Chap Petersen
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| J. Chapman "Chap" Petersen | |
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Member of the Virginia State Senate
from the 34th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Jeannemarie Devolites Davis |
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Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 37th district |
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| In office 2002 – 2006 |
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| Succeeded by | David Bulova |
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| Born | March 27, 1968 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Sharon |
| Children | Eva, Mary Walton, & Thomas |
| Residence | Fairfax |
| Alma mater | Williams College University of Virginia Law School |
| Profession | attorney |
| Website | http://www.fairfaxsenator.com |
John Chapman "Chap" Petersen is an American politician who was formerly in the Virginia House of Delegates for Fairfax, Virginia. He defeated Jeannemarie Devolites Davis in the 2007 legislative elections for a seat in the Virginia State Senate.
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[edit] Early life
Petersen was born in 1968 in Fairfax. He grew up in the city and graduated from Fairfax High School in 1986. Chap is also a graduate of Williams College and the University of Virginia Law School. He has been in private practice since 1994 and is a partner with the law firm of Surovell, Markle, Isaacs & Levy, PLC, where he represents some of Fairfax County’s fastest-growing businesses. In addition to his law practice, Chap sits on the Boards of two non-profit organizations: the Fairfax County Good News Jail Ministry and the Virginia Economic Bridge.
Petersen is married to Sharon (born 1970-09-10, Taegu, South Korea), and their children Eva (8), Mary Walton (5) and Thomas (almost 2) live in Fairfax City. Sharon is a practicing attorney.[1]
[edit] Political career
Petersen was a Fairfax City Councilman (1998-2002) and then a State Delegate (2002-2006).
In 2005, Chap ran for Lt. Governor of Virginia. He was defeated in the Democratic primary, finishing third with 22% of the vote in a four-way race, behind State Senator Leslie L. Byrne and State Delegate Viola Baskerville, but ahead of State Senator Phil Puckett. As a result of his statewide bid, he did not file for re-election to the House of Delegates that spring. The 37th House district is now represented by Delegate David Bulova.
In 2006, Chap was a senior advisor to Democratic Senate candidate Jim Webb. Webb defeated incumbent Republican Senator George Allen.
Petersen, a Democrat, announced his candidacy for the 34th District seat in the State Senate, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007[2] He defeated the incumbent Republican, Jeannemarie Devolites-Davis (wife of Congressman Tom Davis), in the November election, taking 55% of the vote. The district had been the most Democratic state senate district held by a Republican.[3]
[edit] Controversy over Voting Record
In mid-October 2007, Peterson's opponent began running television ads showing a photo of her opponent Chap Petersen with text stating "Supports Increasing the Estate Tax," "Supports a 38 cent gas tax increase," and "Voted for Concealed Weapons on School Property" superimposed. The voice over attributes these allegations to Petersen's prior votes in the Virginia House of Delegates. Davis's website also contains references to past Petersen votes.[4] Petersen responded that he never voted to increase the Virginia estate tax. Petersen co-sponsored bills, including SB 1309, intending to preserve the tax for Virginians in higher income brackets. Petersen also denied ever supporting a 38 cent gas tax increase. Petersen recently explained that he supported the current law which makes it a felony to possess a gun on school grounds, but voted for a bipartisan bill, HB 2535, which gave a limited exception to parents with licensed concealed carry permits who pick up their children at school, for just school driveways. That bill was signed into law in 2005.[5]
[edit] Campaign flyer flap
During the week of October 22, 2007, the Devolites-Davis campaign sent out 60,000 campaign flyers accusing Petersen of not disclosing that his former law firm was working on issues that Petersen voted on while in the House of Delegates. The flyer included a copy of a section of Petersen's Statement of Economic Interest, which he filed while serving in the House. It includes Petersen's home address, telephone number, and the names of his wife and four children. This information was not redacted by the Devolites-Davis campaign.
Petersen held a press conference on October 26 in front of Devolites-Davis' headquarters in Fairfax. He said that "words cannot describe the anger I feel" about the flyer, and called it "shocking" that Devolites-Davis would use his personal information in such a manner. Petersen said that advertising his personal information was not in and of itself a problem, but using it in an attack ad went too far. Such tactics, Petersen said, endangered his family.
In response, Devolites-Davis said in her own press conference that Petersen himself published the names and pictures of his family, and showed a mailer from the Petersen campaign showing pictures of his children. The mailer identifies the children by name.
She also claimed that Petersen's campaign uploaded a video to YouTube which brought up her daughter's armed robbery conviction of several years ago. However, according to Washington CBS affiliate WUSA, there is no evidence anyone from the Petersen camp uploaded the video.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
[edit] Endorsements
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (October 2007) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Petersen's 2007 State Senate Campaign was endorsed by:
Virginia League of Conservation Voters The Virginia League of Conservation Voters
Virginia Sierra Club Welcome to the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club :: Virginia Chapter
Virginia AFL-CIO Your Local Union Movement
Fairfax County Coalition of Police
Fairfax County Deputy Sheriffs
Gov. Mark Warner
Gov. Tim Kaine
Sen. Jim Webb
Del. David L. Bulova, D - 37th District
Del. David Marsden
Del. Steve Shannon
Del. Chuck Caputo
Del. James M. "Jim" Scott, D - 53rd District
Del. Vivian Watts, D - 39th District
Sheriff Stan Barry
Commonwealth's Attorney Robert F. Horan Jr. (then of Fairfax County, Virginia)
Commonwealth's Attorney Paul B. Ebert (Prince William County, Virginia)
County Supervisors Penny Gross, Sharon Bulova, Linda Smyth and Cathy Hudgins
County School Board Members Kay Kory, Phil Niedzelski-Eichner and Stuart D. Gibson
School Board Member At-Large Ilryong Moon
[edit] References
- ^ Jean Galloway Ball, P.L.C. - Sharon Kim Petersen. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ .[1][dead link – history]
- ^ Va. Senate District 34 | Washington Area Elections | washingtonpost.com
- ^ http://www.devolites.org/media.php Retrieved 2007-10-16.
- ^ http://www.thestraightrecord.com/guns.htm Retreieved 2007-10-16.
- ^ Virginia State Senate Race Heats Up|ABC 7 News
- ^ Va. State Senate Race Turns Tense - News Story - WRC | Washington
- ^ MyFox Washington DC | Accusations of Dirty Tactics in VA Senate Race
- ^ Personal Accusations Fly In Contentious Va. Senate Race
- ^ Candidate Cries Foul Over Mailing - washingtonpost.com
[edit] External links
- Chap for State Senate official campaign website
- Chap Petersen blog at OxRoadSouth.com
- Project Vote Smart - John Chapman 'Chap' Petersen profile
- Follow the Money - J Chapman Petersen
- Washington Post - Senate District 34 Race
