Rasoul faces congressional Goliath in 6th

HARRISONBURG — Youthful 6th District Democratic congressional challenger Sam Rasoul is running on a message of reform and fiscal conservatism.
And he believes his message is resonating.
“I’ve struck a chord with fiscal conservatives and those who believe in systematic reform. There are lots of Republicans and Democrats who do,” he said.
Rasoul will need lots of converts if he is to stand any chance against eight-term Rep. Bob Goodlatte in November.
No challenger has ever garnered more than 32 percent of the vote against Goodlatte, and former Roanoke Mayor David Bowers was the last Democratic challenger in 1998. Bowers earned 31 percent of the vote.
A SurveyUSA poll conducted last month showed Goodlatte up 59 percent to 30 percent over Rasoul.
Goodlatte also has a substantial fundraising advantage over Rasoul.
The challenger’s July quarterly fundraising report showed contributions of just more than $40,000. The contributions came from family members, 6th District contributors and from out-of-state donors.
Goodlatte received more than $86,000 in contributions during the same period, including donations from across the 6th District. Many of the donations came from professionals such as physicians and lawyers.
Rasoul, the 27-year-old son of Palestinian immigrants, graduated from Roanoke College and has a master’s degree in international business administration from Hawaii Pacific University.
He owns three Roanoke-area businesses: a real estate business, a women’s fitness facility and a video store business.
He has spent the past 19 months campaigning across the 6th District, often attending meet-and-greet functions where perhaps 30 people are present. He does about three meet-and-greets a week.
Democratic Party chairmen in the 6th District say it’s important for Rasoul to make a respectable showing against the formidable Goodlatte.
“Does Sam get 38 to 40 percent? Anything over that is a victory,” said Lynchburg Democratic Committee Chairman John Lawrence. “A young man like that with the energy he has can do it again. Who knows, people in the district might wake up and pay attention.”
Lawrence said a debate against Goodlatte is also important for Rasoul.
Thus far, the Goodlatte campaign has not committed to any debates with Rasoul, citing the busy Washington schedule with Congress in session.
Goodlatte campaign manager Dave Rexrode said Monday that the campaign is waiting for the Democratic leadership to adjourn Congress before committing to a schedule of debates with Rasoul.
Goodlatte did campaign for John McCain in both Lynchburg and Salem over the weekend.
Rockbridge County Democratic Chairman Joe Skovira said Rasoul impressed a variety of voters who attended a meet-and-greet at his home a few weeks ago.
“He showed a lot of knowledge about the issues such as health care, education and small businesses,” Skovira said. “Several people have said, ‘When I was 27, I could not have done what he’s doing.’ ”
In addition to his constant mention of how lobbyists control Congress, Rasoul also talks about how complacency corrupts senators and congressmen who stay too long in Washington.
“The biggest example is Sen. Byrd,” Rasoul said of 90-year-old Robert Byrd of West Virginia. “He is a substantial figure and well-respected.” But Rasoul said it could be time for a new voice and vision for West Virginia.
And while Goodlatte has previously changed his own plan to limit himself to six terms, Rasoul is more interested in a debate of the issues, not the incumbent’s history.
“I want to give him some healthy competition,” he said.
Rasoul also hopes to fashion a coalition of new voters, fiscally conservative Republicans and conservative Democrats and college students to make the election a closer one in November.
And he is banking on voters wanting a change in the kind of politics – specifically, political action committees and lobbyists — that have come to dominate elections.
“No more PACs and lobbyists,” said Rasoul, who is using that theme consistently in his talks. “We are going to stay positive and genuine. People want a different type of politics.”
If elected, Rasoul has pledged to donate half of his $170,000 a year salary to two different ventures.
One of those is FutureCare, a fleet of mobile clinics traveling around the 6th District to provide medical checkups and basic care to children. The second is FutureJobs, an organization committed to helping small businesses grow.
Rasoul said he would limit himself to five terms.
“If I’ve done a good job in 10 years, someone else can rotate in and offer new ideas,” he said.