Del. Salam Rasoul (D-Roanoke City), who goes by the anglicized nickname “Sam,” has made a down-to-earth, squeaky-clean image a big part of his political persona. Those acquainted with him know Rasoul to indeed be a friendly, outgoing individual.
Rasoul represents House District 38 (see map), which covers most of Roanoke City.
However, when it comes to campaign finance, there is a huge gap between Rasoul’s rhetoric and reality.
In public, Rasoul makes bold claims about not being beholden to big financial donors. Rasoul took the “Big Money Out VA” pledge, whose website is found here. Their subtitle reads: Democracy Loses When Big Money Wins.”
The first paragraph of the pledge that Rasoul signed states:
“I support getting big money out of politics by amending the United States Constitution to guard against corruption and protect liberty, federalism, and the equal rights of free speech by limiting the undue influence of money in elections and government. I additionally support comprehensive campaign finance reform in Virginia.”
The Big Money Out VA webpage also shows a photo of Del. Rasoul with his trademark beaming smile and his quotation: “As the first member of the General Assembly to reject special interest PAC [Political Action Committee] donations, I am proud that my campaign is 100 percent funded by individuals only. It’s time we return the people’s power back to politics.”
However, recent data from the non-partisan Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) shows a different story.
The “Out of State” tab on this VPAP page shows, for contributions through August 2025, Rasoul is #1 out of the House of Delegates candidates in receiving out-of-state contributions. Specifically, Rasoul took 60% of his funds from individuals and businesses with a non-Virginia address. For context, the second-highest person on the list, Republican Indira Massey, took 55%. But then there was a large gap, with #3, Dan Helmer, at 43%…17 points behind Rasoul.
There is also a clear trend between the parties and sources of their contributions. Among the top 10 with out-of-state donations, nine are Democrats.
Remarkably, twenty-five candidates reported no out-of-state contributions, and among those, fifteen are Republicans, four are independents, but only six are Democrats.
Roanoke business owner Maynard Keller (I), who is challenging Rasoul this election, reported only 2% of his contributions as coming from outside the Old Dominion.
In contrast, under the “Virginians” tab on VPAP, Keller comes in second, reporting that 83% of his contributions come solely from within Virginia.
Here again, a clear trend emerges. Among the Top 10 receiving in-state gifts, six are Republicans, two (including Keller) are Independents, and only two are Democrats.
In sum, Democrats are more likely to be taking in campaign contributions from outside Virginia, while Republicans tend to be funded by in-state supporters. This is definitely the case between the two candidates for governor, Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Winsome Sears.
Controversy surrounding Rasoul’s cash pipeline is not new. In April 2024, The Roanoke Star reported, “Rasoul Remains Silent About Shadowy Out-Of-State Money.” Rasoul is a Muslim, and among his donors are some with links to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has been accused of antisemitism, and some claim to be a “virulent hate group.” As recently as this past August, Rasoul made state headlines with his antisemitic remarks and positions, which some claim call for the extermination of the Jewish people.
The Roanoke Star asked both Keller and Rasoul for comments about their different sources of campaign contributions.
No response has been received from Del. Rasoul.
However, Keller had this to say via email: “In-state campaign donations play an important role because they help make candidates more accountable to local voters and protect them from the sway of out-of-state funds and special interest groups. These donations—especially small contributions from individual residents—help build widespread grassroots support from everyday people. Virginia Delegates should be supported by Virginia donors.”
Currently, VPAP reports Rasoul has raised $438,663 and Keller $53,218.
In addition to choosing our next governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, all 100 seats in the House of Delegates are up for grabs.
It’s unclear why so many people outside Virginia take such a keen interest in Roanoke politics, that they would give Rasoul contributions in the thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars, or if those donors have even visited Roanoke before.
Early voting has begun. The last day to vote is Nov. 4.
-Scott Dreyer
