Donald McEachin
Donald McEachin | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 4th district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Randy Forbes |
Member of the Virginia Senate from the 9th district | |
In office January 9, 2008 – January 3, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Benjamin Lambert |
Succeeded by | Jennifer McClellan |
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 74th district | |
In office January 11, 2006 – January 9, 2008 | |
Preceded by | Floyd Miles |
Succeeded by | Joe Morrissey |
In office January 10, 1996 – January 9, 2002 | |
Preceded by | Robert Ball |
Succeeded by | Floyd Miles |
Personal details | |
Born | Aston Donald McEachin October 10, 1961 Nuremberg, West Germany (now Germany) |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Colette McEachin (m. 1986) |
Children | 3 |
Education | American University (B.A.) University of Virginia (J.D.) Virginia Union University (MDiv.) |
Website | House website |
Aston Donald McEachin /məˈkiːtʃən/ (born October 10, 1961) is an American politician and lawyer who is the U.S. Representative from Virginia's 4th congressional district. The district is based in the state capital, Richmond, and includes most of the area between Richmond and Hampton Roads.
A Democrat, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates 1996–2002 and 2006–2008. From 2008 to 2017, he served in the Senate of Virginia, representing the 9th district, made up of Charles City County, plus parts of Henrico County and the city of Richmond.[update][1][2] McEachin ran for Congress for the open seat of Virginia's 4th congressional district vacated by Republican Randy Forbes in 2016 and won the general election with 57.3% of the votes.[3] In 2001, he was the Democratic Party's nominee for Attorney General of Virginia, but he lost the election to Jerry Kilgore.
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Early life, education, business career[edit]
McEachin was born in Nuremberg, Germany while his father was serving in the United States Army. He attended St. Christopher's School in Richmond. In 1982, he received a B.S. degree in political history from American University. After that, he attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where he received a J.D. in 1986. He also received a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Virginia Union University in 2008.[1]
He began to practice law in Richmond after completing law school, eventually becoming a partner in his own firm, McEachin and Gee.[4]
Political career[edit]
McEachin was first elected to the House of Delegates from the 74th district in 1995. After three terms there, he ran for Attorney General of Virginia in 2001. He won a four-way Democratic primary with 33.6% of the vote,[5] but lost the general election to Republican nominee Jerry Kilgore by 20 percentage points.[6]
In 2005 he ran again for the 74th House district, defeating his predecessor, Floyd Miles, by 44 votes in the Democratic primary,[7] and winning the general election with 75% of the vote.[8]
In 2007, McEachin ran for the state Senate, challenging 9th District incumbent Benjamin Lambert, who drew criticism within the Democratic Party for his endorsement of Republican United States Senator George Allen in Allen's unsuccessful 2006 reelection campaign against Jim Webb.[9] After defeating Lambert 58%-42% in the primary,[10] McEachin won 81% of the vote against independent Silver Persinger in the general election.[11] He held the seat once held by future Governor L. Douglas Wilder.
He was unopposed for reelection in 2011.[12]
Midway through his third term in the state senate, McEachin got an opportunity to transfer to federal politics. A federal court threw out Virginia's original congressional map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. A new map saw all of Petersburg and most of the majority-black precincts in Henrico County shifted from the 3rd District to the 4th District. The 4th also picked up all of Richmond, which had previously been split between the 3rd and 7th Districts. The 4th had been represented by Republican Randy Forbes since a 2001 special election, but the addition of these majority-black areas turned the 4th from a Republican-leaning swing district into a heavily Democratic district. Rather than face certain defeat in the redrawn 4th, Forbes made an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination in the neighboring 2nd District. McEachin, whose then-home in unincorporated Henrico County lay just outside the redrawn 4th's boundaries, defeated Chesapeake City Councilwoman Ella Ward for the Democratic nomination. He then handily defeated Republican Henrico County Sheriff Mike Wade in the general election for the 4th District.
In December 2019, McEachin received national media attention after suggesting Virginia Governor Ralph Northam use the Virginia National Guard to enforce gun control laws in the state.[13]
McEachin is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.[14]
Committee assignments[edit]
Personal life[edit]
As of 2019, his wife Colette was interim Commonwealth's Attorney for Richmond and won the Democratic nomination on August 10, 2019 to run for the office in a special election to be held in November 2019 to fill the unexpired current term, which ends in 2021. [15] They have three children.[4] Since 2017, the McEachins live in Richmond.
On August 25, 2015, Senator McEachin's name was found on the list of users of the Ashley Madison website.[16] McEachin's response to the revelation was "At this time, this is a personal issue between my family and me. I will have no further statement on this issue.”[17]
In 2018, McEachin revealed that he had developed a fistula after completing treatment for rectal cancer in 2014, losing more than 60 pounds as a result. McEachin stated that he expected to fully recover from the condition.[18]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Senator A. Donald McEachin; Democrat-District 9". Senate of Virginia. Archived from the original on 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^ "Virginia House of Delegates; Session 2007; McEachin, A. Donald (Donald)". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^ The New York Times (2016-11-09). "Virginia U.S. House 4th District Results: Donald McEachin Wins".
- ^ a b "Donald McEachin". Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^ "Commonwealth of Virginia; June 12, 2001 - Primary Election". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on February 21, 2007. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ^ "Virginia Election Results". Washington Post. 2001-11-06.
- ^ "Commonwealth of Virginia; June 14, 2005 - Primary Election". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^ "Commonwealth of Virginia; November 8, 2005 - General Election". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^ "Allen endorsement dogs Lambert's re-election bid". The Washington Times. 2007-06-09. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ^ "2007 June Democratic Primary Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ^ "November 6, 2007 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^ "November 2011 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^ "Virginia State Representative Suggests National Guard Be Called To Force Enforcement of New Gun Legislation". Retrieved 2019-12-30.
- ^ "Membership". Congressional Black Caucus. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
- ^ "Colette McEachin wins Democratic nomination for Richmond commonwealth's attorney data". Retrieved 2019-08-11.
- ^ "Legislators' names appear in hacked Ashley Madison data". Retrieved 2015-08-27.
- ^ "McEachin on link to Ashley Madison: 'This is a personal issue'". WTVR.com. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
- ^ Martz, Michael. "Slimmed-down McEachin dealing with non-life-threatening medical condition". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
External links[edit]
- Congressman A. Donald McEachin official U.S. House website
- Campaign website
- Donald McEachin at Curlie
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- "Don McEachin". Virginia Public Access Project.
- "Senator Don McEachin (D-Richmond)". Richmond Sunlight.
Virginia House of Delegates | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Robert Ball |
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 74th district 1996–2002 |
Succeeded by Floyd Miles |
Preceded by Floyd Miles |
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 74th district 2006–2008 |
Succeeded by Joseph D. Morrissey |
Senate of Virginia | ||
Preceded by Benjamin Lambert |
Member of the Virginia Senate from the 9th district 2008–2017 |
Succeeded by Jennifer McClellan |
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
Preceded by Brian Mast |
United States Representatives by seniority 319th |
Succeeded by Paul Mitchell |
- 1961 births
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 20th-century American politicians
- 21st-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American politicians
- African-American members of the United States House of Representatives
- African-American state legislators in Virginia
- American social democrats
- American University alumni
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
- Members of the Virginia House of Delegates
- People from Henrico County, Virginia
- People from Nuremberg
- University of Virginia School of Law alumni
- Virginia Democrats
- Virginia lawyers
- Virginia state senators
- Virginia Union University alumni