redistricting amendment that would have allowed a new congressional map. On Friday, May 8, the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled 4 to 3 that the General Assembly first passed the amendment after early voting in the 2025 election had begun, which the state constitution does not allow, according to the court’s opinion. The ruling kept the court’s 2021 congressional map in place.

Candidates In Brief

Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) won a special election on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, with 75.1% of the vote, filling the seat left vacant when Rep. Gerry Connolly died, according to Walkinshaw’s Ballotpedia profile. Walkinshaw served more than a decade as Connolly’s chief of staff and represented the Braddock District on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from 2020 to 2025, according to Walkinshaw’s House biography. Walkinshaw lives in Fairfax.

Republican Arthur Grahame Purves of Vienna is a retired computer programmer who says Purves worked 40 years in the field and has led the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance for 30 years, according to Purves’ Ballotpedia profile. Purves calls this campaign Purves’ “eighth run” for office. Purves lost a 2019 race for the state Senate to Sen. Janet Howell (D), 73.5% to 26.3%.

Green Party candidate Dianne Blais has worked as vice president of a privately held company and was co-president of the American Association of University Women of Virginia from 2008 to 2010, according to Blais’ Ballotpedia profile. Blais and Blais’ husband have fostered more than 100 children. Blais ran for the House of Delegates as an independent in 2011 and for the 10th District as a Green in 2014.

Walkinshaw and Purves advanced without a primary vote after the other candidates withdrew and the Tuesday, Aug. 4 party primaries were canceled, according to Ballotpedia’s race overview.

Where They Stand

Federal workers. Walkinshaw says “I founded and co-chair the Federal Workforce Caucus, a bipartisan group working to protect federal workers,” according to The Connection Newspapers’ voter guide. Purves says local Democrats “have been raising taxes for decades” and wants lower taxes to attract employers. Blais proposes “a Green DOGE” to review every federal position cut by the Department of Government Efficiency.

Energy bills and data centers. Walkinshaw says “I’ll push for oversight to ensure new grid costs are not shifted onto residential ratepayers.” Purves says “Democrats deliberately raise gas and oil prices to promote green energy.” Blais says the Green Party platform is “anti data centers” because of their environmental effects.

Housing. Walkinshaw has backed the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act. Purves says “If you want affordable housing, let the private sector build more housing.” Blais says all residents should be housed based on family size.

Transit. Walkinshaw is pressing for more federal money for Metro and other rail and bus service. Purves answered the transit question by calling for Americans to eat less processed food, saying “eating real food would reverse chronic disease and save trillions in federal spending.”

Health care. Walkinshaw opposes the 2025 tax and spending law and says “no Virginian should lose coverage or pay higher premiums to fund this reckless agenda,” according to WTOP’s 2025 candidate guide.

Immigration. Walkinshaw supports “comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship.” Purves’ campaign calls for vetting immigrants before they enter the country.

Schools. Purves says “Public schools perpetuate poverty” and supports school vouchers.

Constitutional amendments. Purves urges a No vote on Questions 1 and 2, the abortion and marriage amendments.

In Their Own Words

James Walkinshaw, announcing the reelection campaign on Friday, Feb. 6, per Patch:

“This work is far from finished.”

Arthur Grahame Purves, in Ballotpedia’s candidate survey:

“My retirement income includes significant income from oil.”

Dianne Blais, on transit, in The Connection Newspapers’ voter guide:

“A world-class train system throughout the US would be a major goal.”

Questionnaires And Debates

All three candidates answered The Connection Newspapers’ voter guide questions on housing, transit, the federal workforce and energy. Purves answered Ballotpedia’s candidate survey, and Walkinshaw and Blais did not.

Endorsements

Walkinshaw is endorsed by the following, according to Ballotpedia:

Purves lists the National Women’s Prayer and Voting Army as an endorser.

Who Is Funding Them

These figures come from Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports for the 2026 cycle through Wednesday, Oct. 14, as compiled by Ballotpedia. Walkinshaw reported raising $3,270,621, spending $2,127,506 and holding $1,143,115 in cash. Purves reported raising $38,665, spending $18,930 and holding $19,735. Blais reported no FEC fundraising.

Outside groups have reported about $2.72 million in spending this cycle, nearly all of it supporting Walkinshaw. Oversight Action Fund reported $1,702,067 and Protect Progress reported $1,012,792 supporting Walkinshaw, and Heritage Action for America reported $2,790 opposing Walkinshaw.

Donors who give more than $200 in a cycle are listed by name in FEC filings. Smaller gifts are reported only as a lump total, so small donors’ names are not public.

The Incumbent’s Record

Walkinshaw serves on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the House Homeland Security Committee and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Walkinshaw founded and co-chairs the Federal Workforce Caucus and belongs to the New Democrat Coalition, the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Since taking office, Walkinshaw has voted in 399 of 401 roll-call votes and voted against a majority of House Democrats four times out of 362, according to Legis1 records. Two bills Walkinshaw sponsored have passed the House: one names a Fairfax post office for Connolly, and the other is the Measuring Illicit Fentanyl Trafficking Act. Walkinshaw has cosponsored 332 bills.

