Amid the daily ad blitz of gubernatorial and attorney general candidates — heard about those Jay Jones text messages? — two challengers in Roanoke-related state House races seek a way to alter the expected.

Whether independent Maynard Keller or Democrat Donna Littlepage can change the minds of a majority of voters in the blue 38th or red 40th districts, respectively, is a tall task.

A question in the 38th: Can Keller capitalize on Del. Sam Rasoul’s comments about Israel?

And in the 40th: In a contest between two CPAs, can Littlepage convince voters she is better on the numbers than Del. Joe McNamara?

Rasoul, a Democrat first elected to the House in 2014, represents the 38th. It includes most of the city of Roanoke, minus three precincts, and it’s the only solidly blue district west of Richmond. How blue is the 38th? Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris won the area represented by Rasoul with 61 percent of the vote in 2024. Rasoul’s campaign coffer — at more than $450,000 earlier this year — is more than five times what Keller has, according to Virginia Public Access Project data.

McNamara, a Republican whose House service began in 2018, represents the 40th. It comprises Salem, part of Roanoke County and the three Roanoke precincts not in Rasoul’s district. How red is the 40th? Yes, Donald Trump won the district — but so did Republican U.S. Senate candidate Hung Cao, decisively, against the generally popular Democratic incumbent Tim Kaine in 2024. McNamara’s campaign money topped $250,000 as the race began — more than twice Littlepage’s total, according to VPAP. 

Over the years, Southwest Virginia’s political leanings shifted along with population, prompting House boundary changes.

Gerrymandering — a party’s altering of political boundaries to benefit itself — and geographic sorting — homogenous grouping of like-minded voters — are part of those decisions and can result in a lack of competition in general elections, said Sam Wang, who directs the Gerrymandering Project at Princeton University.

What the current House map in Southwest Virginia shows, primarily because of sorting: Party primaries are typically what decides a race, not the general election, Wang said. 

That’s the political mountain Keller and Littlepage must climb on Nov. 4.

The four candidates answered questions from The Roanoke Rambler in recent weeks. Here’s a closer look at each, starting with the 38th District race:

Sam Rasoul

In a phone interview, Rasoul, 43, the General Assembly’s lone Palestinian and first Muslim elected to the House, discussed this year’s campaign, including his comments about Israel. He did so with calm and with confidence.

That comes from a political career during which Rasoul, a healthcare consultant, started the Impact Center in 2016 “to empower progressive nominees,” offering training to others running for office. He spent time as a substitute teacher to learn more about what’s happening with public schools. 

During this year’s race, Rasoul’s comments on the war in Gaza made news in his district and beyond. In July, Rasoul was criticized by some in his own party — including Kaine and gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger  — for an Instagram post in which Rasoul said: “Zionism has proven how evil our society can be.” Rasoul also refers to Israeli’s actions in Gaza as a genocide. 

Keller says that proves Rasoul is an out-of-touch “radical.” A Keller mail piece brands Rasoul with the “radical” label and reads: “Consumed with hate. Distracted by support for Hamas. Incapable of bringing us together.”

In August, the Roanoke City Democratic Committee took the uncommon step of passing a resolution of support for Rasoul, a candidate it had nominated months before. In an email to The Rambler, committee Chairman Mark Lazar said the discussion surrounding the resolution was to respond to social media attacks on Rasoul, “though the specific nature of those attacks was not discussed.”

During his Rambler interview just a few days after a Gaza peace deal was announced this month, Rasoul said he appreciates the resolution of support. He declined to talk about Keller or his accusations.

But he did not shy away from talking about Gaza. Even after the peace agreement was announced, people were continuing to be killed, he noted.

“It is a sad stain on humanity,” he said of the past few years.

Last Friday, Rasoul was endorsed by the Jewish Voice for Peace Action, a multiracial, intergenerational movement of Jews and allies working towards justice and equality for Palestinians and Israelis by transforming U.S. policy, according to its own description.

The group, in a press release, wrote that Rasoul “has been a voice of moral clarity in advocating for Palestinian rights and freedom, and pushing for an end to U.S. complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.” 

“Sam is a champion for all people’s rights, whether it’s fighting for our students as chair of the House Education Committee, or working to protect the free speech and protest rights of pro-Palestine peace student activists on local campuses,” Roanoke teacher Jack Leff said in the release. “I’m proud to be represented by and support someone who will fight for justice for all, from Roanoke to Palestine.”

