This election will be held on November 8, 2022. Incumbent Congressman Gerry Connolly (D), who has held the District 11 seat since 2009, is running for re-election against Jim Myles (R), a retired US Air Force veteran.
Incumbent Congressman Gerry Connolly has served in Congress since 2008. He is a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and chairs the Subcommittee on Government Operations. He also serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and is president of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly. His political career began in 1995, when he was elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Congressman Connolly lives in Fairfax with his wife, Smitty.
Connolly believes in a holistic approach to racial justice that addresses the history of racism in the country and its impact on life today. He was an original co-sponsor of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the Green New Deal. He supported the Environmental Justice Mapping and Data Collection Act, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, and the movement to enshrine Juneteenth National Independence Day as a federal holiday. He also supports statehood for Washington, DC, noting it is a historically Black city.
Connolly is a strong supporter of common-sense gun violence prevention measures and believes in a holistic approach to ending gun violence. He recognizes that the most vulnerable communities are disproportionately impacted by gun violence. He supports reinstating the Assault Weapons Ban, mandating safe gun storage, universal background checks before purchasing a gun, and closing the gun show loophole. Additionally, he recognizes the link between gun violence and white supremacist radicalization. He regularly joins demonstrations, vigils, and protests against the NRA.
Connolly supports bodily autonomy and criticized the Supreme Court and the Texas abortion ban. His greatest priority is codifying protections for abortion access, and he led the fight to overturn the Hyde Amendment. He understands that intersections that are impacted by abortion bans. He believes in equal and equitable access to Medicare and funding for family planning, including abortion coverage. Additionally, he co-sponsored the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and supported the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021.
Connolly advocates for compassionate immigration reform. He supports DREAMers and the DACA program, joining bipartisan efforts to enshrine DACA. He believes Congress should ensure all refugees and immigrants have a pathway to citizenship. Connolly opposes separating families and deporting people who arrived in the country as children. Additionally, he opposes limits set on refugees and introduced the Lady Liberty Act of 2021, which would institute a minimum of at least 125,000 refugees to be admitted to the country annually.
Connolly is facing Republican Jim Myles, a US Air Force veteran and federal judge. Myles has criticized lockdowns, restrictions, and vaccine mandate efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. He has called for a caneling of cancel culture. He wants to give even more money to out of control police departments and wants to finish the border wall.
Due to his compassionate immigration policies, his record of fighting for abortion access and reproductive rights, and his commitment to racial justice and ending the gun violence endemic, Gerry Connolly is the more progressive candidate in the race for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District.