Democrat James Walkinshaw wins race for vacant, deep-blue Virginia House seat

Democrat James Walkinshaw has won Virginia’s deep-blue 11th Congressional District, NBC News projects, an expected win for his party that adds another Democrat to the narrowly divided House of Representatives

Democrat James Walkinshaw has won Virginia’s deep-blue 11th Congressional District, NBC News projects, an expected win for his party that adds another Democrat to the narrowly divided House of Representatives.

The seat that had been vacant since Rep. Gerry Connolly, who had esophageal cancer, died in May at age 75. Walkinshaw spent a decade as a top aide to Connolly.

See live results here

Democrats will have 213 representatives in the House once Walkinshaw is sworn in, while Republicans have 219 representatives, with three seats still vacant because of deaths and resignations. A number of key votes loom on the horizon.

Walkinshaw could bring Democrats and a handful of Republicans closer to forcing a vote to release all files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. As of last Wednesday, lawmakers were just two members away from being able to force a vote on whether to release the documents.