DINWIDDIE, Va. — Virginia Del. Kim Taylor (R-Dinwiddie) received a politically-motivated death threat by text on Thursday, according to the Dinwiddie County Sheriff's Office.
According to officials, 33-year-old Michael Ray Strawmeyer was arrested at 2:15 p.m. after a report from Taylor's campaign manager that she had received a threat on her life.
Strawmeyer lives in Taylor's legislative district, according to the Sheriff's Office. He is being held without bond at Meherrin River Regional Jail pending an appearance in court.
"Delegate Taylor is safe and doing well," says a statement from Jacklyn Washington, Taylor's spokesperson. "She is grateful for the decisive action of law enforcement and remains focused on serving her constituents. No threat will distract her from the work she was elected to do."
Taylor, who represents the 82nd District in the Virginia House of Delegates, will face Democratic candidate Kimberly Pope Adams in the November election.
Adams released a statement on social media Thursday afternoon, saying she is grateful Taylor and her family are safe.
"Threats and violence have no place in our politics or our communities," the statement reads. "I have personally reached out to Delegate Taylor, and I’m grateful she and her family are safe and that the suspect is in custody thanks to the swift work of the Dinwiddie Sheriff’s Department. We’re stronger when we stand together against hate and fear."
Threats and violence have no place in our politics or our communities. I have personally reached out to Delegate Taylor, and I’m grateful she and her family are safe and that the suspect is in custody thanks to the swift work of the Dinwiddie Sheriff’s Department. We’re stronger…
— Kimberly Pope Adams (@kimadamsforva) September 25, 2025
Former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for Governor, also released a statement to social media about the situation.
"I am horrified to hear about the death threat made against Delegate Kim Taylor — and I am relieved to hear that the suspect is now in custody," the statement reads. "I am thinking of Delegate Taylor and her family, and I am grateful for our local law enforcement who worked swiftly on this case."
I am horrified to hear about the death threat made against Delegate Kim Taylor — and I am relieved to hear that the suspect is now in custody.
— Abigail Spanberger (@SpanbergerForVA) September 25, 2025
I am thinking of Delegate Taylor and her family, and I am grateful for our local law enforcement who worked swiftly on this case. https://t.co/G9fGb9aOH4
Taylor shared a statement with CBS 6 on Friday, referencing a recent comment by a candidate for statewide office.
While threats like this are never easy, they will never deter me from serving the families of our district. This attack has shaken my family deeply, my daughter was in tears, and it’s a stark reminder of how real the danger of political hatred can be, especially coming so soon after the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
As law enforcement continues their investigation, it’s clear this was a politically motivated attack. Just recently, a candidate for statewide office encouraged supporters to “let your rage fuel you” when talking about Republicans. Words like these have consequences, and my family felt them firsthand.
I will not be intimidated. I remain focused on the work I was elected to do and grateful for the trust my constituents have placed in me.
According to reporting by the Henrico Citizen, Spanberger said "let your rage fuel you" at an event on Sept. 19.
“Let your rage fuel you,” she said, while encouraging voters to pay attention to the 100 House of Delegates races on the ballot this fall. “The things that you think are wrong, these things that we want to improve, the things we want to make better. . . that we want to see in Richmond, or that we want to see pushed back against in Washington. We have the ability here in Virginia to ensure that we set the stage for what’s to come.”
In response to Taylor's comment on Friday, a spokesperson for Spanberger told CBS 6 that she immediately condemned the threat against Taylor, and that she will continue to condemn "any attempt to make light of or justify political violence of any kind."
Alongside the statement, Spanberger's campaign provided a link to a video of Spanberger speaking at an event on June 27, where she also said "let your rage fuel you."
“And my mother just said ‘Let your rage fuel you.’ And so Mom, I love you, I thank you for the sage advice. And to the rest of us, every time we hear a new story, we let it fuel us. Every time we turn on the news, we let it fuel us. Every time something bad is happening, we say ‘oh that’s motivation.’ I’ll tell you this, I have an opponent who’s incredibly motivating. And so every time something happens in the world, in this country, coming out of Capitol Hill or coming out of this White House, we just say ‘boy am I motivated today.’ We write more postcards, we knock more doors, we make more phone calls, we tell more friends about the importance of this election," Spanberger says in the video.
"Abigail has a long record of working across party lines to get things done, and she will continue to bring people together as Virginia’s next Governor," the statement reads.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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