Thomas Stuart Price Perriello (born October 9, 1974) is an American attorney, diplomat, and politician. For over four years until July 2023, Perriello served as the executive director for U.S. Programs at the
Open Society Foundations
Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the s ...
.
Perriello ran for in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
in 2008. He narrowly defeated six-term Republican incumbent
Virgil H. Goode Jr. by 727 votes out of over 317,000 cast. At the time he served, the district included much of
Southside Virginia
Southside, or Southside Virginia, has traditionally referred to the portion of the state south of the James River, the geographic feature from which the term derives its name. This was the first area to be developed in the colonial period.
Dur ...
and stretched north to
Charlottesville
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...
. Perriello was defeated in the
2010 election by Republican state senator
Robert Hurt.
In February 2014, he was appointed
United States Special Representative for the
Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, serving until July 2015. From July 2015 to December 2016, he was
Special Envoy
Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...
for the
Great Lakes Region of Africa and the
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
, succeeding former U.S. Senator
Russ Feingold
Russell Dana Feingold ( ; born March 2, 1953) is an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senate, United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1993 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, h ...
. Perriello ran for the Democratic nomination in the
2017 Virginia gubernatorial election
The 2017 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2017. Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe was unable to run for re-election, as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits the officehold ...
, but lost to
Ralph Northam
Ralph Shearer Northam (born September 13, 1959) is an American physician and former politician who served as the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A pediatric Neurology, neurologist by occupation, he was an officer in the Medical Co ...
.
On February 26, 2024, Perriello was appointed as U.S. Special Envoy for
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
. He resigned on January 18, 2025, shortly before the
Second inauguration of Donald Trump
The United States presidential inauguration, inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States took place on Monday, January 20, 2025. Due to freezing temperatures and high winds, it was held inside the United States Capi ...
.
Early life and education
Thomas Stuart Price Perriello was born on October 9, 1974, in
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...
, and grew up in
Ivy
''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern ...
, a small, affluent, unincorporated community west of Charlottesville. He is the son of Linda (née Gillooly), a financial analyst, and Vito Anthony Perriello Jr., a pediatrician. His paternal grandparents were Italian immigrants, and his mother is from an
evangelical Christian
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
family from
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
. He attended Murray Elementary School, Meriwether Lewis Elementary School, Henley Middle School and
Western Albemarle High School
Western Albemarle High School is a public high school located in Crozet, Virginia. Western Albemarle is often simply referred to as Western or WAHS (pronounced "woz") by students and locals. The school opened in September 1977.
School basics
...
in the county school system, and then graduated from
St. Anne's-Belfield School, a private school. He attained the rank of
Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of Scouting America. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over ...
in
Boy Scout
A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organizatio ...
Troop
A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...
114 in Ivy, and was a
legislative page in the
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...
.
He received his
B.A.
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...
(1996) and
J.D. (2001) from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
.
Early career
From 2002–2003, Perriello worked for the UN-mandated Special Court for Sierra Leone, where he eventually became special adviser to the prosecutor, David Crane. He has worked as a consultant to the
International Center for Transitional Justice
The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) was founded in 2001 as a non-profit organization dedicated to pursuing accountability for mass atrocity and human rights abuse through transitional justice mechanisms.
ICTJ officially open ...
in
Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
(2003),
Darfur
Darfur ( ; ) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju () while ruled by the Daju, who migrated from Meroë , and it was renamed Dartunjur () when the Tunjur ruled the area. ...
(2005), and
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
(2007) where he worked on justice-based security strategies.
Perriello has also been a fellow at
The Century Foundation
The Century Foundation (established first as The Cooperative League and then the Twentieth Century Fund) is a progressive think tank headquartered in New York City with an office in Washington, D.C. It was founded as a nonprofit public policy r ...
and consultant to the
National Council of Churches of Christ.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2008
Perriello won a narrow (50.1% to 49.9%) victory over Republican six-term incumbent
Virgil H. Goode Jr., a longtime figure in Virginia politics who had previously represented a large portion of the district in the
Senate of Virginia
The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Vir ...
.
Perriello had trailed Goode in the polls by 30 percent only three months before the election. ''Politico'' reported that Goode's campaign was impaired by remarks by Goode that were interpreted as anti-Muslim and by a flap over Goode's tenuous connection to a gay-themed movie.
