Virginia state senator dies of covid-19
Sen. Ben Chafin has died due to coronavirus, Senate Republicans said Friday. He was 60.
RICHMOND, Va. – State Sen. A. Benton Chafin Jr., a Southwest Virginia cattle farmer and lawyer who broke with fellow Republicans to expand Medicaid in 2018, died Friday at VCU Medical Center of covid-19.
A senator since 2014, Chafin, 60, had been hospitalized for about two weeks with the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
“Southwest Virginia has lost a strong advocate – and we have all lost a good man,” Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam said in a written statement. “I knew Ben as a lawmaker, an attorney, a banker, and a farmer raising beef cattle in Moccasin Valley, working the land just as generations of his family had done before him.
“He loved the outdoors, and he loved serving people even more. He pushed hard to bring jobs and investment to his district, and I will always be grateful for his courageous vote to expand health care for people who need it.”
Northam ordered state flags lowered Friday. They will remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of his interment.
Chafin, R-Russell, was among a handful of Senate Republicans who agreed to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in 2018. Blocking expansion of the law also known as Obamacare had long been a rallying cry for the legislature’s conservatives, but Chafin said it would provide desperately needed health care in his coal country district, among the poorest in the state.
Senate Minority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, said the Senate Republican Caucus was in mourning. Members extended condolences to his mother, wife, three children, grandchildren and sister, state Supreme Court Justice Teresa M. Chafin.
“To us, Ben was more than a dedicated colleague who exemplified the best in public service,” Norment said in a written statement. “He was a treasured friend, unrelentingly cheerful with an infectious smile and gregarious manner.”
House of Delegates Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, said in a statement that Chafin’s “commitment to the people of Southwest Virginia was unyielding. He was a fierce advocate for not only his region, but our entire Commonwealth.”
The Senate Democratic Caucus praised his “compassion, strength, and thoughtfulness.” Members of the Legislative Black Caucus praised him as “a well-respected legislator and a tireless advocate for his constituents in Southwest Virginia.”
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