Donald McEachin, a Democratic representative from Virginia, died on Monday, November 28. The death of the representative for the 4th congressional district was confirmed by his chief of staff, Tara Rountree.
In her statement on Monday, she described McEachin as a hero, and she said that for years he fought and triumphed over the secondary effects of his colorectal cancer since 2013, but he lost the battle that night.
Donald McEachin, 61, had been experiencing the side effects of colorectal cancer since 2013, and this is what ultimately led to his demise.
Tara Rountree, in her statement on Monday, made it clear that until a new representative is elected to take up the position held by McEachin, their office will remain open and that the staff will continue to serve the constituents.
She also mentioned the family of McEachin, for their privacy during their difficult time. Tara also said that more details about future plans will be made public in a few days.
Donald McEachin represented Virginia’s 4th district and was elected to Congress for the first time in 2016. He was able to secure consecutive wins, and earlier this month, he was re-elected for a fourth term.
He was also the third African-American to represent Virginia in the U.S. House. Many prominent leaders have expressed their condolences over the representative’s passing, as he was one of the prominent figures who was respected by all, regardless of political beliefs.
U.S. Senator Mark Warner said in his statement that Donald and his wife were good friends to him and his wife Lisa for more than thirty years, that Don was a fighter up until the very end, and that even though he was faced with some serious physical and political issues, he never lost focus on bigger issues of social and environmental justice. He ended his statement by saying that Virginia lost a great leader and that he lost a great friend.
Who was Donald McEachin?
Born on October 10, 1961, Aston Donald McEachin was an American politician and lawyer. Even though he is a prominent figure in American politics, McEachin was born in Nuremberg, Germany.
His father served in the United States Army, and his mother was a schoolteacher. McEachin completed his education in the United States, where he holds a degree in political history from the American University and also a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
After completing his education in law, McEachin started practicing law in Richmond. Later in his career in law, he started his own law firm, McEachin and Gee, and became a porter in the firm.
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Donald McEachin was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1995. After serving three terms, he ran for attorney general of Virginia in 2001.
It was in 2007 that McEachin ran for the state senate. He challenged Benjamin Lambert, who was the incumbent in the 9th district.
Donald defeated him in the primary by 58%-42%, and Silver Persinger in the general elections. He emerged victorious from the election by winning more than 81% of the votes. Following his massive insurgency, Donald was unopposed for the re-election held in 2011.
Personal life
Donald McEachin is married to Colette, and the couple has three children from their marriage. They resided in Richmond. His wife, Colette, became the interim Commonwealth Attorney for Richmond in 2021.
She won the Democratic nomination on August 10, 2019, and she was unopposed in the re-election, which was held on November 5, 2019. She served until her term ended in 2021.
McEachin beat colorectal cancer, and in 2014 he said that the illness had caused side effects that caused him to lose about 60 pounds.
Finally, on November 28, at the age of 61, McEachin passed away due to the complications that arose from his illness.
