Virginia state Sen. Chafin dies after catching coronavirus

by: The Associated Press

Posted: Jan 2, 2021 / 08:47 AM CST / Updated: Jan 2, 2021 / 08:47 AM CST

FILE – In this Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 file photo, Virginia State Sen. Ben Chafin, R-Russell, listens to debate on the floor of the Senate during the session at the Capitol in Richmond, Va. Virginia Sen. Ben Chafin has died due to coronavirus, Senate Republicans said Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. 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. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia state Sen. Ben Chafin has died after contracting the coronavirus.

Lawmakers from around the state mourned Chafin’s death late Friday. The 60-year-old Republican state senator represented southwest Virginia and was from Russell County.

He was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2013 and then moved to the state Senate in 2014. Chafin is the first Virginia lawmaker to die from the virus.

Gov. Ralph Northam says Chafin “loved the outdoors, and he loved serving people even more.”