Sam Rasoul, a Palestinian-American Virginia state delegate with a history of inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric, announced on Monday that he is considering running for Congress in 2026, pending the outcome of a likely redistricting effort in the state. 

The Virginia state Senate recently adopted a measure kicking off a process to allow mid-decade redistricting, following the lead of other states planning to redraw congressional maps to shore up partisan advantages. Texas initiated the political arms race after facing pressure from President Donald Trump to draw maps more favorable to Republicans, and several other GOP-controlled states have followed — and some Democratic-controlled states, like California and Virginia. 

The new maps are already putting several pro-Israel incumbents at risk in states like Ohio and Florida. 

Rasoul, a Roanoke Democrat who chairs the Education Committee in the House of Delegates, came under fire from prominent Jewish Democrats in the state earlier this year after posting a series of posts on social media that critics say crossed a line into antisemitism. 

“Zionism has proven how evil our society can be,” Rasoul wrote on Instagram in July. He called Zionism a “supremacist ideology created to destroy and conquer everything and everyone in its way,” which, he wrote, “shows us the worst in humanity.” 

Former Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, a Democrat, told Jewish Insider in August that Rasoul’s language is “fueling one of the oldest forms of hatred in the world, repackaged in the language of activism.” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said at the time that he “forcefully reject[s] any claim that Zionism — the desire of Jewish people to have a state of Israel — is inherently racist or evil.” 

Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger, who was on the campaign trail at the time, did not mention Rasoul by name. But when asked about his comments, she said, referring to the war in Gaza, that “one can and must denounce these tragedies without using antisemitic language, whether intentional or not.”

In a fundraising email announcing his intention to formally explore a congressional run, Rasoul made his opposition to Israel a central part of his pitch.

“Virginians are looking for bold, experienced, progressive leadership that meets this moment and delivers results by guaranteeing healthcare as a human right through Medicare for All, protecting our access to clean air and water through a Green New Deal, and ending all military aid to Israel, which has waged a genocide in Gaza using our taxpayer dollars in violation of American law,” Rasoul wrote. 

Rasoul has served in the House of Delegates for 12 years. 

Virginia’s statehouse will decide in January whether to approve the redistricting effort. If it passes, it will then have to be approved in a statewide ballot referendum. 

Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, on Thursday became the latest Virginia politician to weigh in on antisemitic comments by state lawmaker Sam Rasoul. Without naming Rasoul directly, Hashmi appeared to criticize his language, which has been described as antisemitic by several leading Jewish organizations in the state.

“The rise in antisemitism has created real fear in communities across Virginia — and it cannot be ignored or dismissed; instead it must be condemned clearly, consistently and without caveat,” Hashmi wrote in a post on X on Thursday. “As a Muslim, I know what it feels like when an entire community is scapegoated for the actions of a few. No group should be vilified, targeted, or dehumanized. Antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and all forms of hate have no place in our communities — they are an affront to our shared values.”

As chair of the Virginia Senate’s education committee, she works closely with Rasoul, who chairs the education committee in the House of Delegates. Hashmi was the first Muslim elected to the Virginia state Senate, and Rasoul is one of two Muslim lawmakers in the House. Hashmi faced a public rebuke from the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond last year after hosting a hearing about anti-Israel protests on college campuses, which she had praised publicly. 

In a July Instagram post, Rasoul described Zionism as “evil” and said it is a “supremacist ideology created to destroy and conquer everything and everyone in its way.” His rhetoric earned condemnation from former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, and her Republican opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears, as well as Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA). 

Rasoul has stood by his attack against Zionism.

“While there are many who aspire for Zionism to be a safe place for a homeland for Jewish people, the reality is the manifestation of that has produced apartheid — and now, as human rights orgs in Israel have claimed, a genocide in Gaza,” Rasoul told Semafor on Thursday. 

Later, Rasoul provided additional commentary to the Virginia Scope, a political newsletter in the state, doubling down on his claims that Zionism has made “the world less safe for my Jewish friends,” as he wrote on Instagram last month.

“The court of public opinion has shifted that this is clearly a genocide, so the default is anyone critical of the genocide must be antisemitic,” Rasoul said. “I will continue working hand-in-hand with our Jewish brothers and sisters who are fundamentally less safe because they have taken antisemitism and unfortunately used it so loosely that when there’s true antisemitism that we must counter, it’s difficult for the public to determine what’s really going on, and so we need to be better stewards and try to defend against all hate.”

Facing pressure from the Virginia Jewish community to speak out against recent anti-Zionist social media posts from state Del. Sam Rasoul, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, addressed concerns about antisemitism without specifically referencing Rasoul. 

“This war continues to unleash heartbreak and tragedy as we witness civilian deaths, starving families, and hostages still held by Hamas. These horrors rightly compel so many to advocate for the mass delivery of aid, the release of all Israeli hostages, and a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel,” Spanberger told the Virginia Scope, a political newsletter, in response to a question about Rasoul, who chairs the Education Committee in the House of Delegates. “However, one can and must denounce these tragedies without using antisemitic language, whether intentional or not.” 

She did not specify whether she identified Rasoul’s rhetoric as antisemitic. Spanberger’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Jewish Insider. 

Rasoul, a Palestinian-American legislator who represents Roanoke, has in recent weeks taken to social media to call Zionism “evil” and said that it is “making the world less safe for my Jewish friends.”  

In her statement to the Virginia Scope, Spanberger acknowledged the recent rise of antisemitic violence in America.

