Matt Strickler, a former Natural and Historic Resources secretary under Gov. Ralph Northam, has entered the race for the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District.
“I’m not somebody who has ever thought of myself as a politician, but have certainly worked hard for a lot of elected and appointed officials,” Strickler said during an interview with Virginia Scope on Wednesday.
Strickler served as a legislative aide to Northam when he was a state senator, before going to work in Washington, D.C.
When Northam was elected governor in 2017, Strickler returned to serve in his cabinet.
“We were able to get a lot of good stuff done during that time,” Strickler said. “We had record investments — working with the General Assembly and Chesapeake Bay cleanup, we cleaned up a bunch of toxic coal ash dumps that Dominion Energy had placed around the state. We created the first coastal resilience master plan for Virginia, and we passed the RGGI legislation.”
Strickler left Northam’s cabinet in 2021 to serve in President Joe Biden’s adminstration as a deputy assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
Up until two weeks ago, Strickler worked as a senior advisor on the Natural Resources Committee in the House of Representatives.
“I was helping House Democrats with energy and environment and natural resources policy,” he said.
While his job history involves energy and the environment, which he said he will always be passionate about, he is also concerned about affordability.
“The only thing that is easy to do in this economy right now is for rich people to get richer,” Strickler said. “That’s not what we strive for in America.”
Strickler is entering a crowded field of Democrats hoping to run against Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans next year. Republican prospects in the midterm election look bleak after Democrats had a very successful cycle for statehouse elections this year.