Challengers’ Records

Neither Purves nor Blais has held public office. Purves has served on the Fairfax County Meals Tax Task Force and the Hunter Mill Citizen Budget Committee.

The U.S. Senate Race

What This Office Does

U.S. senators serve six-year terms and vote on every federal law and the federal budget. The Senate also confirms presidential nominees, including federal judges and Cabinet members, and approves treaties. In this race, the candidates have clashed most over the war in Iran, data centers and artificial intelligence.

Candidates In Brief

Democratic Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) is seeking a fourth term and says it would be Warner’s last, according to Radio IQ and WHRO. Warner helped assemble the investors who created Nextel, served as governor and was first elected to the Senate in 2008. Warner had no primary opponent.

Republican Bert Mizusawa is a West Point and Harvard Law School graduate who served in the U.S. Army from 1979 to 2016 and retired as a major general, according to Mizusawa’s Ballotpedia profile. Mizusawa has also run a contracting firm and a law practice, according to WJLA. Mizusawa won the Tuesday, Aug. 4 Republican primary with 51.5% of the vote over David Williams and Kim Farington, according to Ballotpedia’s Senate race overview.

Where They Stand

Iran. Warner calls the war “a fiasco of historic proportions” and expects Iran to “extract some kind of toll on the strait of Hormuz,” according to Cardinal News. Mizusawa supports the president’s actions and says “I think we have to trust the president on that account.”

Data centers. Mizusawa says “data centers should not be put in any local community that doesn’t want it” and that localities “should have a veto right over them.” Warner wants federal standards for how data centers use resources and says “these AI companies need to help us retrain into jobs that will exist,” according to WSET.

Artificial intelligence and jobs. Warner’s campaign says “Washington is largely unprepared for the coming AI jobs crisis” and wants AI companies to pay a fair share of the energy demands AI puts on the grid, according to Warner’s campaign plan. Mizusawa says employers “should be held accountable for decisions made by AI systems,” according to WTKR’s report on a disability rights forum.

Cost of living and housing. Warner’s plan says the country is “3.7 million homes short” and calls for faster permitting and help for first-time buyers. Warner also says tariffs raise prices on everyday goods.

Health care. Warner supports universal health care and says the system “remains too expensive.” Mizusawa says Medicaid changes should strengthen the program while still supporting people with “legitimate needs.”

Energy. Mizusawa says “Nuclear power is clean, cheap, reliable and safe.”

Spending and debt. Mizusawa makes reducing federal spending and the debt a priority and supports returning to a commodity-based money system such as the gold standard.

Elections. Mizusawa says election concerns can be addressed by “verifying voters while keeping the voting process accessible.” Warner says some policies could make voting by mail harder.

In Their Own Words

Mark Warner, per Radio IQ and WHRO:

“We need a vision to chart a new path, and effective leadership to get it done.”

Bert Mizusawa, per Radio IQ and WHRO:

“I don’t really want to run for Senate, I want to be in the Senate.”

Questionnaires And Debates

AARP Virginia and CBS 6 planned a debate for Wednesday, Oct. 7, in Richmond but canceled it after Warner’s campaign said Warner could not commit, citing an “unsettled and expectedly busy official Senate calendar,” according to Cardinal News’ report on the canceled debate. Mizusawa had accepted. The candidates gave back-to-back speeches at the Buena Vista Labor Day event and answered questions separately at a virtual forum hosted by disability advocacy groups.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia lists American Veterans Vote as an endorser of Mizusawa. Before the primary, Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA)endorsed Mizusawa, according to the Northern Virginia Daily. Mizusawa says Mizusawa can work with President Donald Trump. Mizusawa was a foreign policy adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign and a member of Trump’s transition team.

Who Is Funding Them

These figures come from FEC reports for the 2026 cycle through Wednesday, Oct. 14, as compiled by Ballotpedia. Warner reported raising $27,493,348, spending $21,664,081 and holding $6,217,677 in cash. Mizusawa reported raising $1,141,130, spending $987,432 and holding $154,034.

Fellowship PAC reported $150,000 in spending supporting Warner. Ballotpedia lists no outside spending for Mizusawa.

The Incumbent’s Record

Warner is vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and ranking member of the Banking Committee’s Securities, Insurance and Investment Subcommittee. Warner also serves on the Budget, Finance, and Rules and Administration committees. Warner helped write the Affordable Care Act.

In the current Congress, Warner has voted in 831 of 869 roll-call votes and voted against a majority of Senate Democrats 77 times out of 820, according to Legis1 records. Warner voted against the 2025 tax and spending law. Mizusawa’s campaign says Warner “opposed cutting taxes on social security,” a reference to the law’s temporary $6,000 tax deduction for seniors.

Challengers’ Records

Mizusawa served as deputy under secretary of the Army, an appointed federal post, and as a senior adviser to the CIA director. Mizusawa ran for Congress in Virginia’s 2nd District in 2010 and lost the Republican primary.

