A 60-year-old Republican state senator from Virginia has died from complications in the coronavirus, the senator’s office reportedly confirmed Friday night.
Sen. Ben Chafin of Lebanon in Russell County passed away earlier in the day after being treated at VCU Medical Center in Richmond for the past two weeks, Richmond WRIC-TV reports.
Several lawmakers in the state have posted tributes to Chafin on social media.
“Amanda and I are saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend Senator Ben Chafin,” Republican Senate Todd Pillion wrote. “Ben loved the life, his family, his work, and the people of Southwest Virginia, for whom he pleaded incessantly.”
“So sad to hear of the passing of our friend and colleague, Senator Ben Chafin,” Republican Senate Israel O’Quinn wrote. “This is a great loss for SWVA and his family, and we must all keep it in our prayers.”
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Chafin, a native of Virginia, has served in the state Senate since September 2014 after previously serving in Virginia’s House of Representatives.
Virginia State Senator Ben Chafin listens to Senate floor debate during session of Capitol in Richmond, Va., February 28, 2020. (Associated Press) “/>
Virginia State Senator Ben Chafin listens to Senate floor debate during session of Capitol in Richmond, Va., February 28, 2020. (Associated Press)
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Chafin was known as a proponent of gun rights for the second amendment. In 2018, he sponsored legislation to allow guns in churches after a shooting tragedy in Texas the previous year that left more than two dozen worshipers dead.
In 2015, Chafin fought farmers and farmers in Virginia against the Obama-era water regulation plan by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that viewed Chafin as an overreaction.
Chafin leaves behind a 38-year-old woman and three adult children, reports WRIC.