Rasoul is chairman of the House Education Committee, where he’s helped shape such legislation as the state-mandated prohibition of cellphone use by public school students. Rasoul ran for lieutenant governor in 2021, finishing second in a six-candidate Democratic primary.

His Roanoke House district includes one of the highest Medicaid user rates in the state, which makes him “sensitive to the economic struggles of people,” he said.

The cost of living — with a focus on what people are paying for electricity and housing — is something he strives to help with all the time, said Rasoul, who announced several years ago that he would refuse donations from utilities.

He said he plans to work with his General Assembly colleagues to find more ways for the State Corporation Commission to “reign in these monopolies.”

Another important issue Rasoul said he remains involved with: harmful chemicals, known as PFAS, in water supplies. The Spring Hollow Reservoir in Roanoke County was contaminated by pollutants from a business in 2022, requiring cleanup and costly unexpected treatment.

“I don’t think I’m comfortable where we stand as a region with PFAS,” he said, adding, “Imagine this: Republican and Democrats, we’re actually working together to fix it.”

Asked about his position as a frontrunner — and if that gives him cushion to speak his mind on Gaza — Rasoul said he plans to always challenge the status quo.

“That’s what we’ve tried to do,” he said.

Maynard Keller

 Keller, 58, talked about his campaign during an interview at his financial planning office inside the Jefferson Center. Keller is an auto enthusiast who is president of the Roanoke Valley Regional Antique Car Club of America and he rides his bike from his home in Northwest to downtown on many days. 

His energy for the race is unmistakable.

“I was telling my car club, I feel like we’re doing about 110 miles per hour,” he said. “We’re in overdrive and there are no brakes. We’re laser-focused on this election.”

This is his third run for office since 2020. He ran twice as a Republican for city council, failing to earn a seat. A difference this year from his prior campaigns: Keller said he talked to professionals to get advice about being in a “David versus Goliath” contest.

And on that front, he is trying to use the Gaza issue to wedge Rasoul out of office.

Keller is a founding elder at the Hope of Israel Congregation, which includes Jews and Gentiles “who worship Yeshua of Nazareth as Israel’s one and only Messiah,” according to the group’s website.

“Sam is really out of touch with so many common issues facing Roanoke,” Keller said. “He’s the only Democrat west of Charlottesville and the issues he’s been focusing on standing against Israel, calling Israel a terrorist state, calling Zionism evil. You know, what does that have to do with Roanoke?”

The question is: Will Roanoke voters actually vote for Keller because of Rasoul’s Gaza stance?

Kathy Cohen, retired rabbi of Roanoke’s Temple Emanuel and a civic activist who serves on the city Gun Violence Prevention Commission, said she took note of Rasoul’s comments and talked to him about it. 

Cohen said she’s not a person who believes Israel “is always right,” but that she became concerned because, in her opinion, Rasoul’s rhetoric went from criticism of an Israeli policy or action to an anti-Zionism stance that could prompt antisemitism, even if Rasoul doesn’t mean it that way.

“I know people in my congregation who have previously supported him, will not,” she said.

Keller said his campaign is also focused on affordability, public safety and jobs creation.

He said he came up with a tax equity plan that would take an average real estate assessment percentage, subtract a cost-of-living percentage  and then require city council to reduce the tax rate by that amount. To do that, the city should tighten its belt, including getting rid of numerous properties it owns and maintains, including the City Market Building and the former Countryside Golf Course, he said.

Keller also said the city does not have enough police officers and there are people who don’t feel safe going downtown after dark, which harms businesses. Creative ways are needed to address a problem for potential hires who don’t join the city police department because they can’t transfer their pensions because the city offers its own system, not the state’s, he said.

Asked if he feels unsafe downtown, Keller said: “Well, I don’t, because I carry a firearm. Better than American Express, don’t leave home without it.”

His independent candidacy — versus running as a Republican — sums up his campaign, Keller said.

“What Roanoke is not craving is more partisanship,” he said. “People are not asking ‘what political party are you?’ What people are looking for is leadership.”

The 40th District candidates:

Joe McNamara

During a phone interview, McNamara, 62, is asked what’s different now, versus when he started his political career on the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors in 1996. McNamara was elected to the House of Delegates in 2018.

