Virginia voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to choose a replacement for the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) in the special election for the commonwealth’s 11th Congressional District.

The Democratic candidate, James Walkinshaw, was Connolly’s chief of staff as well as a Fairfax County supervisor. He is facing off against Republican Stewart Whitson, an Army veteran and former FBI special agent.

The seat was vacated in May after Connolly died following a battle with cancer. Here’s what to know about Tuesday’s special election:

Walkinshaw is the heavy favorite

Walkinshaw is considered the hands-on favorite to win the seat. The deep-blue district is reflective of the rest of Virginia’s suburbs of Washington, D.C., which tend to lean Democratic. The district makes up most of Fairfax County, including the entire city of Fairfax.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report places the district firmly in the Democratic category. Connolly won reelection in the district by more than 30 points in November, while former Vice President Kamala Harris and incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) won it by roughly the same margin in their respective races.

Walkinshaw has been a clear leader in the fundraising race, bringing in roughly $1.1 million. Whitson, by comparison, has raised around $225,000.

The race garnered some attention in June after social media accounts for Connolly urged supporters to vote for Walkinshaw in the special Democratic primary, which took place after the congressman’s death.

Prior to his death, Connolly had represented the district since 2009. Walkinshaw served as Connolly’s chief of staff from........

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