Longtime Joe Biden Adviser Tests Positive for Coronavirus Posthumously
A longtime Democratic political strategist and adviser to former Vice President Joe Biden has posthumously tested positive for the coronavirus after his sudden death earlier this week.
WCVB-TV reported Boston-based political consultant Larry Rasky, 69, died Sunday at his Massachusetts home.
Politico reported the cause of death was undetermined at the time.
Rasky’s son, Will Rasky, confirmed the news of the posthumous COVID-19 test in a statement in which he also said his father suffered from underlying health conditions.
“On Thursday night, we learned that my dad, Larry Rasky, tested positive for COVID-19,” the younger Rasky said, according to WCVB.
“My dad had other underlying health conditions that medical professionals urge us to keep in mind. Our family, Larry’s colleagues, and others had already taken precautions in advance of learning the result, and we continue to follow all public health guidance,” he wrote.
“Not being able to gather with family and friends has made mourning Larry’s death all the more difficult, so the impact of the pandemic was already felt. That said, Larry’s spirit and legacy have kept us all tied together,” Rasky’s son concluded in his statement.
Larry Rasky tested positive for the COVID-19 virus posthumously after dying Sunday. He was 69. https://t.co/efJsrmvZYE
— USA TODAY Politics (@usatodayDC) March 27, 2020
Rasky’s consulting firm, Rasky Partners, mourned the passing of its founder in a statement on the company’s website.
“You’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the local media or political and corporate world who didn’t at one time or another seek his counsel,” the firm said.
Rasky’s obituary notes he was viewed as a political communications guru who was well-known in Democratic circles, particularly in the Boston area.
The strategist worked to elect John Kerry to the Senate and is also credited with helping to elect former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn.
Prior to that, Rasky worked on former President Jimmy Carter’s 1980 re-election campaign before becoming close to Biden.
The current Democratic presidential front-runner released a statement on Rasky’s death, describing him as “one of the sharpest political minds of his generation, a trusted advisor, and for me, a good and loyal friend.”
.@JoeBiden issues a statement on the passing of Larry Rasky:
“Larry Rasky was one of the sharpest political minds of his generation, a trusted advisor, and for me, a good and loyal friend.”
Full statement –> pic.twitter.com/YoraTIqVFK
— Molly Nagle (@MollyNagle3) March 23, 2020
David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, noted that Rasky had been an adviser to Biden since the 1980s.
More sad news.
I first met Larry Rasky in the ‘80s, when he was comms operative for @JoeBiden, to whom he remained loyal and committed for decades to come. Boston thru and thru, he was a great, ebullient pol. RIPhttps://t.co/eEgeiXrwyD— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) March 22, 2020
Politico reported Rasky celebrated Biden’s comeback in the Democratic primary after the candidate won his first contest in South Carolina in February.
After Super Tuesday, in which Biden shocked the world with the stunning turnaround of his campaign, Rasky celebrated.
“I’ve worked for Joe Biden for 30 years,” Rasky told Politico. “Seven days ago we won our first primary. Seven days later, he’s the presumptive Democratic nominee. There never has been anything like it.”
Information was not immediately available on the last time Biden had in-person contact with Rasky.
Biden has was filmed coughing during an appearance on CNN Tuesday, but the presumptive Democratic nominee told network host Jake Tapper that he has not been tested for the coronavirus.
CNN’s Jake Tapper just had to show Joe Biden how to properly cough during their interview. pic.twitter.com/SdA7Be69TW
— Francis Brennan (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@FrancisBrennan) March 24, 2020
“Have you been tested for the coronavirus?” Tapper asked Biden after scolding him for coughing into his hand and not his elbow, which is the proper way to prevent spreading diseases, according to public health officials.
“I have not been tested for the coronavirus. I have had, thank God, no symptoms that I’m aware of,” Biden told Tapper.
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