U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, will duke it out at the ballot box this November with Democrat Joy Powers, a fourth-generation cattle farmer from Bedford County, to represent Virginia’s 9th Congressional District, which covers the vast majority of Southwest Virginia.
While Powers has blamed rising costs on Griffith’s party and attacked him, saying he has been unavailable to his constituents, Griffith is running on his record of protecting “conservative family values.”
The district has been reliably Republican since 2010, when Griffith ousted former Democratic Rep. Rick Boucher, who had held the seat for 28 years. Now, Griffith is asking voters to give him his ninth term in the “Fightin’ Ninth.”
What Griffith has been up to lately in Washington
Lightning round: Data centers, immigration and Israel
Griffith has refused to debate Powers because the people “know where he stands,” as previously reported by Cardinal News. So here’s how a hypothetical one might go:
Data Centers:
- Griffith said “we need data centers somewhere” if America is going to compete with China. He wants to pass a “Ratepayer Protection Act” because “they should not have to pay because AI data centers need a new substation or powerline built.”
- Powers does not want to see data centers extract resources, send profits elsewhere and leave the region with “sickness,” “fouled water” and “empty towns” the same way she claims coal companies did for generations. Her policy states developers must not do the same in order for data centers to be a “good deal” for the region.
Immigration:
- Griffith recently introduced a bill to limit birthright citizenship in U.S. territories. He supports “securing our border” and cracking down on illegal immigration, which he believes grew out of control under the Biden administration.
- Powers said Griffith’s recent bill does “not do a single thing to help a single family in this district.”
Israel:
- Griffith voted in the past to send more military aid to Israel. He has generally been a staunch supporter of the American ally in its war against Hamas.
- Powers has said she does not take orders from AIPAC and the pro-Israel lobby. “I do not think American families should keep paying for what Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is doing,” she said, arguing the billions of dollars in aid could be going toward helping Americans with groceries and healthcare.
“[Our message] is the same,” Griffith told Cardinal News, calling from his car parked outside Capitol Hill. “I’m gonna work hard. I’m gonna be out there fighting for conservative values, working for the people of this district and trying to ensure rural Americans are heard in Washington, D.C.”
One of his top priorities is improving maternal health. Griffith is working to advance the Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act, which would expand grant programs to train OB-GYNs and other healthcare professionals in areas such as Southwest Virginia.
“Some of the ideas that are percolating out there [are] making sure when the baby goes in to have their checkup, mama is getting checked up too,” Griffith said. “But you don’t wait two weeks or six weeks before you see a doctor again. You have contact with your doctor in advance before too much time has passed, because if moms are having postpartum issues, or if the baby’s got an issue, sometimes that’s too late.”
Griffith said he is excited about the possibilities of implementing new technologies such as artificial intelligence into healthcare or even helping mothers get smart rings to track their health.
Powers and other Democrats have sounded the alarm on the threat of hospital closures in rural Virginia due to President Donald Trump and Republicans’ cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Griffith does not buy those warnings, and he argues they have come from Democrat-aligned groups.
“I’ve talked with the hospital administrators. I don’t have a single hospital that’s telling me they’re in danger of closing,” Griffith said.
Griffith said the work he is most proud of during his last 15 years in Congress has been fighting the fentanyl epidemic — particularly passing the bipartisan “Drug Quality and Security Act” to require “checks and balances” on compounding pharmacies.
While Griffith tends to side with Trump — who has hit his lowest approval ratings ever this year — he is not with the president on every issue. Griffith criticized Trump for recently announcing a plan to import foreign beef and subsidize it so the product can be sold 25% below market rate.
“I think that was an error. He’s trying to bring down beef prices. His intent is correct, but it discourages some of our farmers,” Griffith said.
Griffith hopes to work with Trump on keeping American herds up. He said he has met with the president face-to-face about five or six times this year.
Powers criticizes Griffith’s priorities, pushes her own on farming, healthcare
Griffith is enthusiastic about his work in leading the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. He recalled recent meetings with his fellow committee members and nationally-recognized officials such as Dr. Oz and Kellyanne Conway.
While Powers accuses Griffith of falling too much in line with his party, she said she will “put Southwest Virginia’s priorities before the Democratic Party’s.”
Powers is trying to convince conservative voters, using her 40-page policy blueprint she calls the “H.O.M.E. (Healthcare, Opportunity, Market Affordability and Education) Plan,” to address rising costs, a lack of hospitals and everything else affecting the region.
At the front of the self-described “policy nerd’s” plan is creating a long-term food security roadmap to establish stronger industries in America, not abroad.
“Especially as we’re seeing this rapid threat to farmland through industrialization, whether it be through data centers or industrial solar, we need to know exactly how much farmland we need to protect,” Powers told Cardinal News.
Powers’ other pitches include expanding healthcare and addiction treatment and bringing companies to the region that will “actually provide some innovation.”
“Our representative is at the table. He’s an essential architect of healthcare policy in this country. Why does this district have some of the worst healthcare in this country?” Powers said.
Powers thinks the growing affordability crisis has been amplified in the 9th District because it had fewer resources to start with. She accused Griffith of making it worse by voting for Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which has been criticized as making cuts to government services.
“Morgan Griffith can’t be a part of the solution if he won’t acknowledge the problem,” Powers said. “He considers this time we’re in ‘American energy dominance.’ I talked to a farmer yesterday who paid $5.97 for diesel. That’s not energy dominance.”
All in all, Powers feels Griffith’s legislation does not have the people of Southwest Virginia’s best interest in mind.
“I’ve traveled all over the world, and I believe Southwest Virginia is home to some of the best and kindest people in the entire world,” Powers said. “To watch the neglect that is happening … This district has given so much. And for our representative to not just show up, you know, he just does not show up.”
Powers says Griffith isn’t available; he says he is
Griffith has never lost an election, according to VPAP. He won in 2024 by 45 points.
Political analysts have compared 2026 to the conditions of the “blue wave” of 2018 in which Democrats, fueled by outrage against Trump, flipped over 40 House seats.
“A number of years ago, one of the candidates went out and did 100 of their own town halls, and we still got 65% of the vote,” Griffith said, regarding that election.
Powers previously said “the history of this district is one that makes those generational changes,” arguing this year could be the year the seat flips blue — the same way Griffith flipped it red after nearly three decades of Boucher.
She is attempting to get over the line by attacking Griffith for being unavailable. Him refusing to debate only added fuel to that fire. Democrats in other districts are using the same strategy of pushing for debates they know they will not get.
Griffith disputes Powers’ notion that he does not do enough town halls or connect with voters on a regular basis. He said his staff hold traveling office hours in every county at least once a month, and he prefers meeting with voters more spontaneously at fairs and festivals.
“Now, if you want me to show up for your particular meeting, and it happens to be a meeting that’s run by Democrats, I’m not likely to be there,” Griffith said. “Democrats are always complaining. But the voters know that I’m out there working hard for them.”
Check out the Cardinal News 2026 Voter Guide for information on other candidates. No matter where you live in Virginia, you can look up your locality and see who is on your ballot.
