Senator Puller Fights for Re-Election

Senator Linda “Toddy” Puller (D-36) is confident that she will retain her seat representing Virginia’s 36th District come November.

“I’m hitting my stride doing legislation as chairman of a committee and I’m enjoying it very much,” remarked Puller. “I’m not ready to put myself out to pasture just yet.”

Puller was initially elected to the House of Delegates in 1991 and served for eight years. In 1999, she ran for the 36th Senate District and won. Since then, she has been re-elected twice and is bracing herself for the fight of her career.

In November, Puller will run against the winner of August’s GOP primary, fighting for a seat in a district where the lines have been redrawn to include Prince William County and Stafford County,

“Toddy knows how to get things done,” said colleague Delegate Scott Surovell (D-44). “She's a relentless campaigner, competitor, and advocate for her people.  She has only gone unchallenged for re-election once since 1992.  Anyone choosing to take her on will soon learn why she has won every one of her elections since then.”

In the next few weeks, she will embark on door-to-door campaigning in the new 36th Senate District, which now encompasses Fairfax, Prince William, and Stafford counties. She will acquaint herself with voters in the district and plans on hosting a fundraiser with Terry McAuliffe later this summer.

“I’m running for re-election because there are several things I’ve been working on for a period of time and I’d like to do more work on them,” said Puller, whose recent accomplishments include the passage of Ashley’s Law.

The first item on her agenda is continuing her fight to secure funding for Route 1 corridor improvements through Fairfax County and Prince William County. Earlier this year, Puller secured approval for a Route 1 transit study slated to begin this summer.

Said Puller, “It’s the key to getting funding for Route 1 corridor improvements.”

As the daughter of an Army officer and wife of a disabled Vietnam veteran, Sen. Puller is an avid supporter of veteran’s rights and serves on the board of Veteran’s Services. She wants to continue working on implementing a constitutional amendment for property tax exemption to 100% disabled combat veterans, which passed earlier this year.

“[The amendment’s] become quite confusing,” said Puller. “I’m working with the Attorney General’s office because there are lot of questions we don’t know the answers to, and localities are very confused about how to activate the constitutional amendment.”

She also plans to ensure that her Wounded Warriors program will continue to serve veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The program gives veterans free mental health care.

“The veterans that are going into combat now, IEDs explode and often take off limbs and they can get a brain injury,” said Puller. “I want to make sure people who need help are getting that help.”

Senator Puller’s dedication to veteran’s rights has earned her the respect of her colleagues.

“As the wife of a disabled Vietnam veteran, Toddy has been the most consistent advocate for veteran's issues in Virginia authoring a constitutional amendment two years ago to allow localities to exempt disabled vets from property taxes,” remarked Del. Surovell. “When the Iraq War was flaring, Toddy stumped with Jim Webb to remind people that it is not only important to remember those killed on the battlefield, but also important to remember that war affects most veterans, and importantly, their families, for an entire lifetime.”

Additionally, Sen. Puller serves on the state’s Joint Commission on Health Care. She is working to implement a health care benefit exchange under federal health care legislation passed by President Obama.  

“If we don’t do our part to make sure the uninsured is insured, the federal government will come in and I don’t think we want that,” said Puller. 

Affordable housing for Fairfax County’s public servants is one issue Puller feels should be addressed.

“Firefighters, teachers, nurses, a lot of people who do service for the public can’t afford housing here, which is really too bad,” said Puller. “It’s nice to have policemen and firefighters living close to where they work.”

Also a matter of concern is economic recovery in Prince William County, which has struggled to lower its amount of foreclosures.

“[Prince William County] hasn’t fully recovered from the economic downturn that’s affected all of us.,” said Puller. “I think we’re all still reeling from that though small steps indicate we’re on the road to recovery. I think it’ll take a long time to get back to where we were before the collapse. Everyone who’s willing to work should be able to get a job.”