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Tom Perriello
Tom Perriello (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Virginia's 5th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Perriello (Democratic Party) was a member of the U.S. House, representing Virginia's 5th Congressional District.
On February 26, 2024, the Biden presidential administration appointed Perriello to serve as a special envoy for Sudan.[1]
Biography
After earning his J.D. from Yale University in 2001, Perriello relocated to West Africa. He worked as "an advisor to the international prosecutor of the Special Court of Sierra Leone where he worked with former child soldiers and pro-democracy groups. He also worked with international justice efforts in Kosovo, Darfur and Afghanistan."[2][3]
Perriello won election as a Democrat to Virginia's 5th Congressional District in 2008 and assumed office on January 3, 2009. He lost his bid for re-election in 2010.[2][4]
Following his term in Congress, Perriello transitioned to the role of CEO for the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP), a self-described progressive 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization. He also served as the counselor for policy at CAP. In these positions, Perriello worked to support the organization's policy positions regarding voting, immigration, firearms, and women's issues.[2][5]
Perriello later directed the State Department's 2014 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR). In 2015, former President Barack Obama (D) appointed Perriello to serve as the special envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa.[2]
Education
- B.A., Yale University
- J.D., Yale University
Political career
Below is a list of offices within Ballotpedia’s scope. Offices outside of that scope will not be listed. If an update is needed and the office is within our scope, please contact us.
Perriello's political career includes the following offices:
Elections
2026
See also: Virginia's 5th Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House Virginia District 5
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 5 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | John McGuire (R) | |
| Suzanne Krzyzanowski (D) | ||
 | Tom Perriello (D) | |
| Mike Pruitt (D) | ||
 | Paul Riley (D)  | |
| Robert Tracinski (D) | ||
 | Kate Zabriskie (D) | |
 | Bob Good (R) | |
| Chris Register (Independent) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Adele Stichel (D)
Endorsements
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2017
See also: Virginia gubernatorial election, 2017
Virginia held an election for governor on November 7, 2017. Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election to a consecutive term.
The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election was held on June 13, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in the primary election was March 30, 2017.
Ralph Northam (D) defeated Ed Gillespie (R) and Cliff Hyra (Libertarian) in the election for Governor of Virginia.[6]
| Virginia Gubernatorial Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Ralph Northam |
53.93% | 1,409,175 | |
| Republican | Ed Gillespie | 45.00% | 1,175,731 | |
| Libertarian | Cliff Hyra | 1.07% | 27,987 | |
| Total Votes | 2,612,893 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
Ralph Northam defeated Tom Perriello in the Democratic primary for Governor of Virginia.[7]
| Virginia Democratic Gubernatorial Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Ralph Northam |
55.90% | 303,541 |
| Tom Perriello | 44.10% | 239,505 |
| Total Votes | 543,046 | |
| Source: The New York Times | ||
Ed Gillespie defeated Corey Stewart and Frank Wagner in the Republican primary for Governor of Virginia.[7]
| Virginia Republican Gubernatorial Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Ed Gillespie |
43.71% | 160,100 |
| Corey Stewart | 42.53% | 155,780 |
| Frank Wagner | 13.76% | 50,394 |
| Total Votes | 366,274 | |
| Source: The New York Times | ||
Perriello announced his candidacy for governor of Virginia on January 5, 2017.[8]
"I’m running for Governor of Virginia because our state must be a firewall against hate, corruption, and an assault on the Virginia values of decency and progress," Perriello wrote in an email to supporters. "That is a wall worth building!"[9]
Endorsements
- Senator Bernie Sanders[10]
- Senator Elizabeth Warren[11]
- Senior Adviser to Barack Obama Valerie Jarrett[12]
- Senior Adviser to Barack Obama David Plouffe[13]
- Senior Adviser to Barack Obama Dan Pfeiffer[13]
- Deputy Senior Adviser to Barack Obama Stephanie Cutter[13]
- 350.org Founder Bill McKibben[14]
- Rep. Rosa DeLauro[15]
- Khizr and Ghazala Khan[16]
Campaign finance
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, these were the top 10 donors to Perriello's gubernatorial campaign as of June 1, 2017. For a full list of donors, click here.
1. S. Sonjia Smith - $500,000
~ George Soros - $500,000
3. Avaaz Foundation - $392,570
4. S. Donald Sussman - $300,000
5. Tom Perriello for Governor - $150,000
6. Alexander Soros - $125,000
7. Jaffray Piers Woodriff - $100,000
8. Courtney C. Smith - $75,000
9. Timothy Chapman - $50,000
~ Stephen M. Silberstein - $50,000
~ Gregory Soros - $50,000
~ R. Ted Wechsler - $50,000
As of the June 1, 2017, campaign finance filing, 11.38 percent of Perriello's campaign funds came from donations of $100 or less, 16.14 percent came from donations of between $100 and $2,000, 13.43 percent came from donations of between $2,000 and $10,000, and 59.05 percent came from donations of $10,000 or more.
