Congressman Donald McEachin of Virginia passes away at 61

• First elected to Congress in 2016, McEachin was a Democrat who served a district that extended from Richmond to the North Carolina border.
• McEachin received a colorectal cancer diagnosis in 2013, according to a statement released on Monday by Tara Rountree, his chief of staff.
• Rep. Donald McEachin, a Virginia Democrat who was just elected to a fourth term in office, passed away on Monday after battling cancer for almost ten years. He was 61.

Rep. Donald McEachin, a Virginia Democrat who was just elected to a fourth term in office, passed away on Monday after battling cancer for almost ten years. He was 61.

McEachin received a colorectal cancer diagnosis in 2013, according to a statement released on Monday by Tara Rountree, his chief of staff.

Congressman Donald McEachin passed away, and we are all heartbroken about it, Rountree added. “For years, we have watched him valiantly battle and overcome the side effects of his colon cancer diagnosis in 2013. He lost his struggle tonight, and the residents of Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District lost a hero who constantly stood up for them and prioritised their needs.

McEachin passed away at a time when legislators from both parties are anticipated to rely on winning as many votes as they can in the upcoming Congress, when Republicans will hold a tenuous hold on the House.

McEachin belonged to the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, and the Natural Resources Committee at the time of his passing.

Richmond, Chesapeake, and Hampton Roads were all included in the district he served. He practised law and served as a state legislator prior to his 2016 election as the nation’s representative.

By over 30 percentage points, he won re-election in November, highlighting the district’s Democratic leanings.

According to a biography written by the University of Virginia, where McEachin received his law degree in 1986, he was an Army brat who spent his early years in Europe before his family relocated to Richmond when he was in the third grade.

In 2008, McEachin graduated with a master of divinity from Virginia Union University.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., recalled McEachin on Monday as a “gentle giant, a compassionate advocate for underdogs, a climate warrior, a Christian example, an understanding dad, a proud husband, and a devoted brother,” saying he first met him in 1985.

Kaine quoted a phrase from the Book of Psalms, “Teach us how brief our life is, that we may become wise,”

Also Read

Missouri death: Court’s denial of racial bias claim

Black man Kevin Johnson was found guilty of killing a Missouri police...