Scorecards Readers Can Check

The League of Conservation Voters scorecard rates environmental votes, and the Heritage Action scorecard rates votes from a conservative perspective. Both grade Walkinshaw and Warner, and because each group picks different votes, their ratings measure different things.

Also On Your Ballot

The General Assembly passed each of the three proposed constitutional amendments in two sessions, as the Virginia Constitution requires before a public vote. Each takes effect if a majority of voters approve it.

Question 1: Reproductive freedom. A Yes vote adds a right to make decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management and fertility care, and bars the state from penalizing patients or providers for those decisions. The state could regulate third-trimester abortion but would have to allow it when a doctor finds it necessary to protect the patient’s life or health or when the pregnancy is not viable, according to the state’s official explanation of Question 1. A No vote leaves the constitution without an explicit reproductive rights provision. Boysko, the amendment’s sponsor, says it is “based on the current laws that we have on the books,” according to Cardinal News’ amendment guide. Former Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) is touring the state urging a No vote.

Question 2: Marriage. A Yes vote removes the 2006 constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, establishes a right for two adults to marry regardless of sex, gender or race, and bars denying them a marriage license on those grounds, according to the state’s official explanation of Question 2. The ban has been unenforceable since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling. A No vote keeps the ban in the constitution, where it could take effect again if that ruling were overturned. Former state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D), who carried the amendment, says “It’s not a radical change.” Earle-Sears says “there are no protections for those who have deeply held religious beliefs.”

Question 3: Voting rights. A Yes vote does three things, according to the state’s official explanation of Question 3:

  • It declares a fundamental right to vote.
  • It automatically restores voting rights to people convicted of felonies when they are released from prison.
  • It limits the loss of voting rights for people with mental disabilities to those a court finds do not understand the act of voting.

Today, only the governor can restore a person’s voting rights after a felony conviction. A No vote keeps the current rules. State Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria) says it creates “a transparent, fair process that applies to everyone equally.” House Minority Leader Del. Terry Kilgore (R-Scott) says it “doesn’t serve justice” because rights would return before probation, fines and restitution are complete.

Fairfax County bonds. Fairfax County voters will decide two bond questions, which the Board of Supervisors sent to the ballot on Tuesday, June 23, according to FFXnow. The county says its bond program is designed so the bonds will not raise the property tax rate, according to the county’s 2026 bond overview.

  • Parks: A Yes vote allows up to $180 million in borrowing, including $89 million for recreation centers such as Audrey Moore and $51 million to repair and upgrade playgrounds, trails, fields and other park facilities, according to the county’s parks bond statement. A No vote denies the borrowing. The Fairfax County Park Foundationsupports it.
  • Community health and human services: A Yes vote allows up to $75 million in borrowing, including $35 million to renovate or replace the Joanne Jorgenson Public Health Laboratory and $40 million for substance use and mental health treatment facilities at the Tim Harmon Campus, according to the county’s health and human services bond statement. A No vote denies the borrowing.

City of Fairfax sales tax. City of Fairfax voters will decide whether the City Council may add a retail sales tax of up to 1% for school construction and renovation, public transportation or both. A Yes vote gives the council that authority but does not impose the tax, and a No vote denies it. At the full 1%, the tax would raise about $13 million to $14 million a year, according to the City of Fairfax Schools’ sales tax FAQ. The FAQ names major work at Daniels Run and Providence elementary schools and a new roof at Fairfax High School as possible uses. Groceries, hygiene products and prescription drugs would be exempt. The City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday, July 14, to seek the referendum, and Mayor Catherine Read says the city intends to use the money only for schools, according to FFXnow’s report on the referendum. No organized opposition has been reported.

Before You Go

Still Ahead

  • Early voting continues through Saturday, Oct. 31, at your locality’s early voting sites, with no reason required.
  • Same day registration: You can register and vote a provisional ballot in person through Election Day.
  • Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and anyone in line by 7 p.m. may vote. You must vote at your assigned polling place, which you can find on the Virginia Department of Elections voter portal.
  • Sample ballots: See the Fairfax County sample ballot or the City of Fairfax sample ballot. Both federal races include a write-in line.
  • Mail ballots returned in person are due by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive by noon Friday, Nov. 6.
  • Emergency absentee ballots for hospitalization, illness or another emergency can be requested until 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2.
  • ID: Bring a Virginia driver’s license or state ID, U.S. passport, military, student or employee photo ID, or Virginia voter ID card. A utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government document with your name and address also works. Without ID, you can sign an ID Confirmation Statement and vote a regular ballot.
  • Questions: Call the Virginia Department of Elections at 800-552-9745, or call the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683), per Election Protection’s Virginia guide.

Deadlines That Have Passed

  • Standard registration and mail ballot requests closed Friday, Oct. 23.

Sources

AllCiv Profiles and Race Pages

Official Records

Candidate Statements and Questionnaires

News

Ballot Measures

Endorsements

Scorecards

Voting Information

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