Sunday, January 20, 2008
Sam Rasoul hopes to challenge Goodlatte
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From The Roanoke Times
In the 6th Congressional District, Sam Rasoul remains the only announced Democratic candidate hoping to take on eight-term Republican incumbent Bob Goodlatte.
Rasoul has been campaigning and raising funds for 11 months. He said Thursday he had raised more than $100,000 as of Dec. 31, although his treasurer has not posted the breakdowns to the Federal Election Commission yet.
The deadline for filing those is not until the end of January.
For the last reporting period, which ended Sept. 30, Rasoul reported $18,363 in cash on hand, compared with $1.38 million for Goodlatte, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Sixth District Democratic Committee Chairman David Layman said that although two other potential candidates have interviewed with his committee and some of its subcommittees, none has announced an intention to run.
"It's a huge decision, a life-changing decision," Layman said. "We've been trying to get the right person to make a run at it for years, but it takes a commitment to put your life on hold and to raise serious money."
Family commitments have prevented several potentially good candidates from running in past years, he said.
He noted that Rasoul has been working hard for nearly a year. Any other candidates who "haven't announced by now and plan on running a successful campaign, are very much behind."
The 6th District Democrats will select their candidate at a convention that will probably be held in Rockbridge County, near the geographic center of the district, either on May 17 or 24, Layman said.
On the Net: samrasoul.us
