(The Center Square) – Republican Virginia Delegate Ronnie Campbell, who previously served as a Virginia State Trooper for more than two decades and in the House of Delegates since 2019, has died after a battle with cancer, according to a statement from House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah. He was 68.
Campbell represented Virginia’s 24th district, which includes Amherst, Augusta, Bath and Rockbridge. Campbell was born and raised in Augusta County and spent 25 years with the Virginia State Police before retiring in 2003. Before joining the House of Delegates, he served on the Rockbridge County School Board and as a Rockbridge County Supervisor.
In a statement Tuesday morning, Gilbert wrote that the state has “lost [a] good man and dedicated public servant, the House of Delegates has lost a sterling voice, and I have lost a good friend.”
“A detail from one of my last conversations with Ronnie speaks volumes about the kind of man he was,” Gilbert later added. “His biggest worry wasn’t the disease attacking his body, or any concern over what comes next. “No, Ronnie was worried that he wouldn’t be able to make it [to] Richmond to do his job, to be the voice for his constituents that they elected him to be.
“Just hours before his passing, he was working to see that the legislation he had prepared for the upcoming session wouldn’t fall by the wayside if for some reason he couldn’t be with us.”
Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued a statement about the delegate’s death, writing that Campbell “cared deeply about his community, the Commonwealth, law enforcement, and above all his wife, Ellen, and their family.”
“Suzanne and I are praying for the entire Campbell family during this difficult time,” Youngkin said.
The governor will eventually need to call a special election to fill Campbell’s vacant seat.
