From the Mike Pruitt for Congress campaign; lots of moves right now by candidates (e.g., Wendy Gooditis this morning), given the potential for completely new US House maps, etc. Also note, according to VPAP, that leaves just two other Democrats – Suzanne Krzyzanowski and Rob Tracinski – in this race. The current Congressman is far-right-Republican John McGuire, but McGuire would be in deep trouble if the new VA05 comes to pass, as it would be a D+8.7 district. If not, then McGuire would be tough to beat…as it’s currently a solidly red seat.
MIKE PRUITT RELEASES STATEMENT ENDING CAMPAIGN, ENDORSING TOM PERRIELLO
SCOTTSVILLE, VA – Navy Veteran, civil rights attorney, Albemarle County Supervisor, and Congressional candidate Mike Pruitt, released the following statement:
“I got into this fight because a broken Washington is failing blue collar, rural communities like the one I grew up in. Working people from South Boston to Batesville are mad, and that’s a fire I ran to sing across this district, because it burns in me too.
I know what it’s like to have a parent laid off after 40 years on the factory floor, to watch friends and family struggle in a dead-end town, and to dare to hope for something better. When I was 17, I went back into the closet to serve in our military, and put my life on the line to fight for the America that I believe in.
As I’ve traveled throughout rural Virginia the past 7 months, I’ve talked to folks who see opportunities for jobs or for housing stuffed deeper and deeper behind tiers of online portals, algorithmic filters, and applicant fees that churn out faceless denials and keep families from thriving. They see their children’s self-esteem destroyed and their attention spans fried while Silicon Valley titans figure out how to shape their insecurities into new opportunities to sell products.
We deserve better than politicians like John McGuire who let corporations turn our lives into profit while our communities pay the price.
I’m a fighter. I joined this race knowing I’d face a hard, uphill battle. But with the newly publicized district maps, I now know that such a fight will do more harm than good. Just as I know Tom Perriello will put in the work to stand up for rural, working Virginians in Congress. Today I am ending my campaign and announcing that I will support him in that effort. I will also independently continue to advocate for the communities that both parties have left behind.
I want to thank everyone who believes in our campaign’s vision for a stronger, more just America. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together. We built record breaking grassroots momentum and outraised an incumbent with 90% of contributions under $100. We raised over $450,000 from over 7,500 donors in all 50 states. We visited 19 localities and had over 500 people sign up to volunteer.
I will keep fighting to put a check on corporate power that aims to take every part of our human experience and turn it into a buck. I will keep fighting to invest in our rural, working class communities. I will keep fighting to make hope a strength, not a liability, for families like mine.”
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