VA-11 Dem Primary Candidates: Corporate PACs, AIPAC, and Stock Trading

Three questions for VA-11 Dem primary candidates... and few responses.

Next Saturday, June 28, 2025, Democrats in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District will participate in a “firehouse primary” to choose a nominee for the special election to fill the late Rep. Gerry Connolly’s (D) seat.

Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) has issued a writ setting the special election for September 9, 2025.

The VA-11 Democratic Committee stood up a relatively comprehensive website devoted to this firehouse primary that includes, for example, locations of all of the polling places and information on early voting, which starts this Tuesday.

And the following candidates have qualified for next weekend’s Dem primary:

Amy Roma, Del. Irene Shin, State Sen. Stella Pekarsky, Leo Martínez Nucete, Supervisor James Walkinshaw, Candice Bennett, Amy Papanu, Dan Lee, Dr. Priya Punnoose, and Ross William Branstetter IV.

Since the winner of this primary will likely prevail in the September election and thus enter Congress, I sent nine Democratic candidates a set of three simple questions:

(1) Will you accept contributions from corporate PACs to your campaign(s)?

(2) Will you accept contributions from AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) to your campaign(s)?

(3) Will you commit not to trade, sell, or buy individual stocks while in office and to support legislation to ban members of Congress (as well as their spouses and dependent children) from doing so?

The first question is straightforward, and tracks with former Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s (D-VA) commitment while in Congress not to accept campaign contributions from corporate PACs, a commitment she first relayed to me on the phone in 2018 while discussing the Activate Virginia pledge to refuse contributions from Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company.

The second question is also straightforward, especially given the immediate geopolitical crises at hand.

The third question tracks with Spanberger’s “TRUST in Congress Act” which has been reintroduced this year by Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX). It’s especially important given Connolly’s history of questionable stock trading while in Congress (recall his notable holdings in Dominion Energy and Leidos).

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Will you accept contributions from corporate PACs to your campaign(s)?

Candice Bennett: No

Del. Irene Shin: No

Dan Lee: No

Supervisor Walkinshaw, Sen. Pekarsky, Martínez, Roma, Papanu: No Response

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Will you accept contributions from AIPAC to your campaign(s)?

Candice Bennett: No

Del. Irene Shin: No

Dan Lee: No

Supervisor Walkinshaw, Sen. Pekarsky, Martínez, Roma, Papanu: No Response

Reston attorney and Democratic activist Jonathan Sokolow, however, posted on X today that Pekarsky told him she would accept contributions from AIPAC:

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Will you commit not to trade, sell, or buy individual stocks while in office and to support legislation to ban members of Congress (as well as their spouses and dependent children) from doing so?

Candice Bennett: Yes

Del. Irene Shin: Yes

Shin elaborated via text message: “But I want people ot [sic] know that I have a few individual stocks — Nintendo, disney, nike (lol) — in very small quantities, that I plan to sell if I win.”

Lee, Supervisor Walkinshaw, Sen. Pekarsky, Martínez, Roma, Papanu: No Response

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For more information on the candidates and the race, check out the following reporting:

“Candidates face sprint to nomination in special election for Connolly’s seat”

“Walkinshaw’s frontrunner status sparks debate over fairness in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District Primary”

“David Hogg defies DNC leadership by wading into another primary for open seat”

“Special election to fill Rep. Connolly’s seat in Congress officially set”

Read candidate responses to the Patch questionnaire here:

“10 Democrats Vie For Open VA Congressional Seat: Early Voting Starts Tuesday”

And read Blue Virginia interviews with the candidates here:

“With the “Firehouse Primary” Coming Up Soon (6/28), Here Are the VA11 Democratic Candidates’ Positions on Some Major Issues”

“Blue Virginia Interview: VA11 Dem Candidate Dan Lee Says “Why I’m in this race is because I believe in a country that provides guaranteed health care for all Americans through Medicare for All””

“Blue Virginia Interview: VA11 Dem Candidate Leo Martinez Says “I already had to leave from one country, see one democracy destroyed; I can’t let that happen and just watch it from the living room in my house””

”Blue Virginia Interview: VA11 Dem Candidate Amy Roma Says She’s Running Because “Our country is absolutely being torn apart,” She “knows how to get things done,” and “career politicians are struggling to figure out how to compete against something like Trump”

“Blue Virginia Interview: VA11 Dem Candidate Amy Papanu Says “I refer to myself as a moderate Democrat. That is so important these days to get things done in Congress.””

”Video, Highlights From James Walkinshaw’s VA11 Democratic Campaign Kickoff; Walkinshaw Declares “I’m running for Congress because we’re in a five-alarm-fire moment for our country””

”Video, Highlights From Stella Pekarsky’s VA11 Democratic Campaign Kickoff; Vows to “stand up and be loud” Against Trump’s Assault on Our Democracy, Federal Workers, the Environment, etc.”

”Blue Virginia Interview: VA11 Dem Candidate James Walkinshaw Vows, “I would absolutely continue Gerry [Connolly]’s legacy and work of fighting Republicans tooth and nail when they’re going after our values…our democracy””