The traditionally Democratic urban areas of the district gave Perriello significant margins over Goode. While Goode won 13 of the 20 county-level jurisdictions in the district, Perriello won all but one independent city,
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district.
Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...
, which went for Goode by only 16 votes. Ultimately, Perriello prevailed largely on the strength of a more than 25,000 vote margin in Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County. Perriello's performance showed the most dramatic improvements over past Democratic voting in the more
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
areas of the district hardest hit by decades of job loss and economic slowdown. As a presidential candidate,
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
also improved on past Democratic performance, but he ultimately lost this district by around 7,500 votes (2.5 percentage points). For example, Perriello significantly outperformed Obama in the district's strongly conservative southwestern portion. Ironically, this was Goode's base; he had represented much of the district's southern portion for 35 years at the state and federal level. Perriello may also have been helped by
coattails from atop the ticket, as
Mark Warner
Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th gove ...
won the district in a landslide with 65 percent of the vote.
2010
Perriello lost to Republican nominee State Senator
Robert Hurt in a race between the two and Independent candidate Jeffrey Clark. During the race, Perriello was noted for touting Democratic achievements during his two years in office rather than running from them. In recognition of his support for
gun rights
The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a legal right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, as well as ...
, Perriello received the endorsement of the
NRA Political Victory Fund
The Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) is the political action committee (PAC) of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). Founded in 1976, the Fund endorses political candidates on behalf of the NRA and contributes money to those candidate's ...
. He also received the endorsement of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...
in the race in recognition of his "strong support for veterans, national security and defense, and military personnel issues."
His reelection campaign was targeted by the national Democratic party, as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent financial resources, ads, and staff to the district in an effort to protect a seat that Perriello had won for the Democrats by a razor-thin 727 vote margin in 2008. As early as two weeks after being elected in 2008, Perriello was targeted for defeat by national Republicans and by outside groups like the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the
Koch brothers
The Koch family ( ) is an American family engaged in business, best known for their political activities in the Koch network and their control of Koch Inc, the 2nd largest privately owned company in the United States (with 2019 revenues of $ ...
' funded
Americans for Prosperity
Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a Libertarian conservatism, libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States affiliated with brothers Charles Koch and the late David Koch. As the Koch family's primary pol ...
. His effort to maintain his seat was marked by full days of campaigning, including one period called "24 hours of Tom" in which the congressman held one or two events every hour for twenty four hours in the final weeks of the election.
Ultimately, Perriello lost by 3.9 percent, which was considered a surprisingly close result in the Republican-leaning district. As a point of comparison,
Glenn Nye, another freshman Democrat in the similarly Republican-leaning
Virginia's 2nd, lost by 10.6 points to his Republican challenger in the same cycle. The two congressmen took dramatically different approaches to campaigning, with Perriello embracing his short congressional record that included votes for progressive legislation like the Affordable Care Act, and Nye attempting to distance himself from his party.
Tenure
Perriello ran for in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
in 2008. He narrowly defeated six-term Republican incumbent
Virgil H. Goode Jr. by 727 votes out of over 317,000 cast. At the time he served, the district included much of
Southside Virginia
Southside, or Southside Virginia, has traditionally referred to the portion of the state south of the James River, the geographic feature from which the term derives its name. This was the first area to be developed in the colonial period.
Dur ...
and stretched north to
Charlottesville
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...
. Perriello was defeated in the
2010 election by Republican state senator
Robert Hurt.
In announcing his first bid for Congress in 2007, Perriello spoke of his
conviction politics: "Conviction politics will make me more effective if I win. The first question I asked myself before deciding to run for office was not 'can I win?' but 'can I improve people's lives if I win?'"
Citing the 2006 midterm elections, Perriello pointed toward the example of fellow Democrats including Senators
Jim Webb
James Henry Webb Jr. (born February 9, 1946) is an American politician and author. He has served as a United States senator from Virginia, Secretary of the Navy, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Counsel for the United States ...
,
Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Campbell Brown ( ; born November 9, 1952) is an American politician who served from 2007 to 2025 as a United States senator from Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 2007 and the 47t ...
, and
Jon Tester
Raymond Jon Tester (born August 21, 1956) is an American politician and farmer who served from 2007 to 2025 as a United States Senate, United States senator from Montana and from 2005 to 2007 as president of the Montana Senate. A member of the ...
