Virginia state Senator Chafin dies after catching coronavirus

Virginia state Senator Ben Chafin has died after contracting the coronavirus, Senate Republicans have said. A Republican, he was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2013 and then moved to the state Senate in 2014. He was 60.Lawmakers from around the state mourned Chafins death late Friday. Chafin is the first Virginia lawmaker to die from the virus.

Virginia State Senator Ben Chafin has died after contracting the coronavirus, Senate Republicans have said. Chafin represented southwest Virginia and was from Russell County. A Republican, he was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2013 and then moved to the state Senate in 2014. He was 60.

Lawmakers from around the state mourned Chafin's death late Friday. “I knew Ben as a lawmaker, an attorney, a banker, and a farmer raising beef cattle in Moccasin Valley, working the land just as generations of his family had done before him,” Governor Ralph Northam said. “He loved the outdoors, and he loved serving people even more.” “He served to ensure that his region and community, and the people he loved, would never be forgotten,” Senate Republicans said in a statement. Chafin is the first Virginia lawmaker to die from the virus.

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