Fairfax Delegate Dan Helmer Running For VA's New 7th Congressional District Seat

FAIRFAX, VA — Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax Station) officially declared his candidacy on Wednesday for Virginia's new Seventh District Congressional seat.

“Our democracy is at a breaking point — and in this moment, we need proven progressive champions who can take on Donald Trump — and win," Helmer said, in a statement. "Most candidates promise to be fighters — I’ve actually done it. As a veteran in Iraq and Afghanistan, I lost my friends who fought for our democracy. So after Donald Trump was first elected, I stood up and ran for office myself, unseating a 17 year Republican incumbent who did Trump’s bidding, because I couldn’t stand idly by as Trump ripped up the Constitution my friends and I had fought to defend."

The new Seventh Congressional District was created as part of the mid-decade redistricting referendum that came out of the current Virginia General Assembly session.

On Feb. 13, the Virginia Supreme Court court denied Republican lawmakers’ motion to pause a redistricting referendum as the high court deliberates the case, according to the Virginia Mercury.

The order means voters will be able to approve or reject the redistricting amendment in a referendum scheduled for April 21, 2026. The effort would redraw Virginia’s congressional maps, with 10 districts favoring Democrats and one tipped toward Republicans, the Virginia Mercury reported.

Helmer currently represents the 10th District in the Virginia General Assembly, which encompasses parts of Braddock, Kings Park West, Union Mill, Fairfax Station, and Clifton in Fairfax County. The nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project describes the district as "strongly Democratic."

As proposed, the new Seventh Congressional District would extend from Burke in Fairfax County, through Prince William County south of Manassas and include parts of Facquier, Culpeper, Madison, Greene, Orange, Louisa, Goochland, Powhatan, Cumberland, Rockingham, and Augusta counties.

Also See ...

• Supreme Court Of Virginia Greenlights Redistricting Referendum
• Helmer Settles With Final Defendant In Defamation Lawsuit Tied To Sexual Allegations In 2024 Primary
• Protesters Stand Up For Democracy, Rule Of Law At Fairfax No Kings Rally

U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Fredericksburg), who currently represents a large portion of the district, released the following statement about Helmer's campaign:

“Dan Helmer goes where the fight is. Again and again, he has put his entire being into the fight for our democracy: in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and as a lawmaker. He’s faced down threats and stood his ground — but he’s always gotten back up, dusted himself off, and returned to battle. There is no one else I want by my side pushing back against Trump’s attempts to shred our Constitution. Dan is the proven anti-Trump democracy champion we need in Congress now, and I’m proud to endorse him on day one of this campaign.”

A long list of state and local Democrats have endorsed Helmer's candidacy for the new congressional seat, including State Sens. Stella Pekarsky (D-Centreville) and Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Richmond); Dels. Rip Sullivan (D-Great Falls), Holly Siebold (D-Vienna) and Paul Krizek (D-Alexandria); Supervisor Rachna Sizemore Heizer (D-Braddock); Fairfax School Board Members Karl Frisch (Providence) and Kyle McDaniel (At-Large); and Prince William County Board Chair Dee Jefferson (D-At-Large) and Supervisor Victor Angry (D-Neabsco).

The following is the full statement Helmer included in a release on Wednesday.

“Our democracy is at a breaking point - and in this moment, we need proven progressive champions who can take on Donald Trump - and win. Most candidates promise to be fighters - I’ve actually done it. As a veteran in Iraq and Afghanistan, I lost my friends who fought for our democracy. So after Donald Trump was first elected, I stood up and ran for office myself, unseating a 17 year Republican incumbent who did Trump’s bidding, because I couldn’t stand idly by as Trump ripped up the Constitution my friends and I had fought to defend.

“In the General Assembly, I wrote and passed an assault weapons ban to get weapons similar to those I carried on battlefields overseas out of our churches, schools, and streets. I overcame Republican opposition to pass the largest expansion of SNAP benefits in Virginia’s history. And I wrote the bill to stop those who stormed the Capitol on January 6th from holding public office in the Commonwealth - and the bill to ensure that our public schools teach the truth of what happened that day, not MAGA propaganda. And today, I’m helping lead the effort to unmask Trump’s ICE agents terrorizing our communities and ending their cooperation with our local law enforcement.

“Last year, I helped recruit the strongest and most diverse class of Democratic challenger candidates in Virginia history. Together, we won a historic victory in November, delivering the largest Democratic majority in nearly four decades and re-electing Virginia’s first Black Speaker of the House of Delegates. I’m honored to have the support in this campaign of every freshman I helped elect last year, because they understand what it takes to campaign and win in every corner of Virginia.

“My wife and I chose to raise our children in Fairfax — where my sons attended Fairfax public schools, and my wife is a proud elementary school assistant principal. I run a business in Arlington, and as Campaigns Chair I’ve knocked doors and met with voters from Goochland to Fauquier to Prince William County to Rockingham. I know this community, and it will be the honor of my life to serve this district in Congress.”

“In the General Assembly, I wrote and passed an assault weapons ban to get weapons similar to those I carried on battlefields overseas out of our churches, schools, and streets. I overcame Republican opposition to pass the largest expansion of SNAP benefits in Virginia’s history. And I wrote the bill to stop those who stormed the Capitol on January 6th from holding public office in the Commonwealth - and the bill to ensure that our public schools teach the truth of what happened that day, not MAGA propaganda. And today, I’m helping lead the effort to unmask Trump’s ICE agents terrorizing our communities and ending their cooperation with our local law enforcement.

“Last year, I helped recruit the strongest and most diverse class of Democratic challenger candidates in Virginia history. Together, we won a historic victory in November, delivering the largest Democratic majority in nearly four decades and re-electing Virginia’s first Black Speaker of the House of Delegates. I’m honored to have the support in this campaign of every freshman I helped elect last year, because they understand what it takes to campaign and win in every corner of Virginia.

“My wife and I chose to raise our children in Fairfax - where my sons attended Fairfax public schools, and my wife is a proud elementary school assistant principal. I run a business in Arlington, and as Campaigns Chair I’ve knocked doors and met with voters from Goochland to Fauquier to Prince William County to Rockingham. I know this community, and it will be the honor of my life to serve this district in Congress.”