—all winning in difficult political environments with firm positions that cut across typical
progressive or
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
ideologies
An ideology is a set of beliefs or values attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely about belief in certain knowledge, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones". Form ...
. Perriello framed his positions as "for the people and not for the corporate establishment" and did not focus on partisan divisions.
During his time in Congress, Perriello often explained his support for controversial votes by his standard of conviction politics. Perriello described his vote for
Cap and Trade
Carbon emission trading (also called carbon market, emission trading scheme (ETS) or cap and trade) is a type of emissions trading scheme designed for carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs). A form of carbon price, carbon pricing ...
legislation as a national security imperative, stating "There's got to be something more important than getting reelected," in an interview with ''
Politico
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...
''. "If I lose my seat, and that's the worst that happens, I could live with that."
''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' termed Perriello an "unapologetic progressive" in naming him one of the "new civic leaders" in its 40 under 40 issue for 2010.
Political positions
While in Congress, Perriello supported landmark legislation, including the Affordable Care Act, DREAM Act, and climate and stimulus legislation. A populist Democrat, he was an ally in Congress of President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
, although he did not always vote in support of the President's agenda. Perriello voted with the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives 90% of the time, according to a ''Washington Post'' analysis.
Perriello voted for the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed in response to the G ...
,
the
American Clean Energy and Security Act
The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) was an energy bill in the 111th United States Congress () that would have established a variant of an emissions trading plan similar to the European Union Emission Trading Scheme. The bil ...
,
and the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health ...
in March 2010.
Health Care: During debate over the health care bill in the House, he voted for the
Stupak–Pitts Amendment
The Stupak–Pitts Amendment was a proposed amendment to the Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2010 (AHCAA). It was submitted by United States House of Representatives, Representatives Bart Stupak (Democratic Party (United States), Democrat ...
to the
Affordable Health Care for America Act
The Affordable Health Care for America Act (or HR 3962) was a Bill (proposed law), bill that was crafted by the United States House of Representatives of the 111th United States Congress on October 29, 2009. The bill was sponsored by Representa ...
, which would have prohibited the use of federal funds to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother. But Perriello later supported the final Senate version of the bill (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act), which did not include the Stupak-Pitts language,
and has since said he regrets his vote for Stupak, calling it the "worst vote of his career."
Economic Policy: Perriello voted against the
Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009,
because the bill extended
unemployment benefits
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work d ...
for only some states and excluded Virginia.
He pressed the administration and Congress to include more infrastructure spending in the stimulus bill, and authored the Every Penny to Main Street Act, which would have used the money that banks paid back from the bailout to directly create new jobs in construction. He also repeatedly urged Democrats to introduce a comprehensive national jobs bill.
Gun Control: Perriello opposed a ban on assault weapons while in Congress.
National Security: Perriello called for "keeping America safe by working to ensure that our military is equipped with the resources, equipment, and training necessary to win the global
war on terrorism." Although he cast votes for the continuation of U.S. military action in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
,
he also cosponsored legislation requiring
U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
to submit an exit strategy for the end of combat operations in Afghanistan.
Perriello also opposed removing the U.S. military from
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
.
In 2010, Perriello voted in support of the defense bill.
Sustainable Energy and Energy Independence: Perriello has been vocal in his support of sustainable energy solutions and energy independence. In April 2018, Perriello co-authored an opinion piece in the Washington Post with Tom Cormons, executive director of
Appalachian Voices, calling on Governor Northam to support a push by landowners and environmental groups against a fracking gas pipeline through the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Hate Speech and Discrimination: Perriello strongly condemned the
Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a White supremacy#United States, white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, whi ...
that occurred in Charlottesville in August 2017. Perriello wrote in Slate magazine that, “Our future will be determined by whether we speak honestly about the racial demagoguery of this White House, whether principled conservatives stop enabling the racist and authoritarian policies of the Trump administration, whether we restore the line between force and violence, and whether we have the moral and intellectual courage to engage honestly with our past.” On the one year anniversary of the rally in 2018, Perriello said that while the impact of the rally remains to be seen, the event “could prove to be a wake-up call that inspired a more inclusive and just community and country.” He also strongly emphasized a need for white Americans to actively speak out and demonstrate against racism, in order to counter the narrative of white supremacists.
