Sam Rasoul

Rasoul was born in Warren, Ohio in 1981, the son of Palestinian immigrants.{{Cite web|title=ColorsVA|url=http://colorsva.pub/article/5637b61666ddc88ee1875233|access-date=November 30, 2015|website=colorsva.pub}} He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Roanoke College and a Master of Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific University.{{Cite web|title=VA Del. Sam Rasoul|url=https://www.millennialaction.org/sam-rasoul|access-date=2021-05-10|website=Millennial Action Project|language=en-US}}

Rasoul first ran for elected office in 2008 when he challenged incumbent Republican Bob Goodlatte for Virginia's 6th Congressional seat. He lost to Goodlatte by 25 percentage points in the heavily Republican district.{{Cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2008election.pdf|title=House clerks's office}}

Rasoul was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in a special election held on January 7, 2014. The special election was held to fill the vacancy created by the November 2013 resignation of Delegate Onzlee Ware.{{cite web | url=http://www.roanoke.com/news/article_2b9e6ad4-77a9-11e3-92c2-001a4bcf6878.html | title=Sam Rasoul easily takes Roanoke House of Delegates seat | work=The Roanoke Times | date=January 8, 2014 | access-date=January 8, 2014 | author=Yoon, Erica}} 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.{{cite web | url=https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/01/08/special-election-in-virginia-another-cliffhanger/ | title=Special Election in Virginia: Another Cliffhanger | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=January 8, 2014 | access-date=January 8, 2014 | author=Ballhous, Rebecca}} He was inducted into office on January 8, 2014.{{cite web | url=http://www.roanoke.com/news/columns_and_blogs/blogs/blue_ridge_caucus/article_6982880a-787e-11e3-ade3-001a4bcf6878.html | title=Rasoul goes to work in Richmond | work=The Roanoke Times | date=January 8, 2014 | access-date=January 8, 2014 | author=Sluss, Michael}}

Rasoul is a member of the Legislative Black Caucus and Rural Caucus in the House of Delegates.{{Cite news|last=Vozzella|first=Laura|title=Virginia's crowded race for lieutenant governor draws its 10th candidate|language=en-US|work=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/sam-rasoul-virginia-lieutenant-governor-race/2020/10/20/1d2157a2-12e6-11eb-bc10-40b25382f1be_story.html|access-date=2020-10-21|issn=0190-8286}}

He was a candidate in the 2021 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election. Rasoul lost to Hala Ayala. If nominated, he would've been the first Muslim candidate to run statewide anywhere in the South and the first Virginia statewide nominee from Roanoke since Ray Garland, who ran for U.S. Senate in 1971.{{Cite web|title=Editorial: Rasoul could make history in more ways than one|url=https://roanoke.com/editorial-rasoul-could-make-history-in-more-ways-than-one/article_8bcb81b4-8d98-11eb-a165-afb9633411f1.html|access-date=2021-05-11|website=Roanoke Times|language=en}}

Rasoul and his wife, Layaly, have three children.{{Cite web|title = The Voter's Self Defense System|url = http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/109345/sam-rasoul#.VlyMu3arSt8|website = Project Vote Smart|access-date = November 30, 2015|language = en-US}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=Virginia's 6th congressional district election, 2008 {{cite web|url=https://historical.elections.virginia.gov/elections/view/39064/|title=2008 U.S. House General Election|access-date=June 19, 2024}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Bob Goodlatte|votes=192,350|percentage=61.6%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Sam Rasoul|votes=114,367|percentage=36.6%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Independent (politician)|candidate=Janice Lee Allen|votes=5,413|percentage=1.7%}}

{{Election box candidate no change|party=|candidate=Write-in|votes=262|percentage=0.1%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=312,392|percentage=100.00%}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing|winner=Republican Party (United States)}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=House of Delegates 11th District Special Election, 2014 {{cite news

| title = Candidate Profile - Sam Rasoul

| url =http://historical.elections.virginia.gov/candidates/view/Salam-Rasoul

| access-date = April 22, 2017

}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Sam Rasoul|votes=5,129|percentage=70.2%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Octavia Lyvonne Johnson|votes=2,166|percentage=29.6%}}

{{Election box candidate no change|party=|candidate=Write-in|votes=14|percentage=0.2%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=7,309|percentage=100.00%}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing|winner=Democratic Party (United States)}}

{{Election box end}}{{Election box begin no change|title=House of Delegates 11th District Election, 2015}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Sam Rasoul (inc.)|votes=11,216|percentage=96.2%}}

{{Election box candidate no change|party=|candidate=Write-in|votes=447|percentage=3.8%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=11,663|percentage=100.00%}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing|winner=Democratic Party (United States)}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title= House of Delegates 11th District Election, 2017 {{Cite web|url=https://results.elections.virginia.gov/vaelections/2017%20November%20General/Site/GeneralAssembly.html|title=2017 November General|access-date=Jul 31, 2019}} }}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Sam Rasoul (inc.)

|votes = 15,667

|percentage = 96.93%

}}

{{Election box candidate no change

|party =

|candidate = write-ins

|votes = 496

|percentage = 3.07%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 16,163

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing|winner=Democratic Party (United States)}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title= House of Delegates 11th District Election, 2019 {{Cite web|url=https://www.vpap.org/electionresults/20191105/election-9771/|title = Virginia Election Results: November 5, 2019}} }}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Sam Rasoul (inc.)

|votes = 10,269

|percentage = 94.38%

}}

{{Election box candidate no change

|party =

|candidate = write-ins

|votes = 611

|percentage = 5.62%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 10,880

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing|winner=Democratic Party (United States)}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change

|title = House of Delegates 11th District Election, 2021{{Cite web|title=2021 November General|url=https://results.elections.virginia.gov/vaelections/2021%20November%20General/Site/GeneralAssembly.html|access-date=2021-11-16|website=results.elections.virginia.gov}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| candidate = Sam Rasoul (inc.)

| votes =14,532

| percentage =64.5%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| candidate = Charlie Nave

| votes =7,963

| percentage =35.3%

}}

{{Election box candidate no change|party=|candidate=write-ins|

| votes =37

| percentage =0.2%

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes =22,532

| percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box hold with party link no change

| winner = Democratic Party (United States)

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{reflist|2}}

• {{cite web | title = Virginia House of Delegates; Delegate Sam Rasoul | publisher = Virginia House of Delegates | url = http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/house/members/members.php?id=H0266 }}
• {{C-SPAN|94627}}

{{CongLinks|votesmart=109345}}

{{Virginia House of Delegates}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasoul, Sam}}

Category:1981 births

Category:21st-century American businesspeople

Category:Muslims from Virginia

Category:American politicians of Palestinian descent

Category:Businesspeople from Virginia

Category:Candidates in the 2008 United States elections

Category:Candidates in the 2021 United States elections

Category:Hawaii Pacific University alumni

Category:Living people

Category:Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates

Category:Politicians from Roanoke, Virginia

Category:Roanoke College alumni

Category:21st-century members of the Virginia General Assembly