Endorsement from the afterlife? A message on social media from a deceased congressman asks for a vote for his would-be successor

In late May, the family of former Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly announced that he had passed away after a battle with esophageal cancer.

Before his death, Connolly—who had served in the House of Representatives since 2009—endorsed James Walkinshaw as his successor. Walkinshaw had served as Connolly’s chief of staff for over a decade following his election to Congress. However, many of Connolly’s followers, who still follow his social media accounts, were unaware of the endorsement and were surprised to see the news appear in their timelines.

Walkinshaw has since won the Democratic primary with nearly 60 percent of the vote and will face Republican Stewart Whitson in the September election. After serving in Connolly’s office, Walkinshaw was elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

A look at the posts...

Posts were made from Connolly’s still-active X and Facebook accounts on June 24, 2025. The post on X was later deleted, but the one on Facebook remains live.

The message was intended to inform voters in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District that early voting had begun. It included a statement from Walkinshaw’s campaign team, noting that Connolly had endorsed the candidate before his passing. “Before his passing, Gerry endorsed James Walkinshaw to carry on because he knew James would never stop fighting for us,” the post reads. In addition to the posts, e-mails supporting Walkinshaw were also sent from Connolly’s address, which prompted similar confusion to those who saw the posts.

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