Ronnie Campbell, a Waynesboro native and Stuarts Draft High School alum who represented the 24th District in the Virginia House of Delegates, has passed away after a long battle with cancer, according to a statement from his family.
“Del. Campbell was a husband, father, grandfather, and friend,” the family said in the statement. “From his time in the Virginia State Police to his time in the House of Delegates, Ronnie served with honor and relentlessly fought for the best interests of others.
“While he is no longer with us, he will live on in the hearts and minds of everyone touched by him.”
Campbell, 68, a Republican, served on the Rockbridge County School Board and the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors.
He was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2018 in a special election to fill the unexpired term of Ben Cline, after Cline’s election to the Sixth District seat in Congress.
He was then elected to full terms in 2019 and 2021.
Before his second re-election in November 2021, Campbell was one of three House members who signed a Jan. 5, 2021, letter to Mike Pence asking the then-VP to throw out Virginia’s election results.
The letter, also signed by Republicans Dave LaRock and Mark Cole, alleged “massive voter fraud and election fraud,” and requested that “the date of this joint session of Congress be deferred until the completion of the forensic audit of the election.”
“Should you, as Vice President, announce a winner based on a tally of unconstitutionally and fraudulently elected Presidential Electors, it would create a rent in the fabric of the nation. Our Country is based on the consent of the governed, and if half of the country were to believe that their votes no longer matter, we fear for the consequences for the union,” the letter concluded.
Then-House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, a Democrat, stripped each of the three of a committee assignment in the aftermath, a spokesperson saying that they had showed “exceedingly poor judgement and conducted themselves in a manner unbecoming of their office.”
Campbell was removed from the House Courts of Justice Committee by Filler-Corn, but he was returned to the committee after Republicans regained majority control of the chamber in the 2021 elections.
The 24th District seat that Campbell held represents Rockbridge County, Bath County, portions of Amherst County and Augusta County, and the cities of Lexington and Buena Vista in the House of Delegates.
The December 2021 state redistricting drew Campbell’s district into a district with the current 20th House District delegate, former Staunton mayor John Avoli.
That newly-drawn district will be the one up for vote in the 2023 election cycle.
In the meantime, Gov. Glenn Youngkin will have to call a special election to have a representative for the 24th House District for the 2023 Virginia General Assembly session.
“Suzanne and I are saddened to learn of Del. Campbell’s passing,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Ronnie served the Commonwealth he loved in so many ways: as a state trooper for over two decades, on the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors and School Board, and in the House of Delegates. He cared deeply about his community, the Commonwealth, law enforcement, and above all his wife, Ellen, and their family. Suzanne and I are praying for the entire Campbell family during this difficult time.”
Cline, who won re-election to the Sixth District seat in Congress last month, also issued a statement on Campbell’s passing.
“Ronnie served our community and Commonwealth with dedication and distinction,” said Cline, who on Jan. 6, 2021, a day after Campbell signed onto the letter to Pence alleging election fraud, voted in the U.S. House to decertify election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania. “He made a career in law enforcement with the Virginia State Police, serving both in northern Virginia and in Rockbridge County. He pursued higher education and spent time as a contractor, giving him added insights into the impact government regulations can have on small businesses.
“Ronnie was driven to serve both his Rockbridge community and his home county of Augusta. He represented constituents as a member of the Rockbridge County School Board and as a member of the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors. His repeated successful runs for local office led to his election to the Virginia House of Delegates representing the 24th House District. Ronnie spent countless hours devoted to public service.
“We shared the privilege of representing the 24th House District, and he will long be remembered by the people of the District. Elizabeth and I are praying for the Campbell family during this difficult time,” Cline said.
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Chris Graham
