Son of Retiring House Republican Donates to Democrat Running for Father’s Seat

The son of retiring high-ranking Republican Bob Goodlatte announced Sunday that he gave the maximum campaign donation to the Democrat running for his father’s seat — and called on others to do the same.

Goodlatte, a U.S. congressman from Virginia who serves as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, announced last year that he would not seek reelection after 13 terms in Congress. Democratic candidate Jennifer Lewis, a mental health worker, is now running against Republican Ben Cline, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, to replace Goodlatte.

“I just gave the maximum allowed donation to Jennifer Lewis, a democrat running for my father’s congressional seat,” Bobby Goodlatte, the congressman’s son, said in a tweet on Sunday. “I’ve also gotten 5 other folks to commit to donate the max. 2018 is the year to flip districts — let’s do this!”

“Certainly wasn’t an easy decision,” he added in replies to some Twitter users praising his decision to speak out in spite of his father’s party affiliation.

A spokesperson for the senior Goodlatte did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. He won his election in Virginia’s Sixth Congressional District in 2016 with more than 66% of the vote.

“I appreciate Bobby’s generous donation and his confidence in our campaign and bold message,” Lewis said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to work alongside a Goodlatte from now until November – we need the broadest coalition possible to return power to the people of Virginia’s Sixth.”