Barry Knight

Barry Dean Knight (September 26, 1954 – February 19, 2026) was an American politician and farmer who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2009 until his death in 2026. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in a special election on January 6, 2009. Knight represented the 98th district, made up of parts of southeastern Virginia Beach.

Early life Knight was born and raised on a farm. After graduation from Kempsville High School, he worked as a truck driver to raise enough money to buy his own hog farm.

He was named the Virginia Farm Bureau's Young Farmer of the Year in 1983, and served as president of the Tidewater Pork Producers from 1984 to 1990. He was also chairman of the Southern States Cooperative, and served with the Virginia Beach Farm Bureau.

In September 2008, Delegate Terrie Suit resigned her 81st district seat to take a job as a lobbyist. Knight ran for the Republican nomination, winning a three-way primary contest on November 29 over Virginia Beach Sheriff Paul Lanteigne and Tom Keeley, a retired United States Navy officer. Knight received 1,309 votes out of 2,218 ballots cast. He went on to defeat Democratic nominee John LaCombe in the special election on January 6, 2009.