Morgan Griffith's Last Three Newsletters Show a Congressman Focused on Washington, Not Southwest Virginia

Almost every member of Congress sends some form of newsletter to constituents, typically filled with updates on what they are working on, events they have attended, and other important information to keep the citizenry informed. These newsletters can be helpful and informative, while also shaping public opinion by demonstrating how elected officials are addressing the issues facing their constituents. This all seems like reasonable and common-sense stuff. 

But over the last three weeks, Morgan Griffith has used his official newsletter to discuss his opposition to D.C. statehood, his bill to change the appointment process for the Librarian of Congress, and a history lesson on the Revolutionary War. While these topics may be interesting to some, Southwest Virginians are facing rising costs, hospitals at risk of closure, and economic uncertainty today.

This isn’t the first time and certainly won’t be the last time Griffith’s newsletters feature a full-blown history lesson, particularly one about the Revolutionary War. Griffith has long had a deep fascination of the era as reporting in 2010 from the Roanoke Times stated, “Griffith … has an odd fondness for dressing up like one of his heroes, Revolutionary War Gen. Andrew Lewis” and according to Roll Call, he attempted to persuade the Salem City Council to name a newly built high school after General Andrew Lewis when he was student council president in 1976. While he failed in that attempt, “he made up for it decades later with a General Assembly bill soon after he became Majority Leader [of the House of Delegates]. Now, a long stretch of Interstate 81 around his hometown boasts Lewis' name.” If that isn’t enough, the Roanoke Times also reported that Griffith was married in Salem’s East Hill Cemetery next to General Lewis’ grave.

There is nothing inherently wrong with a member of Congress being passionate about history. In fact, understanding history can help inform good policymaking. The issue is not Griffith's fascination with Revolutionary War figures. The issue is that while Southwest Virginians are worried about rising costs, access to healthcare, economic development, and the future of their rural communities, Griffith has chosen to devote significant portions of his official communications to topics that have little connection to the day-to-day challenges facing his constituents. His fascination with the past is well documented. The problem is that too many Southwest Virginians are looking for solutions to the present.

Look at it this way. Taken individually, a newsletter about the Revolutionary War, the Librarian of Congress, or D.C. statehood may seem harmless. Taken together, Griffith's last three newsletters paint a picture of a congressman increasingly focused on ideological battles, historical interests, and Washington debates rather than the concerns that residents of Southwest Virginia consistently raise. 

These past 3 newsletters are not the only ones that have nothing to do with Southwest Virginia. In May, his office published a newsletter that mixed sparse facts with speculation regarding COVID-19's origins and the actions of NIH officials. In April, another discussed fraud in Minnesota and how he was launching an investigation into potential fraud in California, Massachusetts, and New York. Those are all states that are not even within a 100-mile radius of Southwest Virginia. 

The newsletter preceding that one appeared to be centered around the advocation for voter-ID requirements, but turned into a ramble over investigating a Democratic campaign fundraising platform and its involvement with accepting money from foreign nationals. That newsletter ended with a discussion about a non-citizen in Minnesota being charged with illegally voting in the 2024 election, and then inferred that this is because of Minnesota’s “lax voter registration rules” and how the law “allows any registered voter to vouch for the residency of as many as eight people to help them register to vote.” 

While Minnesota is not the purpose of this article, and has nothing to do with helping the 1 in 7 residents facing food insecurity in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia, it should still be noted that under Minnesota law, the voter providing the voucher must already be registered in the precinct, personally know that the individual resides there, and sign a sworn oath attesting to that fact. Providing false information under oath carries legal consequences. It is also worth noting that Minnesota is more than 1,100 miles away (a 17-hour drive) from the homes of those residents facing food insecurity in Buchanan, Dickenson, and Lee counties. 

Has the point been made?

Morgan Griffith has stopped focusing on the issues facing the residents of Southwest Virginia, and his own direct communications are a blatant example of how Washington political talking points have taken precedence over the local challenges facing families across our region.

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