Contact: Aly Ferguson
aly@newpolitics.org; 480-363-6465
WASHINGTON D.C. (February 27 , 2026) — New Politics today endorsed Dan Helmer for U.S. Congress in Virginia's 7th Congressional District. Helmer, a West Point graduate and veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has proven himself as an effective state legislator and embodies the battle-tested leadership that New Politics champions. New Politics has a strong record of success in Virginia. From then-candidate Abigail Spanberger flipping a suburban Richmond seat in 2018, to our slate of Delegate candidates sweeping their races and securing a historic majority in 2025, New Politics candidates have a record of winning hard-fought races across the commonwealth.
Emily Cherniack, Founder and Executive Director of New Politics, released the following statement:
"Dan Helmer has spent his life answering the call to serve, first in uniform in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now fighting for Virginians in Richmond. What sets Dan apart is not just his courage, but his ability to turn conviction into concrete results. He's led his caucus to historic victories, passed groundbreaking legislation, and proven he can succeed in competitive districts without compromising his values. Dan represents a new generation of leadership that knows how to organize, strategize, and deliver, putting people over politics. That's why New Politics is proud to support his campaign for Congress."
New Politics has supported the following candidates in Virginia:
Dan Helmer is the son of an immigrant and the grandson of Holocaust survivors. After graduating from West Point, he served in Iraq and Afghanistan following 9/11. When Donald Trump was elected and began attacking American democracy, Dan quit his job to run for office—defeating a 17-year Republican incumbent in 2019. As a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Dan has championed gun violence prevention, passing universal background checks, red flag laws, and Virginia's first assault weapons ban. He led efforts to protect abortion rights, expand SNAP benefits, and make Virginia carbon-neutral by 2045. In 2025, as House Democratic Campaigns Chair, Dan delivered the largest and most diverse Democratic majority in Virginia in nearly 40 years—doing it all without taking a dime of corporate PAC money. Dan lives in Fairfax with his wife, Karen, an elementary school assistant principal, and their two sons, who attended Fairfax County public schools. He runs a small business in Arlington County and has campaigned across Virginia's 7th District from Arlington to Fairfax to Prince William to Fauquier to Rockingham to Goochland. Learn more at danhelmer.com.
New Politics is an organization that revitalizes American democracy by recruiting, developing, and electing leaders across the ideological and political spectrum who have mitted their lives to serving their communities and our country, either through military service, national service organizations like AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps, or by demonstrating strong service-based leadership in their community. New Politics support includes strategic advising and training in all aspects of a candidate’s campaign, such as fundraising, communications, organizing, hiring, and team building. New Politics has raised over $40 million to support over 475 candidates, successfully electing more than 200 of them to office, from Congress to School Board.
