ROANOKE, Va. – Beth Macy, former Roanoke Times reporter and author of the 2018 book Dopesick, announced she is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Virginia’s 6th District as a Democrat in the 2026 midterm elections.
Macy officially announced her candidacy in Roanoke on Tuesday at the Historic Fire Station #1. This sets up a contested Democratic primary in the 6th District against Ken Mitchell, the party’s nominee in 2024, and Pete Barlow, a former FEMA emergency manager.
The seat has been held by Rep. Ben Cline since 2019. The district is reliably Republican; no Democrat has won the seat since 1990. It also went to Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears by around 16 percentage points in the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election.
Macy said she plans to talk directly to voters, including farmers struggling with tariffs, to understand how policies impact their lives.
With the district strongly republican, Macy knows it’s an uphill battle, but she says it’s time for a change.
“I have spent my entire professional career giving a voice to the voiceless, giving a face to the forgotten and holding those who abuse power to account. Those of us in the Sixth District, or whatever it may become, will fight for all the people in the region,” Macy said.