He said he’s always enjoyed knocking on doors — but it’s not the same anymore. That practical view was clear throughout the interview.

The now-inactive CPA turned ice cream shop owner said it used to be much easier to talk to people on their porches. But the world changed, with social media and ad blitzes.  There is voter burnout, too, McNamara said he’s noticed.

He said it’s also harder now to talk to people not in agreement with him. And he said he hears much about Donald Trump. 

“People love him, or they hate him,” he said.

He said he’s not hearing much about the Medicare and healthcare cuts that Littlepage, his opponent, is making part of her campaign.

With Rasoul mentioning PFAS as a bipartisan issue, McNamara said improving mental health treatment and care is one that Republicans and Democrats are discussing together.

“The problem is, what is the correct solution?” he said.

During his time in the legislature, McNamara took the lead on a reduction of the state’s grocery tax. He said he’s also proud of his work to help people put more money in their pockets through state income tax changes, as well as his support of a state rebate sent to Virginia residents this year.

He will talk numbers. The state reserves have grown from 3 percent of the state’s total budget to 20 percent during his years in the General Assembly, he said.

As the only CPA in the House when he was elected, McNamara said he decided to concentrate on that area of expertise, versus trying to be a jack-of-all-trades.

“That helps with bipartisanship,” he said.

Looking forward, McNamara said he doesn’t believe “there is a huge appreciation” for Virginia being a right-to-work state. If Democrats were to successfully eliminate that, he said it will impact business openings in the state, as well as growth and revenue.

“I’m not seeing anything close to the discussion it deserves,” he said. “It is a significant risk to Virginia.”

Asked about his pro-Republican district and his frontrunner status, McNamara said “I don’t know if I’m up or if I’m down. I just try to do the best I can.”

He recalls his loss in a board of supervisors primary to Bent Mountain’s Ed Elswick in 2009. 

“You just never know,” he said, adding that if were to lose to Littlepage, he’d call and offer her his support.

“I don’t own this seat,” he said.

Donna Littlepage

Littlepage, 64, talked to The Rambler during a lunch interview at Pancho Mexican Restaurant at the Towers shopping center. It is clear that her life experiences shaped her sense of purpose.

Littlepage, like McNamara, is a CPA. After numerous accounting-type jobs, Littlepage most recently retired as the senior vice president of accountable care strategies at Carilion Clinic.

Early in her career at another job elsewhere, she said she was asked by a manager to falsify statements so the business could get a loan. She said she immediately quit.

Repeatedly during the campaign she’s said that she’s a centrist who is “socially conscious and fiscally pragmatic.”

Littlepage said she’s running at this point in her life because she believes she can help as a public servant with her knowledge of budgets and healthcare and other financial issues through her experience at Carilion.

Littlepage, during the interview, discussed a variety of issues and the numbers behind them. That included a possible sliding scale for a minimum wage across the state, based on a region or locality’s cost of living. That would allow a compromise between workers and business owners, she said.

The Trump administration Medicaid cut plans are also an example, she said, and she believes she’s moved the needle with voters on the issue. Virginia could face paying hundreds of millions of dollars to keep the current system in place.

It’s complicated and there are various implications, she said.

“When you reduce payments from Medicaid, it is going to show in the commercial and employee sponsored healthcare, either in higher premiums, higher employer costs, high deductibles, and higher payments,” she said.

Littlepage said, too, that if cuts are made to Medicaid, then that should also include a scrutiny of the entire system to see where improvements can be made. 

That would be looking at situations from all angles, and with independence, and is a skillset Littlepage said she offers. That will allow her to use her legislative seat to tell the whole story, versus the parts lobbyists prefer, she said. 

“That’s what my 35 years will bring to the table,” Littlepage said.

A state constitutional amendment that voters may decide next year would establish a right to  abortion. The proposed amendment defines it as "the right to make and effectuate one's own decisions about all matters related to one's pregnancy."

Littlepage, who believes in reproductive freedom, is a staunch advocate for voters getting a chance to decide that, as well as other issues. 

McNamara, along with other Republicans, make the point that they believe the amendment, if passed, could allow an abortion up to the moment of birth.

Littlepage says that stomps on values, because it is disrespectful to physicians who work hard to keep people alive. 

Of the McNamara position, she remarked: “You just said physicians will murder a viable baby. They don’t.”