A Northern Virginia Democrat coasted to victory in a special election Tuesday for the U.S. House seat left vacant after the death of Rep. Gerald E. Connolly.

James Walkinshaw, a former chief of staff to Connolly who won his former boss's endorsement shortly before he died in May at 75, defeated Stewart Whitson, a Republican lobbyist for a conservative think tank.

Walkinshaw, 42, who is an elected member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, is the first Democrat to win a House special election since President Trump took office in January.

The district, most of which sits in Fairfax County across the Potomac River from the capital, has been solid Democratic territory since Connolly was first elected to Congress in 2008.

Once Walkinshaw is seated, House Republicans will be able to

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