Former Rep. Tom Perriello told a rally in Charlottesville that Democrats “have an opportunity for this to be the first election of the post-Trump era.” He vowed that if voters send him back to Washington, he will work to “box in Donald Trump.”
The Democrat is facing off against Rep. John McGuire in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. McGuire is finishing his first term after ousting fellow Republican Bob Good in a June 2024 primary. “Congress needs to pull back its spending power,” Perriello said, adding that McGuire has said that today’s higher gas prices don’t have anything to do with the Iran war.
The challenger also criticized McGuire’s vote for Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill last year, which Perriello said led to the closure of healthcare facilities in the district. “We’ve seen three clinics close in Augusta County,” he said, noting that patients thus face much longer and more expensive ambulance rides when they need emergency care. He also vowed to rein in Trump’s tariff regime. “We need to end this trade war that Donald Trump doesn’t know how to fight. I fight for smart tariffs,” Perriello said, “but I oppose stupid tariffs.”
The Daily Signal reached out to McGuire’s campaign for comment, but didn’t hear back.
Perriello was elected to Congress in 2008 and served a single term. He told the rally that he isn’t trying to win a congressional lapel pin this year: “I already have one.” He also noted that when he was sworn in, President-elect Barack Obama told lawmakers to pass a stimulus act he could sign as soon as he was sworn in. Perriello said Democrats in Congress did exactly that. “We defy the idea of a red team and a blue team,” Perriello said, and aim to “get back to being a red-white-and-blue team.”
Before Perriello took the microphone, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told the crowd that “this race matters to all of us. This is where the fight is. These are the battle lines.” Moore is expected to win reelection next month and may be considering a run for national office in 2028. “We will work with anyone, but bow to no one,” he added.
Rep. Jennifer McClellan warned the rally-goers that “the future of our country hinges on who wins the majority in the House” this year. McClellan is cruising to reelection in the safely Democratic 4th District, which stretches from Richmond south to the North Carolina border.
Perriello faces a tighter contest than McClellan. McGuire leads Perriello 51% to 45% among likely voters in the latest Washington Post-George Mason University Schar School poll.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
