VA · Candidate
Tom Perriello
DCandidate
On the ballot Nov 3, 2026: U.S. House · Virginia's 5th District
Biography
Tom Perriello is the Democratic nominee for Virginia's 5th District and previously represented it in Congress from 2009 to 2011. A Yale-trained attorney, he went on to international justice and diplomatic work, led the Center for American Progress Action Fund, and served as a State Department special envoy. He won the August 2026 Democratic primary and says his campaign theme is lowering prices and raising wages.[1][2][3]
Perriello was born and raised in Albemarle County, Virginia, according to Cardinal News. A 2017 campaign website quoted by Ballotpedia describes him as the youngest of four children of Linda and Vito Perriello.[1][2] He earned a B.A. and a J.D. from Yale University, receiving the J.D. in 2001.[1] He moved to West Africa in 2001 and worked as an advisor to the international prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and on international justice efforts in Kosovo, Darfur and Afghanistan. The 2017 campaign website also says he earlier worked on environmental issues and helped lead faith-based anti-poverty organizations.[1]
Perriello won election to Virginia's 5th District as a Democrat in 2008, took office January 3, 2009, and served on the House Committees on Veterans' Affairs and on Transportation and Infrastructure.[1] He lost re-election in 2010 to Republican Robert Hurt; Cardinal News reports he attributes the loss to backlash over his vote for the Affordable Care Act in March 2010.[1][4][5][2]
After leaving Congress, Perriello served as CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund and counselor for policy at the Center for American Progress, directed the State Department's 2014 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, and was appointed by President Obama in 2015 as special envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa.[1] He later led U.S. Programs at the Open Society Foundations, lost the 2017 Democratic primary for governor to Ralph Northam, and served as U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan from February 2024 until he resigned in January 2025.[7] He announced in December 2025 that he would seek his former seat, and won the Democratic primary on August 4, 2026, defeating Suzanne Krzyzanowski and Robert Tracinski.[2][3][6]
- 1.Tom Perriello · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 2.Former Rep. Tom Perriello jumps into the 5th District race amid redistricting upheaval · Cardinal News · 2026-10-21 News report
- 3.Perriello says the fight starts now for Virginia's 5th District after winning primary · WSET · 2026-10-21 News report
- 4.Roll Call 46 — On Passage: H.R. 1, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · 2009-01-28 Official record
- 5.Roll Call 165 — On Motion to Concur in Senate Amendments: H.R. 3590, Affordable Care Act · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · 2010-03-21 Official record
- 6.Cooke Harvey · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 7.Perriello mounts comeback bid in Virginia's 5th District · Virginia Mercury News report
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.
