Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin of Virginia dies one month after winning re-election
The representative of the Democratic Party of Virginia Donald McEachin died Monday at the age of 61 due to colorectal cancer, less than a month after being re-elected to the position on November 8 in the midterm elections.
The congressman’s office reported the death, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement describing McEachin as a “tireless fighter” and a “force for economic opportunity and environmental justice.”
McEachin was first elected to the US Congress in 2016 and since then had chained another three consecutive electoral victories (2018, 2020 and 2022).
The district he represents, which includes the city of Richmond, the capital of Virginia, will be vacant for representation until a special election is held on a date proposed by the governor, Republican Glenn Youngkin.
The death of McEachin and what it may take for his replacement to arrive – it could be several months – will not substantially alter the balance of power in the US Lower House, since from January the Republicans will hold the majority.
It is foreseeable that in the special elections the replacement for the deceased congressman will again be a Democratic politician, since the district he represented is strongly progressive, and in the last elections the conservative candidate lost by a margin of about 30 percentage points.
