hburgnews.com

Previously, we’ve written about Sam Rasoul‘s bid for the Democratic Party’s nomination to challenge Rep. Bob Goodlatte in the 6th Congressional District, because Rasoul seemed to be the only one running a real campaign. Today, while most people have politics on their mind, former FBI agent Drew Richardson officially entered the race.

Richardson, an adjunct JMU and BRCC prof, said that Rasoul has done good things for the Democratic Party in the district. But Richardson responds to claims that he’s a year behind Rasoul in terms of campaigning by saying that he’s “30 years ahead of him” in terms of the experience necessary to convince the majority of 150 Democratic Party delegates in the 6th that he’s most electable candidate.

Richardson is critical of Goodlatte, stating that he’s “concerned with the result of foreign wars” that Goodlatte has been so supportive of. He said that his experience working on various criminal, national security and counter-terrorist investigations throughout his career at the FBI qualify him to deal with serious issues at the national level that Goodlatte has mismanaged.

Richardson seems to be establishing himself as a “national security Democrat.” He hopes to appeal to moderates and Republicans concerned with vulnerable U.S. borders and foreign wars that may create breeding grounds for terrorists.

But he’s also critical of Goodlatte’s record on agriculture, claiming that most of the ag bills Goodlatte has sponsored ultimately benefit larger factory farms, not the smaller family farms common in rural Shenandaoh Valley, where Richardson lives. He said, “Saying that these corporate farms are family farms is like saying Wal-Mart is a small business just because Sam Walton had a family.”

Democratic Party delegates will nominate a Goodlatte challenger in May.