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.
“We are all devastated at the passing of our boss and friend, Congressman Donald McEachin,” Rountree said. “Valiantly, for years now, we have watched him fight and triumph over the secondary effects of his colorectal cancer from 2013. Tonight, he lost that battle, and the people of Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District lost a hero who always, always fought for them and put them first.”
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.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., recalled McEachin on Monday as a “gentle giant, a compassionate champion for underdogs, a climate warrior, a Christian example, an understanding dad, a proud husband, a loyal brother.” saying he first met him in 1985.
Kaine quoted a phrase from the Book of Psalms, “Teach us how short our life is, so that we may become wise,”
