Chris Head, Mark Peake and Claudia Tucker Formally Announce for HOD and State Senate Races
By Jason Johnson | Thursday, May 19th, 2011 | PoliticsFollowing Monday’s surprise announcement from Del. Bill Cleaveland that he will not pursue a second term in the House of Delegates, rumors began to swirl that Chris Head, who finished second to Cleaveland in the 2009 Republican primary, would soon announce his intentions to run for the 17th District seat. Those rumors were put to rest yesterday when Head, the 48 year-old manager of Roanoke’s Home Instead Senior Care, formally announced his candidacy from his office.
My belief is in an unwavering support of conservative, faith-based, family oriented values, in fiscal responsibility and transparent accountability from our government, and in vigilant defense of our constitutional rights. If you send me to Richmond, I promise I will hold fast to these values.
The open seat combined with a positive environment for Republicans could make the race for the nomination crowded, yet Chris Head is the first announced nominee. While other individuals are believed to be interested in pursuing the nomination, two of Head’s rivals in the 2009 primary joined him at his press conference to express their support for his candidacy. Head was also joined by Sen. Ralph Smith, whom some believed also might be interested in the open seat. This support portents well for Head’s chances of becoming the consensus candidate for the Republican nomination and is a testimony to the effort Head put into increasing his name recognition and visibility at party functions since his primary loss two years ago.
Approximately 60 miles east in Lynchburg, two additional candidates have thrown their names into the increasingly crowded field vying for the right to run in the newly formed 22nd Senate District: Mark Peake, an attorney and chairman of the Lynchburg Republican Committee and Claudia Tucker, chairman of the Amherst County Board of Supervisors.
Mark Peake, who was appointed to serve on the Commonwealth Transportation Board by Gov. McDonnell, vows to make transportation an critical focus of his campaign:
Transportation priorities include continuing to fund the Amtrak train from Lynchburg to Washington, D.C. and getting a U.S. 29 bypass built around Charlottesville, Peake said.He vowed to work with Sen. Steve Newman, whose 23rd District includes the other half of Lynchburg, to seek the bypass. “That is one of the key issues for this area and I will fight hard to make sure that happens,” Peake said.
“I stand for limited government, fiscal responsibility, lower spending and lower taxes,” Peake said during an announcement crowded with supporters in his law firm’s office. He added, “Limited government doesn’t mean no government”….
Claudia Tucker, who works as Senior Director of State Government Affairs for a Fortune 50 company, believes that her work with the state legislature both through her day job and through her work on the Amherst County Board of Supervisors has prepared her to represent the 22nd Senate District:
“I hire attorneys or lobbyists or whatever the case may be, and I manage them. It has been my responsibility to read all legislation, work with legislators, and educate them about our company.”
“If you want to send an attorney back to Richmond, there are a lot of choices. But if you want to send a pro-business candidate with real-world experience, there is only one choice,” Tucker said.
(If Tucker’s name sounds familiar to some Bearing Drift readers, it is because she once served at the Chief of Staff to former Speaker of the House Vance Wilkins.)
Bearing Drift has already introduced two candidates for the 22nd Senate District race; with the announcements by Mark Peake and Carla Tucker, the race now has five Republicans, including Brian Bates, Tom Garrett and Bryan Rhode.
The addition of two Lynchburg-area candidates appears to make the Republican field more geographically balanced–a fact not lost on the Lynchburg News & Advance, which reminded its readers that nearly half of the district’s population resides in the Lynchburg metro area. This regional split could help determine which candidate eventually emerges with the Republican nomination.
While the field grows, many Virginia conservatives continue to wait with bated breath to see if a draft campaign can convince the Vice Chairman of the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors, Bearing Drift contributor and longtime conservative activist Shaun Kenney to enter the race for the Republican nomination.
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A lifelong political junkie, Jason caught the political bug as a fifth grader after meeting George Allen in 1993. Since then he has studied political science at both the undergraduate and graduate level. When not perusing the blogs or volunteering for conservative Republicans, Jason enjoys cheering on his beloved Virginia Tech Hokies and spending time at his Bedford County home.
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15 Responses to "Chris Head, Mark Peake and Claudia Tucker Formally Announce for HOD and State Senate Races"
The Claudia Tucker who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in the Ed Metricardi eavesdropping case?
I guess she might have shot in that district which runs to hell and gone and encompases several distinct communities of interest from the African-American ward of Lynchburg to Fluvanna County.
