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Del. Dan Helmer is making another run for Congress, entering the race for Virginia’s newly drawn 7th Congressional District with support from dozens of Democratic lawmakers.
Helmer, 44, announced his candidacy Wednesday, Feb. 18. The Democrat has represented southwestern Fairfax County in the House of Delegates since 2020 and is serving his fourth term in the General Assembly.
The proposed district has a sprawling, lobster-like shape that encompasses Helmer’s Fairfax County home and extends east to Arlington County, west to Augusta County and south to Goochland County. Its Fairfax communities include Annandale, Burke, Fairfax Station, Pimmit Hills, West Falls Church and West Springfield.
In his campaign video, Helmer highlighted his legislative record and presented himself as an experienced opponent of President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.
“There are a lot of people who say they’re going to go to Washington and take on Donald Trump,” Helmer said. “I’ve done it — successfully.”
Helmer currently represents Virginia’s 10th House District. As campaigns chair for the Virginia House Democratic Caucus last year, he helped carry out an aggressive electoral strategy that expanded the party’s House majority following the November elections.
His announcement emphasized his support for ending voluntary cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration officials. He also cited legislation that would prohibit schools from teaching that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was a “peaceful protest.”
“That’s because, as a veteran, I believe we should never be celebrating traitors,” Helmer said.
The U.S. Army veteran has also repeatedly pursued a ban on assault weapons. He introduced legislation establishing such a ban during each of the past two legislative sessions, but Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed both measures.
Helmer introduced the proposal again earlier this year, seeking a different result with Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger in office.
“After losing friends in Afghanistan and Iraq, I wrote and passed the first ever assault weapons ban to reach the governor’s desk because I don’t think our children should be afraid to go to school,” he said.
The campaign marks Helmer’s third attempt to win a congressional seat. He lost the 2018 Democratic primary to Jennifer Wexton and finished a close second to Suhas Subramanyam in the 2024 primary. Subramanyam ultimately succeeded Wexton after her retirement.
Helmer enters the latest contest with endorsements from more than half of the 85 Democrats in the General Assembly, as well as U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman.
“There is no one else I want by my side pushing back against Trump’s attempts to shred our Constitution,” Vindman said. “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.”
State Sen. Stella Pekarsky, a former Fairfax County School Board member, also endorsed Helmer, pointing to his response to Trump administration policies and federal workforce cuts.
“Every time Trump has tried to strip rights from Virginians, Helmer has been there with legislation, with his voice, and with his vote,” Pekarsky said.
Helmer joins J.P. Cooney as the only other declared candidate in the race so far. Cooney is an Arlington attorney who served as a senior deputy in special counsel Jack Smith’s office during its investigations of Trump.
The district lines are not yet final. Virginia voters must approve the proposed maps in an April 21 referendum. The primary elections are scheduled for June 16.