The Virginia Senate
The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Prior to the American War of Independence, the upper house of the General Assembly was represented by the Virginia Governor’s Council, consisting of up to 12 executive counselors appointed by the Colonial Royal Governor as advisers and jurists.
The Lieutenant Governor presides daily over the Virginia Senate. In the Lieutenant Governor’s absence, the President pro Tempore presides, usually a powerful member of the majority party. The Senate is equal with the House of Delegates, the lower chamber of the legislature, except that taxation bills must originate in the House, similar to the federal U.S. Congress. Members of the Virginia Senate are elected every four years by the voters of the 40 senatorial districts on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday in November.
3rd District
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7th District
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14th District
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8th District
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Senator Tommy Norment
During his 20 years in the Senate of Virginia, Tommy Norment has earned a reputation as one of the Commonwealth’s most effective legislators. For this reason, Tommy was elected by his colleagues to serve as Majority Leader of the Senate Republicans. As a member of the Courts of Justice, Finance, Rehabilitation and Social Services, Rules, and Commerce and Labor Committees, Tommy regularly works on legislation to make our community safer and to ensure that Virginia remains the best state in which to raise a family and do business.
Jen Kiggans, former Navy pilot and nurse practitioner and represents Virginia’s 7th Senate district. The seat was held by retiring Senator Frank Wagner and includes parts of Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
Elected in 2001, to the House and later to the Senate, John has focused his efforts on improving public safety, education, transportation and protecting the Chesapeake Bay, as well as working hard to protect our family values.
Bill DeSteph was elected to the Senate in November 2015 to represent the 8th Senatorial District.[/rescue_toggle]
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The Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is one of two parts in the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the House membership by the Delegates. The Speaker is usually a member of the majority party and, as Speaker, becomes the most powerful member of the House. The House shares legislative power with the Senate of Virginia, the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The House of Delegates is the modern-day successor to the Virginia House of Burgesses, which first met at Jamestown in 1619. The House is divided into Democratic and Republican caucuses. In addition to the Speaker, there is a majority leader, majority caucus chair, minority leader, minority caucus chair, and the chairs of the several committees of the House.
The House of Burgesses was the first elected legislative body in the New World. Originally having 22 members, the House of Burgesses met from 1619 through 1632 in the choir of the church at Jamestown. From 1632 to 1699 the legislative body met at four different state houses in Jamestown. The first state house convened at the home of Colonial Governor Sir John Harvey from 1632 to 1656. The Burgesses convened at the second state house from 1656 until it was destroyed in 1660. Historians have yet to precisely identify its location.
The House has met in Virginia’s Capitol Building, designed by Thomas Jefferson, since 1788. The legislative body met from 1788 to 1904 in what is known as today the Old Hall of the House of Delegates or commonly referred to as the Old House Chamber. The Old House Chamber is part of the original Capitol building structure. It measures 76 feet in width and is filled today with furnishings that resemble what the room would have looked like during its time of use. There are many bronze and marble busts of historic Virginians on display in the Old House Chamber, including: George Mason, George Wythe, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and Meriwether Lewis. From 1904 to 1906, University of Virginia graduate and architect John K. Peeples designed and built compatible classical wings to the west and east side of the Capitol building. The new wings added to provide more space and serve as the legislative chambers in the Virginia General Assembly, the Senate of Virginia resides in the west chamber and the House of Delegates resides in the east chamber. The General Assembly members and staff operate from offices in the General Assembly Building, located in Capitol Square. Prior to 1788 the House of Delegates met in the Colonial Capital of Williamsburg.
81st District
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82nd District
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84th District
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96th District
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100th District
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Delegate Barry Knight
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[rescue_toggle title=”Republican Party of Virginia – Second Congressional District Chairman Dennis Free”]
Chairman Dennis Free
Dennis Free is a native of Maryland, but moved to Virginia to attend the Virginia Commonwealth University. In 1977, he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.S. in Administration of Justice and Public Safety. In 1978, he settled in Virginia Beach when he joined the Virginia Beach Police Department. Dennis served on the Virginia Beach Police Department for 28 years with distinction, as he has been awarded the Silver Star for Bravery, Medal of Merit for Bravery, and the Life Saving Medal.
He worked in Uniform Patrol, Beat Operations, Street Crime Tactical Operations, Special Operations, SWAT and the Office of Professional Standards. While on the Virginia Beach Police Department, Dennis also obtained his Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Old Dominion University, where he finished as the top graduate and was awarded the Wolfgang Pender Award for outstanding academic achievement. In 2006, Dennis retired from the police force with the rank of Captain.
Even after Dennis retired from the Virginia Beach Police Department, he continued to serve and protect by joining the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office. In 2006, Sheriff Paul Lanteigne appointed Dennis Chief Deputy. As Chief Deputy, Dennis supervised the fiscal operation of the office, analyzed the budget, coordinated schedules, and evaluated the effectiveness of existing programs. In 2010, Dennis easily transitioned to his current position of Undersheriff after Sheriff Stolle appointed him to the position. Dennis oversees over 500 employees to ensure an effective operation of the office.
As Undersheriff, Dennis proposed legislative changes to allow inmates to clean graffiti from private property, which saved the city $20,000 each year. Moreover, Dennis was integral in developing a new 5-year food contract for inmates, which resulted in saving $350,000 each year over the life of the contract. He also revised inmate canteen procedures that resulted in a doubling of revenues to $500,000 a year, which offset the costs of operation.
Not only has Dennis worked in law enforcement for over 30 years, he has also been involved in the local community in order to make Virginia Beach a better place to live. Dennis served as the Chief Executive Officer on a project to build a National Aviation Monument, which honors veterans in naval aviation. This monument is located on 25th Street. Dennis obtained private funding for this project without any cost to taxpayers. In addition, Dennis is on the Board of Directors for the Assisi House, which is an organization that seeks to build affordable housing for mentally disabled adults. The organization’s mission is to provide this service at no cost to taxpayers.
Dennis serves on the Board of Directors for the Pungo Strawberry Festival, which is an event that attracts more than 200,000 visitors each year and has raised in excess of $800,000 to provide scholarships for deserving students. Dennis is a member of numerous organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Police, Police Association of Virginia, Virginia Sheriff’s Association, Police Supervisor’s Association, American Correctional Association, Naval Institute, Knights of Columbus, Virginia Gang Investigators Association, and American Society of Public Administrators.
Dennis has been married to his wife Cindy for over 30 years. They have one son, Chris, who is a graduate of Barton College.
In his spare time, Dennis enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, lifting weights, sports shooting, and playing golf.
