Senator Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax)

Party Democratic Photo of Chap Petersen
District 34: Fairfax City (All), Fairfax County (Part) [map]
Took Office January 2008
Next Election November 2015
Committees Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources, General Laws and Technology, Privileges and Elections
Age 43
Website fairfaxsenator.com
Fundraising $15,418 cash on hand (From VPAP)
Copatroning Habits 79% of bills he copatroned were introduced by Democrats. Of all of the copatrons of his bills, 69% of them are Democrats. Of all of the copatrons of all of the bills that he also copatroned, 59% of them are Democrats.
Partisanship
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Tag Cloud ?
Bills Passed 17.5% in 2011
Bio

Attorney practicing business law with Surovell, Markle, Isaacs & Levy, PLC. Fairfax native. Elected to Fairfax City Council in 1998. Member of the House of Delegates from 2001-5, resigned his seat to seek unsuccessfully the Democratic nomination for Lt. Governor. Graduate of the University of Virginia and Williams College. Married with three children.

Top Recent Contributors
Donor Sector Total
Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus Democratic Party committees $249,200
Virginia Democratic Party Democratic Party committees $241,117
Moving Virginia Forward Democratic-based groups (but not official party committees) and generic liberal/progressive ones $117,750
Democratic Legislative Campaign Cmte Democratic Party committees $60,000
Rice, Edward Hart Insurance companies, general $35,000
One Virginia PACs operated by Democratic state politicians $30,000
Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Attorneys & law firms $21,000
Pritchard, Daniel Computer software $21,000
Future Deeds Pac PACs operated by Democratic state politicians $20,284
Blue Dominion Majority Democratic-based groups (but not official party committees) and generic liberal/progressive ones $19,000

Data provided by The National Institute on Money in State Politics.

Recent Mentions on Blogs

"Conscience Clause" Bill That Could Bar Gay Foster Parents Moves ...

February 8, 2012
Ebbin's amendment failed 16-23, with Colgan, Puckett and Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax City) voting with Republicans to kill it. Another LGBT ally, Sen. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico Co., Richmond, Charles City) offered two ...

AlexandriaNews - Senator Petersen Defends Constitutional Rights ...

February 3, 2012
Today, on the Senate Floor, Senator Chap Petersen attacked Senate Republicans for supporting legislation designed to impose "waiting periods" before Virginians can exercise their constitutional right to vote by receiving an ...

POLL: Should Political Parties Stay Off the Ballot? - Fairfax City, VA ...

February 2, 2012
Sen. Chap Petersen speaks out against change he says would hurt Fairfax, other localities. ... ourselves) with party labels, particularly in local elections like the City of Fairfax. Our state senator was right to oppose the change.

Senate Defeats Party Affiliation Bill - Oakton, VA Patch

February 2, 2012
There is no request to change the law," said Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34th District), who represents parts of Oakton, in a statement. It's not the first time the bill has appeared before the Senate: It was also introduced in 2011, ...

Press Release: SENATE DEFEATS BILL TO REQUIRE PARTY ID IN ...

February 1, 2012
RICHMOND, VA – Today, the full Senate defeated by a vote of 25-14 the bill by Senator Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg) bill to require political party affiliation to be listed on ballots in local elections. Senator Chap Petersen ...

Recent Mentions in the Media

Washington Post (blog): Adoption law 'conscience clause' advances in Va. Senate

February 8, 2012
Adoption law 'conscience clause' advances in Va. SenateThat amendment failed on 16-23 vote, with Colgan, Puckett and Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax City) joining the Republican opposition. The House voted overwhelmingly for its version of the bill last week. A final vote is expected in the Senate on ...and more »

Patch.com: Senate Repeals Handgun Limit

February 8, 2012
Sen. Chap Petersen votes against bill, says current law already has "multiple exceptions for gun-owning Virginians" By Erica R. Hendry A bill passed by the Virginia Senate on Monday will end a 19-year-old limit on handgun purchases, a move praised by ...and more »

Metro Weekly: "Conscience Clause" Bill That Could Bar Gay Foster Parents Moves Forward in ...

February 8, 2012
"Conscience Clause" Bill That Could Bar Gay Foster Parents Moves Forward in ...The bill, Senate Bill 349, was introduced by Sen. Jeff McWaters (R-Virginia Beach) and would codify into law that private child placement agencies are not required to place children with prospective adoptive or foster parents if doing so is in ...and more »

Williamsburg Yorktown Daily: Virginia Moves to Loosen Gun-Ownership Rules

February 3, 2012
He won the election by less than a half percent ? becoming the nation's first post-Civil War black governor ? and promised to be a leader for gun control in a historically ?pro-gun? state, Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, said this week.and more »

The Virginian-Pilot: Bill seeks waiting period for absentee voting

February 3, 2012
Bill Bolling cast the tie-breaking vote to pass Obenshain's bill. All 20 Senate Democrats opposed the bill and some questioned the need for the legislation. "Remember, these are people who come in and register," said Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax.and more »

Below is a randomly assembled series of clips of some of Chap Petersen’s briefer remarks on the floor of the senate.

Bills