Petersen Touts Advocacy For Children, Elderly, Small Business

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Sen. Chap Petersen, who represents the 34th District in the Virginia Senate, hopes to be reelected to the Virginia General Assembly on Nov. 7. Before he can do that, he'll need to defeat Saddam Azlan Salim in the June 20 Democratic Party Primary.

Salim, a Falls Church resident who works in public and nonprofit finance, launched his campaign on Tuesday to challenge Petersen to be the Democrat on the ballot in November.

With the redrawn Senate district lines going into effect this year, both men will be running in the 37th District, which includes Fairfax City, as well as all or parts of Vienna, Dunn Loring, Merrifield, Oakton, Fair Oaks, Tysons, and Falls Church.

No Republican candidate has come forward yet to declare themself a candidate in the 37th District race. The deadline for non-primary candidates to file for the November election is June 20.

Petersen, who works as an attorney, has served in the State Senate since January 2008. He served previously in the House of Delegates from 2002-2006 and as a member of the Fairfax City Council from 1998-2002. He currently chairs the Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee and is a member of the Education and Health, Finance and Appropriations, Judiciary, and Rules committees.

Related: Saddam Azlan Salim To Challenge Chap Petersen In June 20 Primary

Although Petersen was a candidate in the 2005 Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, this will be the first time he has had a primary opponent in a General Assembly race. He has not had a Republican opponent in the general election since he defeated Gerarda Culipher in 2011.

Following Salim's announcement on Tuesday, Petersen took a break between the executive session and the start of the day's committee meetings for a quick phone interview to answer a few questions about the 2023 campaign.

What is it that you you think these are you say that you bring to the community in your role as a state senator?

I have a record of advocacy that's unique. I was the one that reopened the schools. That's a pretty massive achievement. I was the one that brought the kids back to normal. A year ago when we said, 'We're going to end the mask mandate and allow the kids to have a normal student life again.

I've been an advocate for small business for the last three years. I had to bill on PPP [payback protection program] deductibility that allows small businesses to deduct their expenses. I was an advocate for, again, reopening DMV, which was a huge asset for businesses.

Related: Petersen Bill To Rein In Drug Prices Advances Through VA Senate

I've had a role on on a whole bunch of issues, everything from the environment you know, whether it was the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the Clean Energy Act and some of the other major environmental issues we've had to public safety. I had the good Samaritan bill, which allows young people that suffer an overdose to contact the police and get help without being arrested.

At the end of the day I I'm really I'm probably most proud of my record and advocating on behalf of kids and small business and also the elderly. In that respect, I think that prescription reform bill is a big deal and it is going to be a major help to elderly Virginians.

You mentioned getting the schools back open, but you were at odds with other Democrats in the Virginia Senate at that time.

I said, "We're going to reopen the schools," and I took a lot of criticism for it. But two years later, it's funny. That criticism kind of dried up a little bit. At the end of the day, my job is to speak on behalf of the community. We'll let the voters decide. But I think people look back and being an advocate for kids was important.

You've been in the General Assembly for 22 years. In addition to your redistrict being redrawn, the makeup of the community has changed. Do you have any concerns about that, as far as who you're representing and what issues you're prioritizing?

I look at the community and the community has changed. At the end of the day, it's not about me. It's about the constituents. I think most people, if not all people, they want to live in a community that's safe, where their children are being educated, where businesses are thriving. They want good jobs. Then again, they want to live in an open society and an inclusive society.

Related: Campaign Reform, In-Person Education Amendment Top Petersen Priorities

The community has changed over the past 22 years, but at the end of the day, people live in this community, people live in a country because they believe in certain things of freedom and opportunity, and things of that nature. Those are the big ticket items.

One of the things that your opponent brought up was your voting record on gun control. How do you feel about your record in that area?

I think my record is good. I was the one that wrote the bill on background checks. I was part of the legislature that passed a historic number of gun control bills in 2020, 2022, and 2021. Earlier this week, we passed probably a half-dozen gun safety bills in the Senate Courts Committee. I've had probably hundreds if not thousands of votes over the years. People can just choose votes here and there. But at the end of the day, I think people that follow this issue will see I've got a very strong record on public safety and I expect the sheriff and other public safety officers to support my campaign.

Rather just focusing on the election in November, you've got a primary coming in June. What is going to be your focus? Will you be doing any fundraising?

I just do what I've always done, which is knock on doors and talk to voters. The money takes care of itself. I'm not worried about that, and I can't raise money during the session, obviously.

Related:

Gun Control, Reproductive Rights Top Priorities For Senate Candidate