| Brian J. Moran | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Virginia Democratic Party | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 4, 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Richard Cranwell |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 46th district |
|
| In office 1996 – December 12, 2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Bernard S. Cohen |
| Succeeded by | Charniele Herring |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 9, 1959 Natick, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Karyn Moran |
| Relations | Jim Moran (brother) |
| Residence | Alexandria, Virginia |
| Alma mater | Framingham State College, The Catholic University of America |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Committees | Counties, Cities and Towns; Courts of Justice; Finance; Militia, Police and Public Safety |
| Signature | |
| Website | http://www.brianmoran.com |
Brian J. Moran (born September 9, 1959) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1996 until 2008, representing Northern Virginia's 46th district.
Moran was a primary candidate for Governor of Virginia in 2009, hoping to succeed fellow Democrat Tim Kaine, but on June 9, 2009, he lost the Democratic Party nomination to Creigh Deeds, a member of the Virginia Senate.
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Moran was born September 9, 1959 in Natick, Massachusetts, the youngest of seven children in an Irish Catholic family. At 9, Moran marched 20 miles with his sister Mary to protest hunger. At 13, he took the train to Washington to watch the Watergate hearings. As a teenager, Moran bagged groceries, rode a paper route and worked a graveyard shift at a gas station. He was the captain of his high school football team, playing in a stadium built by the Great Depression-era Works Project Administration. His parents were Roosevelt Democrats, and Moran says that one of his first memories was going door to door for local Democratic candidates with his father, former professional football player James Patrick Moran, Sr.
Moran attended university at Framingham State College, and later the Catholic University of America, where he earned his Juris Doctor from the Columbus School of Law in 1988.[1]
Moran's older brother is Jim Moran, a U.S. Congressman from Virginia's 8th district.[2][3] The elder Moran helped raise funds for his brother during his gubernatorial campaign, and both represent areas in Northern Virginia, but the two have differing opinions on several issues such as gun control and parole laws.[4]
After a year of clerking, he became a prosecutor in Arlington County. He worked cases ranging up to rape and murder. He left the prosecutor's office after 7 years and ran for the House of Delegates in 1995 at the suggestion of Mark Warner.
After being elected, Moran served on the Transportation, Courts of Justice, and Health Welfare and Institutions Committees. He is a repeat winner of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Legislator of the Year, a recipient of the Tech-10 award from the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and a Friend of Business awardee from the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce. Moran also was named the 2006 Legislator of the Year for the Virginia Sheriffs Association. Moran resigned his seat on December 12, 2008 to pursue the Virginia governorship full time.[5]
In 2001, Moran was elected to chair the House Democratic Caucus succeeding Creigh Deeds who was elected to the Virginia State Senate. Since then, Democrats have added seats in every consecutive general election and now hold 44 of the chamber's 100 seats. Moran spent the better part of 2006 and 2007 traveling the state to recruit and support House candidates for the 2007 election, when all 100 Virginia House of Delegates seats were on the ballot (as in every odd-numbered year).
Moran formed a fundraising committee to campaign for Governor in 2009.[6] Mame Reiley served as director of Virginians for Brian Moran, helping Moran in his election bid for Governor, from 2007 to 2009. Moran ultimately lost the Democratic nomination for governor to Creigh Deeds, who received more than twice as many votes as Moran. Moran came in third after Terry McAuliffe. On December 4, 2010, Moran was elected Chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia, defeating Peter Rousselot of Arlington County.[7]