American politician
Salam "Sam" Rasoul (born June 30, 1981) is an American politician serving as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 38th district.[ 1] He is one of the two Muslim members of the Virginia General Assembly .[ 1] In November 2020, Rasoul announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2021 .[ 2] Despite a significant fundraising advantage,[ 3] Rasoul placed 2nd in the Democratic primary losing to Hala Ayala by a 64,352 votes.[ 4]
Early life and education
Rasoul was born in Warren, Ohio in 1981, the son of Palestinian immigrants.[ 5] He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Roanoke College and a Master of Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific University .[ 6]
Career
Rasoul first ran for elected office in 2008 when he challenged incumbent Republican Bob Goodlatte for Virginia's 6th Congressional seat . He lost to Goodlatte by 25 percentage points in the heavily Republican district.[ 7]
Rasoul was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in a special election held on January 7, 2014. The special election was held to fill the vacancy created by the November 2013 resignation of Delegate Onzlee Ware .[ 8] After winning the Democratic primary by 44 votes, Rasoul received nearly 70% of the vote over his Republican opponent Octavia Johnson in the general election.[ 9] He was inducted into office on January 8, 2014.[ 10]
Rasoul is a member of the Legislative Black Caucus and the Rural Caucus in the House of Delegates.[ 11]
He was a candidate in the 2021 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election .[ 11] Rasoul lost to Hala Ayala . If nominated, he would've been the first Muslim candidate to run statewide anywhere in the South and the first Virginia statewide nominee from Roanoke since Ray Garland , who ran for U.S. Senate in 1971.[ 12]
Personal life
Rasoul and his wife, Layaly, have three children.[ 13]
Electoral history
References
^ a b "Richmond Sunlight » Delegate Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke)" . www.richmondsunlight.com . Retrieved November 30, 2015 .
^ WDBJ, Sarah Irby |. "Delegate Sam Rasoul announces run for lieutenant governor" . www.nbc12.com . Retrieved 2020-12-12 .
^ Times-Dispatch, ANDREW CAIN Richmond. "Rasoul tops fundraising for lieutenant governor" . Richmond Times-Dispatch . Retrieved 2021-06-09 .
^ "DDHQ Election Results" . results.decisiondeskhq.com . Retrieved 2021-06-09 .
^ "ColorsVA" . colorsva.pub . Retrieved November 30, 2015 .
^ "VA Del. Sam Rasoul" . Millennial Action Project . Retrieved 2021-05-10 .
^ "House clerks's office" (PDF) .
^ Yoon, Erica (January 8, 2014). "Sam Rasoul easily takes Roanoke House of Delegates seat" . The Roanoke Times . Retrieved January 8, 2014 .
^ Ballhous, Rebecca (January 8, 2014). "Special Election in Virginia: Another Cliffhanger" . The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved January 8, 2014 .
^ Sluss, Michael (January 8, 2014). "Rasoul goes to work in Richmond" . The Roanoke Times . Retrieved January 8, 2014 .
^ a b Vozzella, Laura. "Virginia's crowded race for lieutenant governor draws its 10th candidate" . Washington Post . ISSN 0190-8286 . Retrieved 2020-10-21 .
^ "Editorial: Rasoul could make history in more ways than one" . Roanoke Times . Retrieved 2021-05-11 .
^ "The Voter's Self Defense System" . Project Vote Smart . Retrieved November 30, 2015 .
^ "2008 U.S. House General Election" . Retrieved June 19, 2024 .
^ a b "Candidate Profile - Sam Rasoul" . Retrieved April 22, 2017 .
^ "2017 November General" . Retrieved Jul 31, 2019 .
^ "Virginia Election Results: November 5, 2019" .
^ "2021 November General" . results.elections.virginia.gov . Retrieved 2021-11-16 .
External links