Perriello Mounts Comeback Bid In Virginia's 5th District

By Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury

December 9, 2025

Former Congressman Tom Perriello is jumping back into Virginia politics, announcing Wednesday that he will seek the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District — setting up a serious challenge to U.S. Rep. John McGuire, the Republican incumbent, in a district long viewed as safely red.

Perriello rolled out his campaign in a video posted on X, arguing the district is facing a “crisis of leadership” and accusing McGuire of failing to stand up for constituents during a period of rising costs and political volatility. He framed his run as a fight for working families.

“People are angry and confused, and they have a right to be. Families can’t afford groceries because Republicans in Congress, like John McGuire, won’t stand up to (President Donald) Trump’s tariffs.”

He criticized “tax cuts for huge corporations” and said Washington politicians have ignored the district’s economic pressures, pointing to rural hospital closures, food prices and rising unemployment.

Perriello added that when the federal government “turns our region’s largest employer, the University of Virginia, into a political punching bag, our congressman was nowhere to be seen.”

McGuire did not immediately respond to text messages seeking comment.

But Rick Buchanan, the chairman of the district’s GOP committee, said in a phone interview Tuesday that due to the current political climate and the results of the November elections, “it’s going to be an uphill battle for John.”

Perriello, 51, represented the 5th District from 2009 to 2011 after narrowly defeating longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode by just 727 votes out of more than 317,000 cast.

At the time, the district covered much of Southside Virginia and extended north to Charlottesville. Perriello lost his seat in 2010 to Republican state Sen. Robert Hurt.

Before and after his brief congressional tenure, Perriello carved out a career in diplomacy and advocacy.

He led U.S. Programs at the Open Society Foundations for more than four years and held two senior U.S. State Department roles in the administration of then-President Barack Obama.

From 2015 to 2016, he served as the U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He ran for governor in 2017, losing the Democratic primary to Ralph Northam.

Most recently, Perriello served as U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan beginning in February 2024, overseeing diplomatic efforts aimed at halting civil conflict, supporting civilian leadership and responding to famine and mass displacement. He resigned Jan. 18, shortly before Trump’s second inauguration.

In announcing his return to electoral politics, Perriello leaned on his previous work in economic development and health-care reform.

“When you elected me to Congress, I listened,” he said. “I fought to bring down the cost of health care, to expand rural internet access, and to bring good paying jobs into our region, including clean energy jobs.”

He also tied his campaign to a broader argument about political extremism and democratic stability.

“I fought to protect civil rights, public education, and reproductive freedom, and I’ve stood up to corruption, hate, and authoritarianism at home and abroad,” he said, adding, “I will always defend our communities and our Constitution.”

The 5th District, which currently includes Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and a wide sweep of rural counties stretching to the Richmond suburbs and the North Carolina line, has been reliably Republican for more than a decade. Republicans have held a consistent advantage under the congressional map implemented by court-appointed special masters in 2021.

But the political landscape could shift with Virginia Democrats advancing a constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly — rather than the current bipartisan redistricting commission — to draw future congressional and legislative maps mid-decade.

If passed again in 2026 and if approved by voters, the amendment would give lawmakers authority to craft boundaries more favorable to their party. Democrats have made no secret of their goals, intending to use a new map to strengthen their hold on competitive regions and potentially create a 10-1 Democratic-leaning congressional map if political conditions allow.

David Richards, a political science professor at the University of Lynchburg, said Perriello’s decision to run suggests Democrats see an opening.

“I see Tom Perriello’s entry into this race as a sign that there is blood in the water,” Richards said, arguing that McGuire heads into 2026 in a more precarious position than many assume.

He pointed to several factors, including the district’s partisan makeup and shifting political winds.

“The 5th District is the least Republican of the western House districts,” he said, noting that McGuire’s 2024 win was aided by Trump performing better in Virginia than he did four years earlier. Richards said that if Democrats experience “a large swing,” similar to the shift seen in Tennessee’s recent special elections, McGuire “might lose.”

He also noted that McGuire could face a primary challenge from former U.S. Rep. Bob Good, who has not ruled out attempting to reclaim his old seat.

“If Good and McGuire duke it out, it could weaken the GOP enough that, coupled with a blue wave and Perriello being a known quantity in the district, it might give Democrats a win,” he said.

But Richards cautioned that the race remains fluid, with Democrats pushing the constitutional amendment that could reshape the political map, “which could upset any of these races,” he said.

If Democrats succeed in creating what he called “some sort of ‘super district’ in Western Virginia,” he said Republican incumbents John McGuire, Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith could be forced into the same district. In that scenario, Perriello “sets himself up for one of the new, more Democratic leaning districts around Albemarle County or in Southside that might be created.”

“Either way,” Richards said, “Perriello is positioning himself to be a threat in 2026.”

For now, Perriello enters a race where Democrats remain underdogs.

McGuire, a former Navy SEAL and state legislator from Goochland County, won the seat last cycle after defeating Good in a contentious Republican primary. The district supported Trump by wide margins in both 2016 and 2020, and GOP turnout remained strong in 2024.

But Perriello, who has kept ties in progressive organizing circles and foreign-policy networks, believes he can rekindle the coalition that propelled his 2008 upset.

In his announcement, he framed his run as a grassroots effort focused on economic fairness and political accountability.

“Together, we’re going to fight for this district, we’re going to win back this seat, and we’re gonna bring the people’s voice back to Congress,” he said.

This story was originally published by the Virginia Mercury. For more stories from the Virginia Mercury, visit VirginiaMercury.com.