Beth Macy is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and longtime Virginia resident who has spent her career telling the stories of rural America, particularly the families and communities too often ignored by Washington. Raised in rural Ohio, Macy learned early about the dignity of work, the importance of community, and the challenges facing small towns. She earned her undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University and later completed graduate studies in journalism, launching a career that would span decades of reporting on poverty, healthcare, addiction, and economic change in Appalachia and the rural South.
Macy is best known as the author of Dopesick, the critically acclaimed book that exposed the opioid epidemic and the corporate greed that fueled it — work that helped change the national conversation about addiction, accountability, and public health and was later adapted into an award-winning television series. Throughout her career as a reporter for regional newspapers and national outlets, Macy has focused on accountability journalism, holding powerful institutions to account while centering the lived experiences of working families, caregivers, and people struggling to survive in a changing economy. Now running for Congress in Virginia’s 6th District, Macy is bringing her commitment to truth, compassion, and fairness into public service, determined to fight for affordable healthcare, economic opportunity, and dignity for rural communities across the Shenandoah Valley and western Virginia.
Key Issue Stances & Priorities
- Affordable Healthcare & Addiction Treatment — Macy believes healthcare is a human right. She supports expanding access to affordable care, investing in mental health and addiction treatment, and holding pharmaceutical corporations accountable for harm.
- Lowering Costs for Working Families — She is focused on reducing the cost of healthcare, prescription drugs, housing, and everyday necessities for rural and working-class families.
- Rural Investment & Economic Opportunity — Macy advocates for broadband expansion, infrastructure investment, and policies that support small towns, farmers, and local businesses.
- Holding Corporations Accountable — As a journalist who exposed corporate misconduct, she supports strong consumer protections, antitrust enforcement, and ethics reforms.
- Education & Workforce Development — She supports strong public schools, career and technical education, and pathways to good-paying jobs without crushing debt.
- Putting People Over Politics — Running in a heavily Republican district, Macy emphasizes independence, integrity, and a focus on real-world problem-solving rather than partisan talking points.
Strengths & Why This Race Matters
- Trusted Storyteller & Truth-Teller: Macy’s reporting has shaped national policy conversations and earned widespread respect across ideological lines.
- Deep Rural Roots: Her career and life have been embedded in rural America, giving her credibility in VA-06 communities often left behind.
- Clear Contrast to Extremism: Offers a compassionate, fact-based alternative to divisive politics.
- New Kind of Candidate: Brings fresh perspective, lived experience, and accountability-driven leadership to a district long written off.
- Long-Term District Investment: Even in a tough district, Macy’s campaign builds Democratic infrastructure and gives rural voters a real choice.
I’m running for Congress because the Roanoke and Shenandoah Valleys deserve leaders who tell the truth about our challenges—and fight like hell to fix them.