Supervisor Pruitt outlines steps he will take if elected to Congress

Last month, Scottsville District Supervisor Michael Pruitt announced he would seek the Democratic nomination for Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District. He is currently in the second year of a four-year term as one of Albemarle’s six legislators.

“I don’t want to talk that campaign here from the dais, I don’t think that’s my role,” Pruitt said. “I have gotten the question from several people about whether or not I intend to continue to serve in this capacity while running and the answer is yes. I will resign once I win.”

Pruitt will face a nomination challenge next summer with at least one other candidate having declared. That person is Paul Riley of Crozet who also ran for the nomination in 2024. So far, only Pruitt is listed as a Democratic candidate in the records of the Federal Election Commission.

Pruitt declared after the June 30, 2025 deadline to file a campaign finance report. Republican incumbent John McGuire and former Congressman Bob Good have both filed reports. As of that deadline, McGuire reported a total of $507,435.75 in campaign receipts and a total of $230,977.74 in expenditures for the 2026 campaign.

Pruitt said he will continue to serve in Albemarle because he was elected to do a job.

“I think my perspective is valuable on this Board and I still think that’s true so I’m going to continue to serve in this role,” Pruitt said.

Pruitt said he disagrees with some of his colleagues on the Board who feel the position of Supervisor should be non-partisan.

“I am partisan and I am a politician and that is the capacity in which I serve on this Board,” Pruitt said. “I think that should be reflected in the way I conduct myself. Not as a neutral arbiter but someone who is here to have opinions about things.”

Pruitt said he would be quitting his day job in September in order to focus on the campaign and his time in office. He acknowledged he has not been as responsive to emails from constituents.

To keep track of the Fifth District campaign, take a look at the Virginia Public Access Project.

To keep track of what’s happening in local government in the Fifth District, check out Fifth District Community Engagement. Want to learn to write government summaries? I’m looking for volunteers who might be interested in helping me out.

Before you go: This story was first published in the August 7, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement and posted a day later to this website. Learn more about Town Crier Productions here.