When Richmond native and veteran attorney A. Donald McEachin decided to run for Virginia’s 4th District Congressional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, his decision nearly two years ago to shift political careers from state lawmaker to rookie member of Congress had it challenges.

Rep. McEachin had to meet scores of voters forced into the state’s redrawn 4th District that stretches from Richmond, and parts of Henrico and Chesterfield counties, through Petersburg to the North Carolina line and east to Chesapeake. He had to learn issues important to them so they could quickly become important to him.

Once elected in November 2016, the 57-year-old Democrat had to learn in no short order how to climb the very difficult federal political high bars, a challenge made tougher for rookies and members of the political party out of power.

Now up for re-election, Rep. McEachin said he’s ready for battle at the voting booth next month, his efforts reinforced by the harsh rhetoric of President Trump and some members of the GOP.

President Trump, he said, “opposes everything America stands for.”

He characterizes his opponent, GOP candidate Ryan McAdams, an evangelical pastor, as “a decent man” who is following the wrong political leader.

Despite President Trump’s divisive political rhetoric and his ability to overwhelm national news, Rep. McEachin said he has been able to work with lawmakers across the political aisle when it comes to legislation of importance to district residents.

He is a member of the influential House Armed Services Committee, giving him an important seat at an important table when lawmakers debate and recommend House actions on programs and spending on military related maters.

The 4th District includes thousands of active duty and retired military personnel.

Among the variety of issues facing the Congress, Rep. McEachin views health care as the overarching issue in the election. It out-ranks other issues by a great margin, he said, pitting him and President Trump at opposite polls of the political spectrum.

He supports strengthening the Affordable Care Act, including protecting it from GOP attempts to eliminate health insurance coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. He also opposes efforts to replace Medicare with a voucher system or to have Medicaid funded through block grants that would shift costs to senior citizens and working-class families.

Rep. McEachin also has pushed for federal money for upgrades to crumbling infrastructure, including roads, bridges and access to broadband internet for rural areas, and inclusion of African-American communities in the improvements.

On the education front, he has sought increased funding for public education and to help students earn college degrees debt-free from public colleges and universities.

He also has requested federal-level probes and intervention into disparate discipline in area public schools for African-American students and students with disabilities and Section 8 housing communities in Henrico County.

In this bid to win re-election, he said he’s trying to “get out there and talk to everybody I can in the district.” He said he’s making a special effort to “reach out to college students,” noting most don’t understand “how they got here” and the history of progress through voting.

As for the Democratic Party’s midterm campaign slogan, “For the People,” Rep. McEachin added that his effort in Congress is not to bring Washington to the 4th District, but rather ensure Washington is doing all it can to serve the people of the district.