Summary
Current Position: State Delegate of District 11 since 2014
Affiliation: Democrat
Sam Rasoul is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of a non-profit healthcare firm helping with maternal child health in East Africa. Equipped with an understanding that leadership is a bold journey for justice, he organizes community leaders through The Impact Center; his initiative to develop & empower new age leaders.
Sam committed to decline any donations from special interest Political Action Committees and lobbyists in an effort to raise awareness of the control many powerful special interests have over the political system.
OnAir Post: Sam Rasoul
About
Source: Campaign page
Sam Rasoul represents the Eleventh District in the Virginia House of Delegates. It is the honor of his lifetime to represent the Valley that raised him. Growing up he learned and worked at his parent’s corner store, a community hub. Through his experiences, he realized the value in listening, and neighbors helping neighbors.
Sam lives in Roanoke with his wife Layaly and their three beautiful children. He is continually inspired by the innocence and wisdom of his children. After completing his Master’s Degree, he became a small business owner, and later the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of a non-profit healthcare firm helping with maternal child health in East Africa. Equipped with an understanding that leadership is a bold journey for justice, he organizes community leaders through The Impact Center; his initiative to develop & empower new age leaders. Sam committed to decline any donations from special interest Political Action Committees and lobbyists in an effort to raise awareness of the control many powerful special interests have over the political system.
Experience
Work Experience
- Healthcare consultant
- Virginia Defense Force
2007 to 2008
Education
- MBA
Hawaii Pacific University, HI
2003 - BA
Roanoke College
2002
Awards
The Roanoker Magazine, Platinum Award for “Government Person Who Gets It”
Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Martin Luther King, Jr., Drum Major for Justice Award
Virginia Education Association, Solid as a Rock Award
Personal
- Birth Year: 1981
- Place of Birth: Warren, OH
- Gender: Male
- Race(s): Other
- Religion: Muslim
- Spouse: Layaly
- Children: Jennah, Amirah, Issa
Membership & Affiliation
Kiwanis of Roanoke
Williamson Road Business Association
Goodwill (board member)
Science Museum of Western Virginia (board member)
NAACP (lifetime member)
Junior Achievement
American National University (adjunct business professor)
Meals on Wheels
Education: Roanoke College (B.B.A., 2002)
Hawaii Pacific University, HI (M.B.A., 2003)
Occupation/Profession: Healthcare consultant
House Leadership: Minority Caucus Secretary (2015-)
Military Service: Virginia Defense Force (2007-08)
Awards: The Roanoker Magazine, Platinum Award for “Government Person Who Gets It”
Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Martin Luther King, Jr., Drum Major for Justice Award
Virginia Education Association, Solid as a Rock Award
Contact
Legislative Assistant: Lillian Franklin
Administrative Assistant During Session: Polly Wall
Email:
- Government – DelSRasoul@house.virginia.gov
Offices
Capitol Office
Pocahontas Building
900 E. Main St,
Richmond, Virginia 23219
District Office
1417 Peters Creek Road NW
Roanoke, Virginia 24017
Web
Government Page, Campaign Site, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram
Politics
Source: Wikipedia
Rasoul first ran for elected office in 2008 when he challenged incumbent Republican Bob Goodlatte for Virginia’s 6th Congressional seat. Rasoul earned 36% to Goodlatte’s 61%.
Rasoul was elected in a special election held on January 7, 2014. The special election was held to fill the vacancy created by the resignation, in November 2013, of Delegate Onzlee Ware. After winning the Democratic primary by 44 votes, Rasoul received nearly 70% of the vote over his Republican opponent Octavia Johnson in the general election. He was inducted into office on January 8, 2014.
In September 2016 he initiated House Joint Resolution 541 to the Virginia House of Delegates, a proposed amendment to the Virginia Constitution for “top two open primaries” for various Virginia elections, in which candidates from opposing parties would run on one ballot.The top two candidates in the proposed public primaries would subsequently compete in traditional one-on-one runoffs in Virginia’s general elections.
