Voters in northern Virginia will head to the polls on Tuesday for a special election that House Democrats hope will bolster their numbers in the chamber and cut down on an already slim Republican majority.

With a Democratic win Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson would only be able to afford to lose two Republicans on party-line votes as opposed to three.

The election in the 11th Congressional District is being held to fill longtime Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly’s seat. Connolly died from cancer in May .

Democrat James Walkinshaw , Connolly’s former chief of staff and a Fairfax County supervisor, is heavily favored. Walkinshaw faces Republican Stewart Whitson, a military veteran and former FBI special agent currently working as a lobbyist.

Situated in the suburbs of Washington, DC

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