Roanoke City’s Democratic party has reiterated its support for incumbent Delegate Sam Rasoul. The endorsement comes after some members of Rasoul's own party criticized his comments on Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
According to Mark Lazar, chair of the Roanoke City Democratic Committee, Sam Rasoul is the right man to represent the Star City.
“If I had to name an individual who was the most unifying, not just for our committee but for Roanoke in general, I would name Sam,” Lazar said of the incumbent who's held office since 2014.
But according to former House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, a fellow Democrat and the first woman and first person of Jewish faith to serve as Speaker, Rasoul’s criticism of Israel and Zionism have been problematic. She pointed to a post from Rasoul in late July calling Zionism a “supremacist ideology created to destroy and conquer everything and everyone in its way.”
“His rhetoric is fueling one of the oldest forms of hatred in the world while demonizing Jews who consider themselves Zionists," Filler-Corn said in a voice note to Radio IQ. "Words like these have consequences.”
Rasoul, the only Palestinian American in the General Assembly, said he was unsurprised by the criticism, especially in an election year. As for the specifics about his comments on Zionism?
“When Israeli human rights organizations are calling in a genocide. When mainstream, J Street here in the United States is calling a genocide," Rasoul said in an interview. "When the whole world is seeing minute by minute what's playing out, it's clear what history is going to say about this moment”
Roanoke City voters will head to the polls this November
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