“Just recently, antisemitic language led to attacks on peaceful protestors in Colorado and the murder of two Israeli Embassy staff members — as well as a growing, pervasive sentiment of fear among our Jewish neighbors. We must recognize our shared commitment to peace and work to rebuild trust in our communities,” she said. 

Rasoul’s rhetoric has drawn criticism from some other Virginia Democrats, including former House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who told JI this week that he “forcefully reject[s] any claim that Zionism — the desire of Jewish people to have a state of Israel — is inherently racist or evil.” 

State Sen. Schuyler VanValkenbuerg, a Democrat from the Richmond area, echoed Kaine’s sentiments.
“The current Israeli government deserves condemnation for its actions in Gaza. But the claim that Zionism is inherently evil deserves to be forcefully rejected. It’s wrong and it’s dangerous,” VanValkenburg posted on X on Thursday.

Since soon after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, Virginia state Del. Sam Rasoul, a Democrat who chairs the Education Committee in the state’s House of Delegates, has used his social media accounts to attack Israel and decry American support for the Jewish state. 

But Jewish Democrats in the state fear that a series of recent posts from Rasoul vilifying Zionists has taken his anti-Israel rhetoric to a new level, prompting concerns about his leadership of the committee that is tasked with reviewing the education-related legislation that comes before the statehouse. 

“Zionism has proven how evil our society can be,” Rasoul wrote in a July 26 Instagram post that described Zionism as a “supremacist ideology created to destroy and conquer everything and everyone in its way.” Rasoul accused Zionists of “making the world less safe for my Jewish friends.” Public opinion polling shows that the vast majority of American Jews feel a connection to Israel. 

Former Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, a Democrat from Northern Virginia, told Jewish Insider on Tuesday that Rasoul’s rhetoric is “fueling one of the oldest forms of hatred in the world, repackaged in the language of activism.” 

“I would expect more from someone who was appointed chair of the Education Committee and is entrusted to set an example for young people,” said Filler-Corn, who was the first woman and first Jewish person to serve as Speaker of the House in Virginia, from 2020 to 2022. She left office in 2024. 

Committee leadership is decided by Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, a Democrat from Portsmouth. Several leaders in the Jewish community — including both within the Democratic Party and from nonpartisan Jewish communal organizations — told JI they have raised concerns about Rasoul’s posts directly with Scott or his staff, seeking Rasoul’s removal from the chairmanship. Neither Scott nor other high-ranking Democrats in the state have weighed in on Rasoul’s posts.

“I’m concerned about people’s silence,” said Cookie Hymer Blitz, a longtime Jewish and Democratic activist in Northern Virginia. “Others need to speak out without fear of intimidation or just taking the consequences. If you’re intimidated, sometimes you still have to just do the right thing.” 

One person, who requested anonymity to speak about their private conversation with Scott, said the speaker did not defend Rasoul, who is the son of Palestinian immigrants — nor did the speaker seem to take the impact of Rasoul’s language as seriously as they would have liked. Another said Scott was not receptive to the concerns raised. 

“Under Speaker Don Scott’s leadership, Virginia has taken real, bipartisan steps to combat antisemitism and hate,” his communications director, Gianni Snidle, told JI in a statement on Tuesday. “Speaker Scott has been proud to strengthen Virginia’s partnership with Israel, including continued support for the Virginia Israel Advisory Board.”

Snidle did not answer a question from JI about Rasoul’s posts and his leadership of the Education Committee.

“We think that it is very concerning that he’s the chair of the Education Committee while he’s propagating antisemitic rhetoric,” Vicki Fishman, director of Virginia government and community relations at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, said of Rasoul. “He’s considered a thought leader on equity and security of our public schools, and we are deeply concerned that his ability to empathize and truly understand the serious crisis of school-based antisemitism is compromised when he is propagating and amplifying demonization of Jews — demonizing this core aspect of Jewish identity, which is Zionism.” 

Daniel Staffenberg, the CEO of the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond, said Rasoul’s leadership atop the Education Committee is “deeply troubling … not just for Jews but all people who value truth [and] justice, who wish to combat hate, not normalize it.” 

In his July Instagram post, Rasoul appeared to minimize the Holocaust in describing the scale of what he described as “genocide” in Gaza. “After 22 months of the most horrific crimes, there is no doubt that Israel is conducting the most evil cleansing in human history,” Rasoul wrote. 

Rasoul wrote on Instagram in May that “those who defend Zionism and remain quiet … are making our world a more evil place.” Earlier that month, he said Zionism “shows us the worst in humanity” and that “the depravity of Zionism knows no bounds.” Rasoul has represented Roanoke in the statehouse since 2014. He ran for statewide office in 2021, coming in second in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. 

Marc Broklawski, a public employee who lives in Virginia and serves as the vice-chair for rules in the Virginia Democratic Party, decided to go public with his concerns about Rasoul in a thread on X last week and to call for Democratic leaders in his state to speak out against Rasoul’s language.

“It wasn’t just one post. It was the pattern, painting Jewish fear as fake, Jewish trauma as a strategy. At some point, you either stay silent or speak up. I spoke up. Because when you say there’s ‘no middle ground,’ you’re not asking for justice, you’re demanding sides. And we know what happens when Jews are cast as the enemy,” Broklawski told JI, referring to language in Rasoul’s July post that said there is “no middle ground in this supremacist mess.”

Rasoul did not respond to a request for comment.