Recent Elections
2019
| Sam Rasoul (D) | 10,269 | 94.38% |
| Write In (Write-in) | 611 | 5.62% |
| TOTAL | 10,880 |
2017
| Sam Rasoul (D) | 15,667 | 96.93% |
| Write In (Write-in) | 496 | 3.07% |
| TOTAL | 16,163 |
Finances
RASOUL, SAM has run in 4 races for public office, winning 3 of them. The candidate has raised a total of $478,335.
Source: Follow the Money
Committees
Delegation
Minority Caucus Secretary (2015-)
Committees
Privileges and Elections
Militia, Police and Public Safety
Health, Welfare and Institutions
Subcommittees
Health, Welfare and Institutions – Subcommittee #2
Militia, Police and Public Safety – Subcommittee #2
Privileges and Elections – Subcommittee #4
Appointments
Block Grants
House Health Welfare and Institutions
House Militia Police and Public Safety
House Privileges and Elections
Recreational Facilities Authority, Virginia
Roanoke River Basin Advisory Committee, Virginia
Roanoke River Bi-State Commission, Virginia Delegation of the
Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation
Western Virginia Public Education Consortium
Voting Record
See: Vote Smart
New Legislation
Source: Virginia Legislative Information System
Issues
Source: Campaign page
SYSTEMIC ISSUES
No single issue happens in a vacuum. So often, we think in our silos to solve problems, but this only puts a bandaid on the issue. We must push ourselves to think about systemic issues as an intricate puzzle, with each problem a single piece interconnecting with another issue. It’s only when we look at the whole puzzle that we’ll be able to confront each individual problem.
Civil Rights
Women’s Rights
Women are crucial to driving innovation, growth, & prosperity in our country. Too many people face discrimination and we must take every opportunity to stand up and fight for equality. I support women’s right to choose, any measure to close the gender pay gap, & the Equal Rights Amendment.
Most Recent Bills > Equal Rights Amendment
LGBTQ & Minority Rights
We have made great gains recently, but the fight is not over. We must continue to make progress toward equal rights for all. I will advocate to preserve and expand protections and end harmful practices that disproportionately affect the LGBTQ & Minority communities.
Most Recent Bills > Fair Housing Law, Grocery Fund
Democracy
Campaign Reform
I made a pledge to campaign free from special interest donations so that I can support, uplift, and show how powerful our grassroot networks are. While I was the first elected to take this pledge, VA is now covered in elected officials who have taken similar pledges.
Most Recent Bills > The Refund Act, Restoring Rep. Govt.
Voter Access
It should not be difficult to exercise your right to vote. In order for your voice to be heard, I believe it is my duty to expand and make it easier to vote. This includes longer voting hours, and no – absentee voting.
Most Recent Bills > Vote By Mail, Early Voting
Economy
Economic Development
To improve the economic well-being & quality of life for our VA communities we have to lay the groundwork for multilateral policies. We must recognize the role of early childhood education, criminal justice reform, neighborhood desegregation, and economic diversification has on our overall success.
Most Recent Bills > Green New Deal, Blockchain Tech.
Education
A quality education is the key to uplifting any person, or group. It is essential that we continue to improve our public school system from the bottom up, starting with pre-k and working up to higher education.
Most Recent Bills >Socio-Emot. Learning,Comm. Schools
Environment
Every person, community, and neighborhood deserves a healthy environment to raise a family. While pushing policies like the Green New Deal, we can also provide thousands of good paying jobs in clean energy.
Most Recent Bills > Off Fossil Fuels Act, Karst Protection Act
Health Care
We must increase coverage, support small businesses, expand primary care, and lower premiums. Medicare for All is the next step toward addressing inequalities. In 2018, Medicaid Expansion passed allowing over 230,000 people to gain coverage here in Virginia.Most Recent Bills >Medicaid Expansion
Safety
Gun Violence Prevention
There are nearly 13,000 gun homicides a year in the US. Marginalized and minority groups are regularly inflicted by this systemic issue and have been left powerless. To protect our vulnerable communities, VA must implement a comprehensive gun violence prevention plan
