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“There’s nobody I would trust more to run this campaign, because Lily is dedicated to giving hardworking families across the Blue Ridge a fair shot, and she knows how to win,” said Perriello in a statement. “She knows that families around here deserve more from Congress than jacked up prices and rural healthcare cuts. I know that no one will work harder for our region to get a real voice in Congress.”

Charlottesville’s event also included a number of tables set up by supporters of the redistricting referendum, who urged attendees to vote yes on the amendment, as well as volunteers with local Democratic congressional candidates, drumming up support for  Tom Perriello, Suzanne Kryzanowski and others.

“Tom Perriello is exactly the kind of leader this moment demands,” said Mayor Reed in a release. “He has the experience, the courage, and the progressive values to fight for every family in this district. The people of the Shenandoah Valley, of Charlottesville, of Lynchburg, of Harrisonburg deserve a representative who will show up for them every single day. Tom has been doing that his entire career, and I am proud to stand with him.”

Organized by JMU students and city representatives, the event featured speeches given by Harrisonburg City Mayor Deanna Reed, former District 34 Democratic candidate Andrew Payton, congressional candidate Tom Perriello, Councilwoman Monica Robinson and Harrisonburg-Rockingham NAACP Vice President David Evans, alongside several JMU and EMU students.

Tom Perriello, a Virginia Democrat who was swept from the House in 2010, in large part because of his vote for the Affordable Care Act, is trying for a comeback this year — but far from running away from that vote more than a dozen years ago, he’s embracing it.

“What’s aged politically even better than my support for the A.C.A.,” Mr. Perriello said, “was the fact that I was pushing right to the end for it to be stronger.”

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Tom Perriello stopped in Charlottesville on Sunday, meeting with community members as part of his campaign for Congress.

Perriello said he’s encouraging voters to support the upcoming referendum. He added that one of the biggest concerns he’s hearing from people in Charlottesville is the rising cost of living, from groceries and gas to healthcare and electricity.

The initial results:

Undecided/don’t know 35.38%
Perriello 34.38%
Rasoul 15.47%
Macy 12.59%
Someone else 2.19%

The second thing we see is that, among the candidates, Perriello is the frontrunner. This isn’t surprising to me.

On March 9, Americans for Healthy Families, an advocacy organization that backs paid family and medical leave and other policies it says strengthen the health and economic security of American families, convened a roundtable in Roanoke on the need for paid leave. Three small-business owners and former Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello, who is running for Congress, participated.

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - At a community gathering at Sage Bird Cider Works, local Democrats and health care providers said they are deeply worried about the rising cost of care and what they described as a system tilted in favor of insurance companies rather than patients.

HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — Former Congressman Tom Perriello and several Harrisonburg community members held a roundtable discussion today at Sage Bird Ciderworks to discuss healthcare under the Trump Administration. 

HARRISONBURG, Va. — On Tuesday, March 10 at 11:30 a.m. at Sage Bird Ciderworks, former Congressman Tom Perriello and Harrisonburg community members will join Protect Our Care Virginia to discuss a new report kicking off Protect Our Care’s March Madness campaign, which highlights how Donald Trump and his allies in Congress, including Rep. Ben Cline, are turning their backs on the American people and gutting health care coverage to give the ultra-wealthy another tax break.

Amid clinic closures, projected hospital funding cuts, and millions at risk of losing health insurance, health care issues will put Democrats on the offensive against Republicans. 

“It’s easy to think that the country is polarized, but there is a lot that is uniting people,” Periello said in a recent call. “The hunger for more affordable health care crosses all district lines.”

ROANOKE, Va. — On Friday, March 6 at 11 a.m., former Congressman Tom Perriello will visit Evie’s Bistro and Bakery for an informal roundtable on how a Paid Family and Medical Leave program would benefit women-owned small businesses. 

Tom Perriello discusses why he's running for Virginia's 5th District Congressional Seat.

"The biggest challenge right now is the affordability of the American dream.  We see that with trying to get the healthcare system working for people again, we see it with electric bills that are too high, we see it with just  bad priorities in Washington - corrupt priorities...."

“What I'm most proud of with the Affordable Care Act fight was right up until the last minute of it, I was fighting with [President Barack Obama] for it to be stronger,” Perriello said. “I was fighting for it to have a public option. I was fighting for there to be a Medicare buy for people who are 50 and above. I was fighting for stronger negotiation on prescription drug rates. That should have been the floor of making healthcare more universal and more affordable.”

Tom Perriello knew when he cast his vote for the Affordable Care Act in 2010 that it may very well cost him his job as a freshman congressman.

He did it anyway.

Because it was the right thing to do.

Former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5th, will continue to run for Congress, whether it’s in the existing 5th Congressional District, or the 6th district under a new congressional map proposed by Democrats in Richmond.

Tom Perriello: 100+ Hours of Town Halls

John McGuire: Zero Town Halls

In case you missed it, the Daily Progress on Thursday reported that “many constituents” across the current 5th Congressional District have said that U.S. Rep. John McGuire is “especially weak this election cycle because of his refusal to host public events and engage with the community.”

Full Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, Full Charlottesville City Council and Commonwealth’s Attorneys Endorse Tom Perriello’s Congressional Bid

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Former Congressman Tom Perriello today welcomed the consolidated support of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, Charlottesville City Council, and both Albemarle and Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorneys.

Mike Pruitt, who is currently a member of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, announced on Wednesday that he would end his campaign for the congressional seat currently held by Republican John McGuire.

Instead, Pruitt is endorsing fellow Democrat Tom Perriello, who represented the Fifth District from 2009 to 2011, when he lost to Republican Robert Hurt.

Congressional Candidate Mike Pruitt Exits Race and Throws Support Behind Perriello 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Former Congressman Tom Perriello welcomed the endorsement of Albemarle Supervisor Mike Pruitt, who today announced that he has ended his campaign and will support Perriello in flipping this Congressional District. 

A closer look at the proposed redistricting map reveals some opportunities for candidates that the mapmakers may not have intended.

“I am fired up to keep fighting for my hometown and the region that I love to get our voice back in Congress. Folks across the Blue Ridge and the Valley know that I have been fighting for decades to increase wages and access to affordable health care for families....District lines may shift, but my values and commitments to working families across Virginia never will.”

Perriello, a Charlottesville native, also raised more than triple the amount brought in by his challenger for the Democratic nomination, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors member Mike Pruitt.

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, said Perriello enters the race as a clear favorite for the Democratic nomination, citing his experience, name recognition and political network.

“Perriello is a ringer for the Democratic nomination,” Sabato said. “He has national, international, as well as local contacts galore. He has the financing that he’s going to need to run. He has the right positioning for this particular year.”

Former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5th, is attempting to make a comeback, 15 years after he left office, as he campaigns in Lynchburg and surrounding counties, with the goal of winning back his old seat next November.

The endorsements are rolling in and the opponents are dropping out as Democrat Tom Perriello prepares to take another swing at his old seat in Congress.

Calling the current political situation "an all-hands on deck moment," former Virginia Congressman Tom Perriello announced his comeback candidacy in the 5th district on Tuesday morning.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Former Congressman Tom Perriello of Charlottesville today announced his candidacy for Congress in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. 

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