About
At a moment when Washington is making it harder for families to afford the American dream, our communities deserve a trusted leader who’s proven that he will fight for the people over the powerful, and will defend our Constitutional rights against all threats, foreign and domestic.
Tom Perriello has spent 25 years winning tough fights — taking on corporate lobbyists, electric utility monopolies, and the Trump administration – and pushing for our country to go bigger and be bolder to deliver results that bring down costs, raise paychecks, and protect our democracy.
Born in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains and educated in Albemarle County public schools, Tom flipped one of Virginia's most conservative congressional districts in 2008 — a seat the pundits had written off. He cast the key vote to pass the Affordable Care Act, fought for Wall Street accountability, and earned an A+ from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. After Congress, he led organizations that fought for more affordable healthcare, stronger voting rights and reproductive freedoms, and doubling the minimum wage. President Obama then asked him to represent our country, negotiating deals to expand human rights and humanitarian access.
In Congress, Tom stood up to intense pressure from corporate lobbyists to cast a courageous vote for the Affordable Care Act — guaranteeing coverage for more than 32,000 people in his district and making it illegal to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. Tom even pushed Democratic leaders to go bolder, with a public option or buy-in to Medicare. After Congress, he kept fighting to reduce prescription drug prices, expand Medicaid coverage for more than 600,000 Virginians, and prevent our rural health clinics from closing.
He believes every family deserves a fair shot at an American dream that leaves no region, race or generation behind. For years, he has fought to double the minimum wage, outlaw predatory lenders, and expand paid medical leave. In Congress, he pushed his own party to be tougher on Wall Street, and he was the first statewide Democrat to refuse corporate donations, even from the powerful monopolies that fund both parties in Virginia and then jack up electric bills for the people. He fought side by side with communities throughout the Blue Ridge to defeat the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and to land good-paying clean energy jobs.
Tom has faced down threats to democracy, at home and abroad, even in the face of death threats. He spent four years fighting the abuses of the Trump Administration, stood against hate groups in the streets of Charlottesville, and rallied support for voting rights, civil liberties, and reproductive freedoms. In Congress, Tom held over 100 hours of town halls because he believes you can't represent people without listening to them first. Later, he served on the Boards of Indivisible and the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood, as well as co-founding Bird of Light Ukraine and MutualAidSudan.org.
The son of Linda and Vito Perriello, Tom still lives outside Charlottesville. He is an Eagle Scout from Troop 114 and a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School. His parents and his parish taught him to live a life of service, to treat compassion as a verb, and to understand that love of neighbor does not stop at the end of your street. Tom has 7 godchildren and is the proud uncle of 10 nieces and nephews.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives write and vote on federal laws, including the federal budget. Each represents one district and serves a two-year term. Tax bills must start in the House, only the House can impeach federal officials, and members oversee federal agencies through their committees.