Virginia Rep. Don McEachin dies at 61 - USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Virginia Rep. Donald McEachin, a lawyer turned authorities legislator turned U.S. congressman who fought for issues ranging from the situation to the renaming of Fort Lee, died Monday nighttime of complications from colorectal crab conscionable 3 weeks aft being re-elected to a 4th word connected Capitol Hill. He was 61.

McEachin's bureau announced his decease successful an email soon aft 10 p.m. Monday, saying the Fourth Congressional District "lost a leader who always, ever fought for them and enactment them first." The connection did not bespeak precisely erstwhile oregon wherever McEachin died.

“We are each devastated astatine the passing of our brag and friend, Congressman Donald McEachin," spokesperson Tara Rountree said successful the email. "Valiantly, for years now, we person watched him combat and triumph implicit the secondary effects of his colorectal crab from 2013. Tonight, helium mislaid that battle, and the radical of Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District mislaid a leader who always, ever fought for them and enactment them first."

Rountree said the bureau volition stay unfastened and proceed to service constituents "until a caller typical is elected."

McEachin had battled a bid of wellness issues implicit the years, astir importantly the colorectal cancer. Always a gangly and burly man, McEachin's value nonaccomplishment arsenic a effect of his wellness was rather noticeable, but helium did not fto wellness setbacks halt him.

Tributes from colleagues began to determination successful upon the news. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, who shared a statewide Democratic summons with McEachin and now-Sen. Mark Warner successful 2001, said helium met McEachin successful 1985 "and we became accelerated friends."

"Our kids were the aforesaid age, we shared a statewide summons with Mark Warner, and we’ve been unneurotic successful the Virginia national delegation for years," Kaine said successful a connection released by his office. He called his person "a gentle giant, a compassionate champion for underdogs, a clime warrior, a Christian example, an knowing dad, a arrogant husband, a loyal brother."

Warner, who won the Virginia governorship and yet was elected to the U.S. Senate, besides praised McEachin for his work and his friendship.

“Up until the precise end, Don was a fighter," Warner said successful a statement. "Even though helium battled crab and faced different trials successful caller years, helium ne'er mislaid his absorption connected societal and biology justice. Tonight, Virginia has mislaid a large person and I person mislaid a large friend.”

McEachin is the 4th Virginia legislature typical to dice successful bureau since 2000. The past was Republican Rep. Jo Ann Davis of Gloucester successful the state's 1st District, who passed distant of crab successful 2007 astatine the property of 57.

Rep. Herbert Bateman, a Republican from Newport News, died astatine 72 successful 2000. The pursuing year, Democratic Rep. Norman Sisisky, who similar McEachin represented the Tri-City country connected Capitol Hill, died of lung crab astatine 71.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin is expected to denote arsenic soon arsenic Tuesday a day for the peculiar predetermination to capable McEachin's term. That predetermination is expected sometime adjacent January.

In a tweet, Youngkin said it's "so sad" to perceive of McEachin's death.

"A valiant combatant until the end, helium admirably served Virginia & worked tirelessly to amended the lives of his constituents & Americans," Youngkin tweeted. "Suzanne & I are reasoning of his family, friends, & assemblage during this hard time."

The Virginia Democratic enactment called McEachin "a dependable of reason."

“A idiosyncratic of faith, Donald embodied the explanation of service. He had a benignant and generous heart; and for truthful galore people, helium was a dependable of reason, and a antheral who listened to you, ever showing compassion and care," the enactment said successful a connection Monday night. "He was affluent successful the lone mode that genuinely matters, with an abundance of friends and allies who loved and respected him. We could ever number connected him to springiness dependable proposal and guidance. His dependable volition beryllium profoundly missed."

Re-elected earlier this month

McEachin's decease comes 20 days aft helium defeated Republican Leon Benjamin successful a rematch of the 2020 election. Benjamin, intimately aligned with erstwhile President Donald Trump, ne'er ceded the predetermination to McEachin, repeating an unfounded Trump taxable of rigged votes to favour Democrats.

Because of that, McEachin refused to statement Benjamin successful the runup to this year's election. In an interrogation with The Progress-Index days earlier the Nov. 8 election, McEachin explained wherefore helium would not look disconnected with him.

"My hostile is an predetermination denier," McEachin said successful that interview. "He makes facts up to prosecute his narrative."

Just arsenic helium did successful 2020, McEachin defeated Benjamin with 61% of the ballot Nov. 8 crossed the 4th District, which stretches from Richmond southbound to the authorities line.

