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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – During his career in education, former University of Virginia President Jim Ryan avoided political campaigns. The only time he got involved in one, he said, was to support his UVA law school roommate’s bid for Congress.
That was Sean Maloney, who won a seat representing New York’s 18th District in 2020.
Thursday morning, on the steps of UVA’s Rotunda, Ryan inserted himself into the 5th District race in Virginia, throwing his support behind Democratic nominee Tom Perriello, a longtime friend. He and Perriello led a run of students to the Charlottesville registrar’s office, where the students could cast their early ballots.
Ryan quipped he’d like to go 2 for 2 in backing Congressional candidates.
“I know Tom well. I know his character and I know his values. I know his work ethic,” Ryan told Cville Right Now. “And to harken back to a speech I gave in the spring, I know he’ll do the right thing.”
Support from UVA students, and young voters in general, could play a major role in the outcome of Perriello’s 5th District race against Republican incumbent Rep. John McGuire. Perriello, the last Democrat to represent the district, said UVA voters helped tip that election in his favor in 2008.
In this campaign, Perriello said he’s spent time with students from Averett, Liberty, Longwood, UVA and Virginia’s community college system.
“We want young people to be involved in this election, whether at UVA or in the community or Longwood or elsewhere,” Perriello told Cville Right now. “Quite frankly, young people are inheriting this mess and are going to be paying the price for it for a long time. They deserve to have as much of a voice as possible in this election.”
Thursday morning, a group of about 70 students and volunteers made the run from UVA’s Grounds to the city’s Downtown Mall.
“Run with Jim” events were a staple of Ryan’s presidency at UVA from 2018-2025. He was forced to resign under pressure from the Trump administration in June 2025.
“I think it’s important that young adults get into the habit of voting,” Ryan said. “I think it’s really important that college students get into that habit right away. So, anything we can do to get out the vote I think is really important. The first time gets you used to it. You learn it’s not that hard to do and you learn that it’s important to do. I think starting young, as with anything else, is important.”
Ryan said, during his time at UVA, he found the students there to be socially conscious and politically engaged.
“In my experience, students pay attention to what’s going on in the world,” Ryan said. “This can seem like a bubble sometimes, but I think a great number of students pay close attention to what’s happening in the world, and they want to be a part of it. Part of the reason they come to UVA is they care about public life. It’s not just about private gain.”
Thursday morning, many of the students who turned out were part of the University Democrats at UVA, who are urging voters to support not just Perriello and Sen. Mark Warner, but also to vote in favor of the three Constitutional amendments on the ballot.
“This election is so critical to flipping the House. We say the path to flipping the House runs right here through the 5th, especially here in Charlottesville,” University Democrats President Semony Shah told Cville Right Now. “Students, really in this election, have a disproportionate amount of power. They could really decide what party controls the House and kind of stop this negative agenda that we’re seeing from the Trump administration.”
Shah said she’s seen a rise in political awareness and engagement across campus and believes student voting turnout will be higher this year than in recent years.
“We’re not just voting for our rights and our campus liberties and civil liberties,” she said. “We’re voting to change how the nation is being affected by federal overreach and extreme abuse of power from the Trump administration.