Same one. From the article on her announcement, Mrs. Tucker addresses that very issue (I wasn’t going to bring it up, but since you did):
“People make mistakes all the time,” Tucker said Tuesday. “My mistake was public, and if you ever want to learn and understand the consequences of your behavior, make a mistake that is in the public eye,” she said. “You can either make a mistake and sit on the sidelines, or take that mistake and learn from it and use your skills to make the process better. That is what I have chosen to do today,” Tucker said.
22nd District voters can decide it if’s time for her to get back in the game or stay on the sidelines.
Yep. They can. I think if I was a Republican voting in that district that would give me pause in voting for her..because that appears to be a competitive district…it’s got most of Lynchburg’s Democrats in it. The conviction would be too good a weapon to hand to the Democrats.
With Virgil Goode endorsing Supervisor Brian Bates from Buckingham this race could be one to watch. Rural Virginia needs more representatives in Richmond with strong conservative principles like Bates…
Claudia brings what is sorely missing to the race. Real world business experience. As the only farmer in the race, she’ll represent her district well. Rural Virginia, and agriculture in particular has seen it’s influence in the General Assembly dwindle.
As Chairman of the Amherst Board of Supervisors, Tucker just passed a budget that actually eliminated whole departments. She made serious cuts and managed to deliver a balanced budget with no tax increases. That’s something none of the other candidates can say – and it’s experience none of them have.
And Steve – are you insinuating that African Americans will vote for Claudia because she has a misdemeanor conviction? You’re breaking out the racist comments a little early in the cycle, aren’t you?
This will be a good race to watch. Would have to think that Tucker’s experience – as a businesswoman, farmer, former legislative staffer, local government leader – would make her the strongest candidate. After what she’s done for Amherst County, she’s got my vote.
William, I don’t mean to speak for Steve, but he wasn’t insinuating that, he was suggesting that this district’s not an uber safe GOP seat and nominating a candidate who copped a plea on a major political scandal is one way to potentially lose the seat. He was citing the significant african american population as one reason it’s not 100% safe GOP. I think I saw somewhere that the district’s population is like 20%-25% african american.
Kenney has chosen not to run.
His remark clearly references her misdemeanor, then says the reason she’d have a shot is the African American community. I don’t know how else you read that.
No, William you’re clearly choosing to take Steve’s comment out of context. He was observing that the district is composed of a very diverse mix of communities, none of the candidates are known throughout it, and in a primary with 5 candidates (maybe more) it’s possible she could win it with like 25% in spite of a very obvious flaw that the Dems would quite obviously exploit in the general.
William-You are apparently on crack. I said it was a wide open district because it contained a number of communities of interest that have nothing to do with each other.
I also said that the conviction would be a bad thing, not a good thing, because it gave Democrats ready made ammo against her.
William: I have to agree with Steve on this. I did not interpret his comment as a racist statement in any way, but a general acknowledgment that: one, Ms. Tucker has baggage that her opponents might attempt to use against her in the general election and two, gerrymandering made the 22nd a large, diverse district that is hardly homogeneous in its composition.
Steve: If I were a primary voter in the 22nd District, Ms. Tucker’s conviction might give me pause as well. That having been said, we have all done stupid things that we later regret (I know I have). I know your comment was directed at campaign strategy, but how long should we really blackball a candidate for a mistake he or she made in the past?
J.R.: It’s unfortunate that primary voters in the 22nd won’t be able to consider Shaun Kenney. I may be a little biased, but he would’ve made a stellar senator. Hopefully his time will come in the near future.
JJ: Good question. And you’re right, I was talking about political strategy. If you have the chance to have a candidate without baggage or one with baggage, I’d think it’s better to take the one without baggage.
But I agree with what I think you’re implying, which is that Ms. Tucker’s transgression probably isn’t so great that she should be barred from running for office forever. After all, she wasn’t convicted of a felony. Apparently she’s on the Board of Supervisors in Amherst County, so those voters, who likely know her best, didn’t hold it against her.
Mrs. Tucker is a farmer through her husband, Bill. The Amherst county board was something she won due to nobody ran agaist her. Her website is misleading on her personal life as well. I do not trust her. I will not vote for her. It would seem that she does not stand for much of anything unless it will get her elected. This is just my opinion. Mark Peake is very upfront and honest about where he stands on the issues for Virginia and he notes that he is a Republican , something no one else had noted on their signs!
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