Congressman Donald McEachin, D-Va., died last night following a years-long battle with colorectal cancer.
McEachin, 61, received his cancer diagnosis in 2013. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016 to serve the people of Virginia’s 4th Congressional District.
Following McEachin’s death, the seat will remain vacant until a special election is held to choose his replacement.
The news means the next session of Congress will have 434 members. California Rep. Kevin McCarthy needs 218 of them to be the next speaker.
Fox News reports:
McEachin was first elected to Congress in 2016, serving Virginia’s 4th District. He was re-elected to the House for a fourth term earlier this month. The congressman’s chief of staff, Tara Rountree, released a statement Monday night announcing McEachin’s passing.
https://twitter.com/RepMcEachin/status/1597430067260698624?s=20&t=HePQv03EOI8NjlbS0MS0sw
Mediaite adds:
McEachin easily fended off his Republican challenger Leon Benjamin Sr. to keep Virginia’s 4th congressional district in Democratic hands earlier this month. McEachin was first elected to the House in 2016 and he twice voted to impeach former President Donald Trump.
The 4th District covers most of Southeastern Virginia outside of the most densely populated part of Hampton Roads and has an undeniable Democratic lean. In the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election, Democrat Terry McAuliffe defeated Republican Glenn Youngkin here by 55.9% to 42.6%.