Post-congressional career
Center for American Progress
After losing his congressional seat, Perriello served as president and CEO of the
Center for American Progress Action Fund
The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy think tank, research and advocacy organization which presents a Modern liberalism in the United States, liberal viewpoint on Economic policy, economic and social issues. CAP is headquarter ...
and as a counselor for policy at Center for American Progress where he spoke out on issues of immigration reform, voting rights, inequality, and
campaign finance reform.
U.S. Department of State
Secretary of State
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
tapped Perriello to lead the 2015
Quadrennial Diplomacy & Development Review, a strategic planning process intended to be conducted every four years for the
U.S. Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...
and the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The two agencies have a budget of more than $50 billion and 80,000 employees. The resulting document
Enduring Leadership in a Dynamic World set out four strategic priorities for American diplomacy and foreign assistance: preventing conflict and violent extremism, promoting democratic societies, advancing inclusive economic growth, and mitigating climate change. It also identified ways to make the agencies more efficient, including improving the use of data and diagnostics.
In 2015, President Obama appointed Perriello to succeed former U.S. Senator
Russell Feingold
Russell Dana Feingold ( ; born March 2, 1953) is an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1993 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee in the 2016 election for the same U. ...
(D-Wisc.) as Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region and the Democratic Republic of Congo. As Special Envoy, Perriello was the U.S. representative to a region including Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda, countries working to overcome a recent legacy of civil war and genocide. Perriello was charged with implementing the administration's policies of preventing mass atrocities and supporting the emergence of peaceful, democratic societies.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Perriello worked closely with the national council of Catholic bishops to support mediation between the president and opposition groups over a political crisis triggered when the president attempted to stay in office beyond his constitutional term. This work culminated in the historic New Year's Eve agreement on December 31, 2016, which lays out a path to the first
peaceful transition of power
A peaceful transition or transfer of power is a concept important to democracy, democratic governments in which the leadership of a government peacefully hands over control of government to a newly elected leadership. This may be after elections o ...
since the country's independence in 1960. He later wrote about the political challenges facing Congo in the ''Washington Post''.
2017 gubernatorial campaign
On January 5, 2017, Perriello announced that he would run for
Governor of Virginia
The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor (United States), governor is head of the Government_of_Virginia#Executive_branch, executive branch ...
in the
2017 election on a platform centered around economic justice as well as resistance to the
Trump Administration Presidency of Donald Trump may refer to:
* First presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration from 2017 to 2021
* Second presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration since 2025
See also
* ...
. In his campaign, he championed robust policies for addressing the racial wealth gap, reproductive health, resurgent monopolies, and corruption.
A group of more than 30 former Obama staffers signed a letter endorsing Perriello for governor, including Obama's 2008 campaign manager
David Plouffe
David Plouffe (; born May 27, 1967) is an American political and business strategist best known as the campaign manager for Barack Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign. He was the senior advisor to Kamala Harris' 2024 presidential cam ...
and former White House Senior Adviser
Dan Pfeiffer
Howard Daniel Pfeiffer (born December 24, 1975) is an American political advisor, author, and podcast host. He was senior advisor to President Barack Obama for strategy and communications from 2013 to 2015.
Pfeiffer was a long-time aide to Oba ...
. They were joined by Senator and former presidential candidate
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
, who subsequently appeared with Perriello at a
George Mason University
George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...
rally. Other individuals and organizations who endorsed Perriello, included
Our Revolution
Our Revolution (sometimes known by its initials OR) is an American progressive political action organization founded as a continuation of Senator Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign. The organization's mission is to educate voters a ...
, a Sanders' affiliated group;
Khizr and Ghazala Khan; the
Progressive Change Campaign Committee
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) is an American political action committee (PAC) associated with the progressive movement. The PCCC invests in advocacy campaigns and progressive candidates running for office in the United State ...
; Sen.
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
(D-Mass.);
John Podesta
John David Podesta Jr. (born January 8, 1949) is an American political consultant who served as Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy from 2024 to 2025, having previously served as the Senior Advisor to the President ...
