Eileen Filler-Corn, the first woman and Jewish speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates, is backing Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw in his bid to succeed outgoing Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) in Northern Virginia, she said in an announcement shared exclusively with Jewish Insider on Thursday.

“From my early days as delegate to my time as speaker of the Virginia House, James was a critical legislative partner in the historic progress we delivered for Fairfax County families,” Filler-Corn said of Walkinshaw, a former longtime chief of staff to Connolly. “He’s steady, thoughtful and deeply experienced at every level of government — and that’s the kind of leadership we need to take on Trump’s dangerous agenda and deliver real results.”

The endorsement puts to rest ongoing speculation over Filler-Corn’s own plans to run for the seat that is being vacated by Connolly — a veteran lawmaker who said in late April he would not seek reelection because of the return of his esophageal cancer.

Filler-Corn , a former longtime state legislator, had been floated as a possible candidate in the race to represent Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, which covers most of Fairfax County. She previously ran for an open House seat in a neighboring district last cycle, centering her campaign launch around her Jewish faith and staunch support for Israel in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.

Walkinshaw, for his part, jumped into the race a week after Connolly said he would retire, and soon notched an endorsement from his former boss, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

In addition to Walkinshaw, the Democratic primary now includes state Sen. Stella Pekarsky, with other potential candidates eyeing the race in the deep blue district.

Filler-Corn, in her statement, said she has known Walkinshaw “for years — not just as a colleague, but as a friend,” adding there is “no one better prepared to” step into Connolly’s seat. “I am proud to support James and confident he will serve our community with integrity and distinction.”

“Speaker Filler-Corn is an historic figure in Virginia,” Walkinshaw said in a statement shared with JI. “From her time as delegate to her tenure as speaker, I was proud to work alongside her to deliver real progress for Fairfax families. I’m honored to have her support and committed to continuing the fight against Trump’s dangerous agenda in Congress.”