Virginia's former first lady to run for Congress in newly drawn district

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — There could be another McAuliffe representing Virginia soon.

Dorothy McAuliffe — the former first lady, onetime state department official and wife of then-Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe — said Wednesday that she will run for Congress, putting a prominent name into the mix for a newly drawn district.

“We need a leader who has a record of delivering and can finally bring down costs for families, who will increase access to affordable healthcare, and who will never back down from holding Donald Trump and ICE accountable,” McAuliffe said in a statement.

Virginia voters are weighing a constitutional amendment that would create a new congressional map on April 21.

If the map is approved, McAuliffe would campaign to represent the sprawling 7th District, which stretches from Arlington to western Augusta County. Most of the district's voters would live just outside Washington, D.C., and it's one of four new districts that are intended to favor Democrats.

“I look forward to traveling this district — from Arlington to Augusta and Prince William to Powhatan — and sharing that vision for this community that I’ve long called home,” she said.

An attorney and mother of five, McAuliffe was Virginia's first lady from 2014 to 2018. During that time, she pushed for childhood nutrition programs and helped tackle a backlog of untested rape kits in the state.

In 2017, the former first lady weighed challenging former Republican U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock, though opted against a bid. She became the U.S. State Department’s special representative for global partnerships in 2022 under President Joe Biden's administration.

McAuliffe is entering a crowded primary. Last month, four-term Virginia Del. Dan Helmer and former federal prosecutor J.P. Cooney, who served as a deputy to special counsel Jack Smith and was fired by Trump, launched campaigns in the district. State Del. Elizabeth Guzman, who was elected the first Latina immigrant in the General Assembly, also said she was weighing a run.

McAuliffe and other candidates would have an opportunity to change their plans if the redistricting effort is not approved or is thrown out by the state Supreme Court.

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The spelling of McAuliffe has been corrected in one reference.