Three Democrats are making their cases to represent their party in a challenge against Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, in Virginia’s 9th Congressional District, which covers the vast majority of Southwest Virginia.
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You can see more about where the candidates stand on our Voter Guide. Look up any locality in the 9th District to see how they answered our issues questionnaire.
The candidates all criticize Griffith for “not doing anything” or not being available to the voters of the “Fightin’ Ninth,” Virginia’s most conservative district, which he has represented for 16 years.
Whoever wins the Aug. 4 Democratic primary — for which early voting is already underway — will bring their take to address affordability, hospital funding and economic development, among other kitchen-table issues, to a long-shot bid against Griffith.
Adam Murphy wants to prevent people from ‘falling through the gaps’
Adam Murphy, a software engineer living in Roanoke County, was the first Democrat to enter the 9th District race. He announced his progressive, left-wing campaign back in August 2025.
“I’m running because I’m tired of seeing people fall through the gaps,” Murphy said.
Murphy said he learned from growing up in southern Illinois, which he compared to Southwest Virginia’s coal country, as his family lost their home during the 2008 housing crisis.
“This campaign is about representing people to make sure that they are put first — their families, their communities, their futures,” Murphy said. “Not corporate interests, not special interests, not party interests, but just everyday people’s interests. I don’t care who gets the credit. I just want problems to be solved.”
Murphy likened his campaign to those of anti-establishment politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont; Maine’s Graham Platner; Texas’ James Talarico and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — but with a Southwest Virginia focus.
“We reject corporate PAC money, billionaire funds, foreign interest funds, like AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee], because this is all about going to Washington and taking on the systems that have neglected Southwest Virginia for a very, very long time.”
Murphy named hospital closures, the high cost of living, increasing energy bills and the encroachment of data centers as the region’s biggest issues.
“You can’t have a baby in 13 out of our 28 counties in the ninth district,” Murphy said, referring to the lack of OB-GYN units.
Murphy subscribes to “FDR-style” politics. He wants a new New Deal that will bring business to the 9th District — including reviving programs created by its former Rep. Rick Boucher, who represented it for 28 years before being unseated by Griffith.
Almost every locality in Southwest Virginia has been projected to shrink in population between now and 2050.
“I wanna bring a whole bunch of new jobs back to our region, connect us to the 21st century economy, and make sure the southwest isn’t dependent on just a single manufacturer in the future, but we have multiple robust economic engines that support the area.”
Beyond that, Murphy believes healthcare is a human right. He wants Medicare for All, universal parental leave and paid time off, and a $10,000 credit for first-time homeowners.
The grassroots Murphy campaign has over 150 volunteers phone banking, canvassing and door knocking, and nearly all of them live in the district, he said. They have visited every county and city and reached over 5,000 doors.
Cattle farmer Joy Powers has a blueprint for bringing development
Joy Powers is a fourth-generation cattle farmer, small business owner and self-described “policy nerd” from Bedford County running to strengthen the place she grew up in. She is not excited about being a Democrat, but said it was the party most aligned with her values.
Powers, who ran and lost in a House of Delegates race last year, said she is the only candidate who has spent her life getting work done in Southwest Virginia.
“I grew up at a bipartisan kitchen table, so I always loved digging into the truth in policy, not necessarily the political conjecture of ‘oh it’s the dumb Democrats or the ridiculous Republicans.’”
Powers published a 40-page policy blueprint called the “H.O.M.E. (Healthcare, Opportunity, Market Affordability and Education) Plan” to address everything from how long it takes to drive to a hospital to reclaiming mining sites.
Powers also wants to rework the regularly renewed “Farm Bill” that dictates agricultural policy to remedy cuts under the Trump administration, boost the domestic food supply and ensure Americans are fed.
“We’re gonna see understanding on both sides of the aisle about why we need local meat processing facilities, local food packing facilities closer to home,” Powers said.
Powers thinks the affordability crisis has been amplified in the 9th District, as it had fewer resources to start with. She said elderly and disabled people have been particularly unfortunate — recalling a woman she met in Clinchco who had a power bill of $1,000 while being on a fixed income.
Powers hopes to bring in companies that will “actually provide some innovation” and noted Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear as a leader honoring coal communities but also bringing in innovation, manufacturing and green energy jobs.
“My least favorite conversation to have on the campaign trail is with a young person who has been forced to or is looking to leave the ninth district, not because they want to, but because they can’t find a job they can raise their family on,” Powers said.
Powers drew attention in March for suing the Bedford County School Board over not following proper protocol before voting to close Stewartsville Elementary School.