, the chairman of
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
's 2016 presidential campaign; and Center for American Progress and Center for American Progress Action Fund President and CEO
Neera Tanden
Neera Tanden (born September 10, 1970) is an American political consultant and former government official who is the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, a Democratic think tank. Tanden was director of the United States Domesti ...
.
Perriello ran for the Democratic nomination against Virginia's lieutenant governor, pediatric neurologist and former state senator
Ralph Northam
Ralph Shearer Northam (born September 13, 1959) is an American physician and former politician who served as the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A pediatric Neurology, neurologist by occupation, he was an officer in the Medical Co ...
, who prior to Perriello's entrance into the race had been endorsed by Virginia Senators
Mark Warner
Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th gove ...
and
Tim Kaine
Timothy Michael Kaine ( ; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party (United States ...
; Virginia Governor
Terry McAuliffe
Terence Richard McAuliffe (born February 9, 1957) is an American businessman and politician who served as the List of governors of Virginia, 72nd governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat ...
; Virginia Representatives
Robert C. "Bobby" Scott,
Don Beyer
Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. ( ; born June 20, 1950) is an American businessman, diplomat, and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, his district is located in Northern Virginia and includ ...
, and
A. Donald McEachin; Virginia Attorney General
Mark Herring
Mark Rankin Herring (born September 25, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Attorney General of Virginia from 2014 to 2022. A Democrat, he previously served in the Senate of Virginia since a 2006 special election, ...
; and the full membership of the Virginia Democratic House and Senate Caucuses.
Throughout the race, Perriello faced criticism from
NARAL
Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America and commonly known as simply NARAL ( ), is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization in the United States that engages in lobbying, political action, and advocacy efforts to oppose rest ...
(which endorsed Northam) because of Perriello's 2009 vote in favor of prohibiting federal funding for abortion coverage in insurance plans subsidized under the
Affordable Health Care for America Act
The Affordable Health Care for America Act (or HR 3962) was a Bill (proposed law), bill that was crafted by the United States House of Representatives of the 111th United States Congress on October 29, 2009. The bill was sponsored by Representa ...
—a vote which Perriello has claimed was an attempt to keep a promise to constituents in his conservative, mostly rural district. Perriello has since apologized repeatedly for the vote, calling it a "bad vote and a bad pledge," while promising that he sees abortion as a "fundamental right" that should be accessible to all women.
Perriello criticized Northam for having twice voted for
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
—votes that Northam said occurred at a time when he was largely apolitical, prior to his first run for office.
Perriello refused to accept campaign contributions from
Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy, Inc., commonly referred to as Dominion, is an American energy company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia that supplies electricity in parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina and supplies natural gas to parts of Ut ...
, a state-regulated utility and Virginia's biggest political donor. Northam accepted over $100,000 in donations from the company and its executives.
On June 13, 2017, Northam defeated Perriello in the primary.
[ Perriello then immediately congratulated Northam on his victory on ]Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
. Perriello became CEO of Win Virginia, a PAC dedicated to helping Democrats win back the Virginia House of Delegates in 2017.
In an interview with the New Yorker, Perriello said that his single biggest takeaway from the campaign was “whichever party ends up figuring out how to speak about two economic issues—automation and monopoly—will not only be doing right by the country but will have a massive electoral advantage.”
Open Society Foundations
Open Society announced on October 10, 2018, that Perriello would become executive director of the Foundations' U.S. Programs starting November 12, 2018.
The work of Open Society Foundations
U.S. Programs
is organized around four central goals: a more inclusive and accountable American democracy; a fair criminal justice system; full political, economic, and civic participation of communities of color and immigrants; and equitable economic growth.
“I am thrilled to announce this new leadership for U.S. Programs, at such a critical juncture in the United States,” said Patrick Gaspard, president of the Open Society Open Society Foundations
Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the s ...
. “Our institutions are under attack, the rule of law is being challenged as seldom before in our history, and the very foundations of our democracy are under enormous stress. These times demand bold leadership, new ideas, and sharp strategic thinking. In Tom and Cecilia Munoz, we have a promising partnership to lead our work in the U.S. forward.”
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Perriello, Tom
1974 births
Living people
Candidates in the 2017 United States elections
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
People from Ivy, Virginia
Politicians from Charlottesville, Virginia
United States special envoys
Virginia lawyers
Yale Law School alumni
21st-century Virginia politicians
21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives