Dan Helmer is a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing the 10th District in Fairfax County. Born on September 27, 1981, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, he is a Jewish Army veteran who served from 2003 to 2014, including deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Korea, followed by time in the Reserves. A management consultant and small business owner, he is married to Karen Marie Bonin Helmer, an elementary school assistant principal, with two sons, Harris and Aaron. Helmer is a Rhodes Scholar who upset long-time Republican incumbent Tim Hugo in 2019 to win his seat in the pre-redistricting 40th District, setting a fundraising record of $3.6 million combined. He serves as House Democrats Campaigns Chair, leading efforts that flipped the chamber in 2023 despite a Republican governor.

Education and Political Experience

Education: Helmer holds a BSc from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MPhil from the University of Oxford .

Political Experience: Elected in 2019 , reelected subsequently, and now in his third term representing District 10 post-redistricting. Notable achievements include championing gun violence prevention , protecting sexual assault victims on campuses, codifying abortion rights, expanding SNAP benefits , combating healthcare costs , and leading carbon-neutrality by 2045 efforts. In 2018, he ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for Virginia's 10th Congressional District ; in 2023, he announced another bid after incumbent Jennifer Wexton retired. The Washington Post praised his "guts, independence, and intelligence" as a freshman.