The school board held the vote without posting a legally required public notice ahead of time. The board then held a second, properly-advertised meeting and voted to keep the school open for another year — leading the court to dismiss the case, according to the Bedford Bulletin.
In May, Powers had a tense exchange with her other opponent, Douglas Crockett, during a candidate forum.
Powers expressed concern over Crockett living in Williamsburg, rather than in the district he’s running to represent. Crockett said he plans to move to Abingdon.
In an off-camera confrontation afterward, Crockett told Powers to “shut up,” leading Powers to criticize Crockett for her treatment as a woman in politics.
Crockett fired back, accusing Powers of not adequately addressing concerns he raised about race and representation.
“That was disappointing,” Powers told Cardinal News. “If we’re going to be representatives, and we’re going to represent the ninth district, we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard than that.”
Crockett said the incident is in the past and does not need to be discussed further.
“I’m still of the mind that I would support either candidate on the Democratic side over Morgan Griffith,” Crockett told Cardinal News.
Douglass Crockett brings faith, vision of ‘unity’
The last Candidate to enter the contest was Crockett, a Methodist minister and attorney from Wythe County, who retired after President Donald Trump was reelected.
“I was praying about what to do when I closed my law practice,” Crockett said. “I always wanted to combine law and ministry, and so one of the answers that I got back was to run for office.”
Crockett’s background is rooted in racial struggles in the South and reading the bible. In his 40 years of law and ministry, he helped people deal with racism, sexism, poverty and environmental issues. His tenure in Congress would be an extension of that, he said.
Crockett’s “Prosperity Platform” calls for political unity to build up healthcare, infrastructure, education and broadband internet throughout Southwest Virginia.
Crockett, a believer in bipartisan unity, thinks Democrats and Republicans demonizing each other has gotten in the way of progress.
“If we’re going to improve the situation, we have to stop fighting with each other and start working together to make a difference,” Crockett said.
Crockett also expressed concern with the greater influence Trump and Republicans have imposed over the federal government. If elected, he wants to put more limits on their power.
“I’m old enough to have witnessed Republican and Democratic administrations over the years, and this one is different than any before,” Crockett said. “It’s more extreme for my lifetime.”
Crockett also wants to reverse Medicaid cuts and end the Iran War. He named rollbacks on rights for women and African Americans, immigration, affordability and housing as other issues hitting the 9th District.
Can any of them beat Griffith?
By the numbers — probably not. But that is not stopping Democrats from trying.
Griffith won his last election by 45 points. He has served eight terms and has never lost an election, according to VPAP.
But before Griffith rode the Tea Party movement in 2010 to an upset victory, Boucher, a Democrat, represented Southwest Virginia for nearly three decades. Before Boucher, Republican Rep. William C. Wampler held the seat for nearly two decades.
“The history of this district is one that makes those generational changes,” Powers said.
It is not easy being a Democrat in the 9th District, Powers said. But she believes there is value in the hard work it takes to campaign. An upset is possible with the right candidate.
“The Democratic party has really invested pennies in telling our story and our message,” Powers said.
Powers called Griffith an example of “legislative apathy.” She said he should do more for the region with his Congressional seniority as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.
“He has a direct line to the president, he has a direct line to [Rep.] Mike Johnson,” Powers said. “He knows how to be an advocate and a voice for this district. What’s interesting is he just won’t.”
Crockett thinks Griffith is too partisan and does not think for himself.
“We just don’t see him, we don’t hear from him,” Crockett said.
Murphy believes people in the 9th District might be more open to Democratic candidates because their pain is so universal.
Murphy recalled a diehard conservative he met in Tazewell whom he swayed to switch sides by talking about how expensive the war in Iran was becoming. The American war effort has cost over $100 billion so far. Griffith voted against the resolution meant to halt the war without the approval of Congress.
“I keep telling people, imagine what one billion of those dollars would have done for Southwest,” Murphy said. “How many hospitals could we have guaranteed to stay open? How many schools could we have kept open? How many homes could we have built? How many more job opportunities can we bring? How much infrastructure could we have improved?”
Griffith’s political director, Jayce Haulik, said Democrats’ claims that Griffith is not present, accessible and hardworking enough are “not accurate.”
“But what else would you expect the Democrats to say?” Haulik said. “The 9th district is 9,113 square miles which is why, I have over 356,000 miles on the car I drive.”
Our Voter Guide has information on all the candidates on the Aug. 4 primary ballot. No matter where you live in Virginia, you can look up your locality and see who is running and how they responded to our issues questionnaire.