McEachin went to Washington from years astatine the authorities Capitol successful Richmond, wherever helium served successful some the House of Delegates and the authorities Senate. He was archetypal elected to Congress successful 2016 and subsequently re-elected successful 2018 and 2020.

In Washington, McEachin was regarded arsenic a loyal protagonist of Capitol Hill Democrats who often lent his sanction to authorities involving biology issues. But helium besides fought for national backing for projects wrong the 4th District, and earlier this year, helium was palmy successful getting $3.3 cardinal successful Community Project Funding for 2 projects successful Petersburg — $2.4 cardinal for improvements to the Poor Creek wastewater presumption successful southbound Petersburg; and $900,000 to regenerate diesel buses with electrical ones successful the Petersburg nationalist schoolhouse system.

This year, each 10 of the CPF requests connected his privation database for the 4th District were included.

In 1 of the past statements issued by his office, connected Nov. 17, McEachin praised outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, for her clip astatine the podium. McEachin said helium was "grateful" to Pelosi for helping him modulation from Richmond to Washington.

"I convey Speaker Pelosi for her vision, fortitude, and committedness to the American people," the connection read. "It has been an grant to service nether her enactment and to assistance beforehand large legislative policies to amended the lives of Americans and fortify our nation.”

Early beingness and politics

Born into a subject household successful Germany successful 1961, Aston Donald McEachin attended St. Christopher's School successful Richmond. In 1982, helium graduated from American University successful Washington, D.C. with a grade successful governmental history. He got his instrumentality grade from the University of Virginia successful 1986, and 12 years later, helium earned a master's successful divinity from Virginia Union University.

He co-founded the McEachin & Gee instrumentality steadfast successful Richmond.

In 1995, McEachin won his archetypal predetermination to the House of Delegates from Richmond. While a delegate, McEachin was chosen arsenic the Democratic campaigner for lawyer wide successful 2001 alongside Warner arsenic politician and Kaine arsenic lieutenant governor. He mislaid the November predetermination to Republican Jerry Kilgore.

In 2007, McEachin eyed a determination to the authorities Senate. In the Democratic superior that year, helium defeated longtime incumbent Sen. Bennie Lambert, who drew disapproval for supporting then-Sen. George Allen, a Republican, successful his losing re-election bid to Democrat Jim Webb. He went connected to triumph the authorities Senate spot with 81% of the ballot — the aforesaid spot erstwhile held by Douglas Wilder who went connected to go the archetypal Black politician successful Virginia and the archetypal politician of colour successful the federation astatine the time.

Fort Lee's caller name

But it was his propulsion to alteration the sanction of Fort Lee that apt cemented his governmental bequest successful the area.

In 2020, Congress passed a defence authorization fund that called for the renaming of 10 Army posts passim the South whose existent names honored Confederate warfare heroes. Three of them were successful Virginia, including Fort Lee successful Prince George County.

Early successful the discussions astir caller names, McEachin ardently pushed for Fort Lee to beryllium renamed aft retired Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg, astatine 1 clip the highest-ranked subject serviceman of colour successful the United States. Gregg began his subject vocation astatine the then-segregated Fort Lee and aboriginal was regarded arsenic a starring adept successful Army logistics, including the Quartermaster work truthful salient astatine Fort Lee.

On May 24, the Defense Department's Naming Commission announced that Fort Lee would beryllium named Fort Gregg-Adams successful grant of Gregg and successful representation of Charity Adams, the archetypal Black pistillate successful the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and the commandant of the archetypal World War II battalion with Black women arsenic its lone members.

In the interrogation days earlier the election, McEachin said helium did not spot the station renaming arsenic a arrogant governmental accomplishment but alternatively a idiosyncratic one. Gregg was a adjacent person of McEachin's father, and the congressman said helium grew to emotion and respect Gregg arsenic well.

"Gregg was a antheral I grew up with," McEachin said. "I don't cognize if I tin fertile it due to the fact that it's truthful affectional to me."

Fort Gregg-Adams was not the lone naming grant McEachin pushed for and obtained. He besides got Congress to o.k. naming the U.S. Post Office subdivision successful downtown Hopewell aft the precocious civil-rights icon Dr. Curtis Harris, a erstwhile Hopewell mayor.

McEachin's bureau said ceremonial arrangements volition beryllium announced "over the adjacent fewer days." In the meantime, Rountree said the household "asks for privacy."

McEachin is survived by his wife, Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Colette McEachin, and their 3 children.