Rep. Gerry Connolly Endorses Social Media Pick for His Seat

Deceased Rep.
Gerry Connolly
‘s (D-Va.) social media accounts shocked the internet Tuesday by seemingly resurrecting the congressman to endorse his former chief of staff, James Walkinshaw, to fill his seat.

Why it matters:

Connolly endorsed Walkinshaw before he died in May, but his name has been used repeatedly in the campaign since his death to promote his would-be successor.

• That includes
  fundraising emails
  sent from Connolly’s congressional campaign promoting Walkinshaw and linking to his ActBlue page.
• Connolly’s
  congressional campaign website
  now displays a photo of the two men, along with Connolly’s letter endorsing Walkinshaw before his death.

Driving the news:

Connolly’s political accounts on
X
and
Facebook
sent out posts Tuesday stating, “Early voting starts TODAY in VA-11” and noting that Connolly endorsed Walkinshaw.

• “Let’s honor that legacy and vote for bold leadership that’ll fight for us every day,” the post on X said, linking to Walkinshaw’s website and including the same photo found on Connolly’s website.

Zoom out:

Walkinshaw is one of 10 Democrats running in the June 28th primary to succeed Connolly.

• In addition to Connolly, Walkinshaw has the overwhelming support of the Virginia Democratic political establishment, including Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), former Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) and dozens of state legislators.
• The only poll of the race — an internal survey released by Walkinshaw’s campaign — shows him heavily favored at 41%, with 8% for state Sen. Stella Pekarsky and 6% for state Del. Irene Shin.

Yes, but:

Connolly’s endorsement was disregarded Tuesday by his fellow House Democrats when it came to selecting his successor as ranking member of the Oversight Committee.

• Rep.
  Robert Garcia
  (D-Calif.), a well-liked 47-year-old member of Democratic leadership, was elected in a landslide over Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Va.), the 70-year-old who Connolly tapped to follow him.

The intrigue:

This isn’t even the first time this year a dead House Democrat’s social media has unexpectedly come alive.

• Deceased Rep. Sylvester Turner’s (D-Texas) account on X
  began following fellow members of Congress
  and reporters despite him passing away the month before.