2013
- See also: Virginia gubernatorial election, 2013
On November 28, 2012, The Huffington Post reported that Perriello was considering a run for Governor of Virginia in 2013. If he had pursued the bid, Perriello would have likely faced confirmed candidate Terry McAuliffe in the Democratic primary election.[17] The following week, however, Perriello announced he was not going to compete against McAuliffe, whom he endorsed for the Democratic nomination. The presumptive GOP nominee was attorney general Ken Cuccinelli.[18]
2010
Perriello faced Republican Robert Hurt when he ran for re-election on November 2, 2010. Hurt won the race for the 5th District seat, with 50% of the vote over Perriello's 47.0%.[19]
Campaign themes
2026
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2017
Perriello's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Virginia Roots, Virginia Values
Tom began his career working on environmental issues, and later helped to create and lead faith-based organizations working to reduce poverty, advance racial reconciliation, and address climate change. Fighting for Justice Abroad
Working for Economic Fairness, Veterans, and Education at Home
Taking office during the worst economic crisis in modern history, Tom fought hard for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to prevent a depression and invest in hard-hit communities around Virginia. He helped to leverage over $580 million dollars of public and private investments in broadband, education, clean energy, and small business development, much for communities too often left behind. He served on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, demanded tougher consumer protections and accountability from Wall Street, and successfully passed a $2,500 tuition tax credit that makes college and community college education more affordable. He also supported and defended the Affordable Care Act, holding a record number of town hall meetings across Central and Southside Virginia. After losing reelection, Tom chose to keep fighting for struggling families. As CEO of Center for American Progress (CAP) Action Fund and Counselor for Policy at CAP, Perriello championed solutions on inequality, voting rights, immigration reform, sensible gun safety, women’s rights, and family leave. He fought for “middle out” economic policies in Virginia and around the country, understanding that growth comes from the purchasing power of the middle class, not a few trickles from the top. Reforming Bureaucracies, Delivering Results for National Security It emphasized the increasing strategic importance of inclusive, job-rich economic growth, climate change, and corruption to understanding how countries operate and impact our national security. These reforms have advanced family-friendly leave policies, investment in training, and flexible teleworking programs for civil and foreign service professionals. In July 2015, the Obama Administration appointed Tom as Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, where he worked to prevent mass atrocities and supported the emergence of peaceful, democratic societies. Working in strong support of Congo’s Catholic bishops, Tom’s diplomatic efforts helped to produce an historic New Year’s Eve agreement on December 31, 2016, that lays out a path to the first peaceful transition of power since the country’s independence in 1960. This transition should turn the page on decades of fighting that has resulted in the deaths of more than five million civilians in the Congo. Tom has taught courses on transitional justice at the University of Virginia School of Law and University of Sierra Leone, and is a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School.[20] |
” |
| —Tom Perriello’s campaign website (2017)[21] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Voting record
Frequency of Voting with Democratic Leadership
According to a July 2010 analysis of 1,357 votes cast from January 1, 2009 to June 16, 2010, Perriello voted with the House Democratic leadership 89.1% of the time.[22] That same analysis reported that he also voted with party leadership 91.3% of the time in 2010.
Washington Post Analysis
A separate analysis from The Washington Post, concluded that he voted 90% of the time with a majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives.[23]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tom Perriello. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Department of State, "Announcement of a Special Envoy for Sudan," February 26, 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Tom Perriello for Governor, "Meet Tom," accessed February 9, 2017
- ↑ Prince William Times, "Sawyers endorses Tom Perriello for Virginia governor," March 16, 2017
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "PERRIELLO, Tom, (1974 - )," accessed February 9, 2017
- ↑ Center for American Progress Action Fund, "About," accessed April 19, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "List of Statewide Candidates," October 17, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 Primary Filing," accessed May 12, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwtvr - ↑ The Huffington Post, "Tom Perriello Jumps Into Virginia Gubernatorial Race," January 5, 2017
- ↑ Politico, "Bernie Sanders endorses Perriello for Virginia governor," April 4, 2017
- ↑ Washington Post, "Sen. Elizabeth Warren endorses Perriello in Democratic primary for Va. gov," April 24, 2017
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Top Obama Aide Endorses Tom Perriello In Virginia Governor’s Race," May 13, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Blue Virginia, "Thirty Former Obama Aides Endorse Tom Perriello in New Letter," March 22, 2017
- ↑ Tom for Virginia, "350.org Founder and Environmentalist Bill McKibben Endorses Tom Perriello for Virginia Governor," May 31, 2017
- ↑ Tom for Virginia, "Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro Endorses Tom Perriello," May 27, 2017
- ↑ Tom for Virginia, "Perriello Campaign Announces ‘Inclusive Virginia’ Coalition," May 26, 2017
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Tom Perriello Reportedly Open to Virginia Governor Bid in 2013," November 28, 2012
- ↑ Blue Virginia, "BREAKING: Tom Perriello Announces He Will Not Run for Virginia Governor in 2013," December 5, 2012
- ↑ "GOP picks up three House spots in Virginia," Virginia Statehouse News, November 3, 2010
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Tom for Virginia, "Meet Tom," accessed May 24, 2017
- ↑ A Line of Sight, "House Democratic Voting Report," July 2010
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The U.S. Congress Votes Database," archived November 6, 2013
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