Beth Macy, the Roanoke-based journalist and author running for the Democratic nomination for Congress in what is now the Sixth District, picked up the keyest of key endorsements – from U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.
“Much of our present political divide stems from a simple fact of human nature – people don’t feel listened to. And when they don’t, they often turn against their leaders and each other. I’ve known Beth for a long time and, while we all admire her pathbreaking writing, I think she might just be Virginia’s best listener. She hears the stories behind the stories, the people behind the headlines and the communities behind the statistics. I’m thrilled she’s running for Congress and pleased to endorse her,” Kaine said in an endorsement posted to social media on Wednesday.
Alrighty, then, we’ve got ourselves something here now.
I’ll note that the graphic that the Macy campaign team put together to hype the endorsement specifically didn’t link either the endorsement or the campaign to the current Sixth District, which makes sense because, we don’t know the name of the district that she’ll be running in next year quite yet.
Democratic state lawmakers are working through their plan to redraw the congressional boundary lines ahead of the 2026 midterms to create as many as four new Democrat districts.
They’ll need to pass a resolution once the General Assembly reconvenes next month, then set and hold (and have the voters pass) a referendum in the spring, ahead of a special legislative session to approve new maps ahead of the June primaries.
Gear up for Republicans to fight the thing like hell, of course, but it will pass.
The current Sixth is almost certain to be redrawn to carve out a leans-Democrat district stretching from the Roanoke-Salem area into Lynchburg, Charlottesville/Albemarle, Waynesboro/Staunton and then Harrisonburg.
Macy, based out west, and then Tom Perriello, who announced on Tuesday that he is running for the Democratic nomination in the current Fifth District, which right now represents Charlottesville/Albemarle, would be a dream team for our part of the state.
ICYMI
Seriously there, both are quite electable, and more important to me, are uber-qualified to do a good job for us in DC.
You’re wondering how Perriello, who lives in Ivy, west of Charlottesville, could run in the Fifth – per the Constitution, actually, you only have to live in Virginia, not specifically the district that you intend to represent.
Ben Cline, John McGuire, it’s been nice knowin’ ya.