Morgan Griffith
Morgan Griffith, a Republican who has represented Virginia's 9th congressional district since 2011 and was earlier majority leader of the Virginia House of Delegates, faces Democrat Joy Powers, a farmer, in 2026.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
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- Born
- March 15, 1958
- Birthplace
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Education
- Andrew Lewis High School (1976)
Emory and Henry College (Bachelor of Arts, 1980)
Washington and Lee University School of Law (JD, 1983)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Morgan Griffith was born on March 15, 1958, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his family moved to Salem, Virginia, during his infancy. He graduated from Andrew Lewis High School in 1976 and from Emory and Henry College with a bachelor's degree in 1980.
He completed a law degree at the Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1983. Griffith then settled in Salem as an attorney in private practice, specializing in traffic violations and DUI cases, and in 2008 he joined Albo & Oblon LLP as head of its new Roanoke and Salem office.
Career
Griffith's political involvement began in 1986, when he became chair of the Salem Republican Party, a post he held from 1986 to 1988 and again from 1991 to 1994.
When Delegate G. Steven Agee ran for attorney general in 1993, Griffith won the open 8th district seat in the Virginia House of Delegates, which he represented from 1994 to 2011. In 2000 he was elected House majority leader, the first Republican to hold the position in Virginia's history.
He also served as vice chair of the Rules Committee and chaired the Criminal Law Subcommittee of the Courts of Justice Committee.
In 2010 Griffith challenged Democrat Rick Boucher, a 13-term incumbent who had held the 9th district since 1983, and won by less than 5% of the vote. He has held the seat since 2011, winning re-election in 2020 unopposed with 94.39% of the vote and in 2024 against Democrat Karen Baker. Griffith serves on the Committee on Energy and Commerce and is a member of the Freedom Caucus.
2026 race
Morgan Griffith is seeking re-election in Virginia's 9th congressional district, which covers rural southwest Virginia, including Abingdon, Blacksburg, Bristol and Norton.
He won the seat in 2024 with 72.5% of the vote and is the Republican nominee for 2026 after security guard Brandon Cook withdrew from the primary.
His Democratic opponent is Joy Powers, a farmer who was the party's 2025 nominee for the 51st district of the Virginia House of Delegates and who won the 2026 Democratic primary with 51.7% of the vote. Griffith and Powers face each other in the general election on November 3, 2026.