Communism survivor Karina Lipsman joins Virginia’s 11th District race, emphasizing hard work and support for President Trump.

GOP Challenger Enters Crowded Race for Northern Virginia District

Karina Lipsman, a Republican and survivor of Soviet-era communism, has announced her candidacy in the special election for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, following the death of Representative Gerry Connolly. Lipsman’s campaign highlights her personal story of immigration, resilience, and belief in conservative principles.

Lipsman, whose family fled the Soviet Union during her childhood, arrived in the United States speaking no English. Raised in low-income housing by a single mother in Baltimore, she later became a U.S. citizen at 18 and worked her way through both undergraduate and graduate education. She currently serves at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

In her announcement, Lipsman emphasized her appreciation for America’s promise of freedom and opportunity. “We ran from socialism and toward the American dream,” she said. “I worked hard, kept my head down and earned every step to get to where I am today.”

Lipsman voiced strong support for President Donald Trump, praising him as a “disruptor” challenging entrenched political norms. She warned that the United States is at risk of repeating the centralization and dependency patterns her family once fled. “We have had an expanding government, a shrinking middle class and a growing dependence on the state,” she said. “Thankfully, we have a disruptor in Donald Trump who is fighting the status quo.”

District History and Race Landscape

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has scheduled the special election for September 9. The district, a Democratic stronghold covering much of suburban Washington, D.C., had been represented by Connolly since 2009. Connolly, who passed away from esophageal cancer in May, had announced in April he would not seek re-election due to his declining health.

While the district was once held by a Republican—former Representative Tom Davis served from 1995 to 2008—it has since shifted significantly leftward. The Cook Political Report rates the district as D+18. In recent cycles, Connolly secured re-election by margins exceeding 30 percentage points.

Lipsman previously ran in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District but was defeated by longtime Democratic incumbent Rep. Don Beyer. Despite the loss, she expressed renewed determination to meet what she described as growing voter demand for practical and results-driven leaders. “We need leaders who put their heads down and do the hard work to fix what’s broken,” she said.

She joins a diverse and crowded field of candidates vying for the seat. On the Democratic side, contenders include Fairfax County supervisor James Walkinshaw—Connolly’s endorsed successor—as well as state legislators Stella Pekarsky and Irene Shin. Additional Democratic hopefuls are Leopoldo Nucete, Joshua Aisen, and Candice Bennett.

Two other Republicans are also in the race, including Mike Van Meter, who previously ran against Connolly in 2024.

With the district’s deep Democratic lean and numerous candidates on both sides, the race promises to be competitive, especially as Virginia prepares for the high-stakes special election in September.