The contest for the Democratic nomination in the reconfigured 6th District became clearer Friday, even as the overall political picture became more complicated.
The clear part first: Del. Sam Rasoul of Roanoke, who had said he might run if the constitutional amendment on redistricting passed, announced that he will not be seeking the nomination after all.
“Over the past few months, I have been evaluating the best path forward for me to continue serving our communities as we witness the Trump administration use our taxpayer dollars to fund a genocide abroad and wage an illegal and immoral Middle East war, all while our infrastructure and education systems are left crumbling here at home,” Rasoul said in a statement. “After careful consideration, I have decided that I will not be running for Congress this year so that I can continue focusing on our critical work on the Education Committee as Chairman in the House of Delegates.”
Rasoul said he will “push our congressional candidates” to pursue the policies he supports. “Our congressional leaders must champion Medicare for All, tackle the affordability crisis, and fight for an arms embargo on Israel,” he said.
Rasoul’s announcement clarifies the choice for Democrats in the redrawn district, which stretches from Radford to Charlottesville to Harrisonburg, as one between former Rep. Tom Perriello of Albemarle County and Roanoke author Beth Macy.
There are two other candidates, both of whom live outside the district and have not shown much activity: Henrico County lawyer Hugh Murray and former Tea Party activist Rob Tracinski of Louisa County.
The complication in the race is a New York Times analysis of this week’s redistricting election, which found that a majority of the voters in the new 6th District actually voted “no.” That doesn’t necessarily mean those were Republican voters, but it does underscore that while the new district is intended to be winnable by a Democratic candidate, it’s not a sure thing. The Washington Post reports that the precincts in the new 6th District went for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race by just 3 percentage points.
No Republican incumbent lives in the drawn 6th District. Ben Cline, the Republican who represents the current 6th District, is in the newly configured 9th District — a district now held by fellow Republican Morgan Griffith.
Republicans seem to be waiting for the outcome of the legal challenges to the redistricting process before making formal announcements. The Virginia Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday on the redistricting case, with a ruling expected sometime in May.
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