Top Republican's son backs Democrat running for father's seat
- Published
Bob Goodlatte and his son Bobby (right)
A senior Republican lawmaker's son has donated the maximum legal limit to the Democratic challenger running in an election to replace his father.
Virginia congressman Bob Goodlatte is not seeking re-election in November.
On Sunday, his son Bobby Goodlatte said he gave $2,700 (£2,100) to Jennifer Lewis, a Democrat who is running in Virginia's 6th Congressional district.
"2018 is the year to flip districts - let's do this!" he said, linking to Ms Lewis' website.
Jennifer Lewis, 26, is a mental health care worker running to replace Mr Goodlatte in the central west part of the state.
She supports liberal policies such as legal cannabis and a $15 per hour minimum wage, and will face Republican state delegate Ben Cline in November.
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The Lewis campaign told CBS News in a statement on Monday: "We appreciate Bobby's generous donation, and we're thrilled to work alongside a Goodlatte from now until November to flip the district blue."
The maximum donation permitted by an individual is $2,700.
Mr Goodlatte, 65, serves as the powerful chairman of House Judiciary Committee, and is the in the state's congressional delegation.
Last November, after Virginia elected a Democrat as governor, he announced that he would not seek re-election after 13 consecutive terms.
He joined more than a dozen Republicans who have announced that they are not seeking re-election in 2018.
According to his Twitter account, his son Bobby is an investor based in San Francisco.
In a subsequent tweet, Mr Goodlatte Jr said he was "overwhelmed with the support", but told followers "don't just retweet - donate!!".
Later on Monday, Mr Goodlatte Jr tweeted about , who came under scrutiny for texts criticising President Donald Trump during the 2016 election.
He blamed his father, who took aim at Mr Strzok during a House hearing last month, for ruining the FBI agent's career.
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- Published3 January 2017
