Christopher B. Saxman (born October 18, 1965)Virginia General Assembly historical biography
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American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

of the Republican Party. He is a former member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of 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-number ...

, representing the 20th District from 2002 to his retirement in 2010. The district included the City of Staunton, the western part of

Augusta County Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Its count ...

, the southern part of Rockingham County, and all of Highland County.

Early life and education

After graduating from Robert E. Lee High School, he went on to earn a B.A. in History from

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...

in 1987. He worked in

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, and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

before returning to Staunton to teach U.S. History and Government for three years at Stuart Hall. He then became general manager of the family business, Shenandoah Valley Water Company, a bottled water and coffee distribution and delivery company.

Political career

State politics

In November 2001, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. (In the 2001 redistricting, the 20th District was moved to the Staunton area from Danville, where the seat had been held for seven terms by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Whitt Clement Whittington Whiteside "Whitt" Clement (born November 15, 1947) is a Virginia lawyer and Democratic politician who served seven terms in the Virginia House of Delegates (1988–2002) and also became the Virginia Secretary of Transportation under ...

.) Since the Spring of 2003, Delegate Saxman has served as Chairman of the House Cost Cutting Caucus, a bipartisan group that works to find cost savings in government. ''

The Hotline ''The Hotline'' is a daily political briefing published by Atlantic Media from its headquarters at The Watergate complex in Washington, D.C.. Founded in 1987, It is currently edited by Kyle Trygstad. and published independently until its acqui ...

'' listed Delegate Saxman as one of the top 20 "up-and-coming stars of Virginia politics", in November 2003. In their 2006 edition, ''The Hotline'' noted that "many consider him an up-and-coming star in the party."Virginia GOP Network biography
In addition to his work in the General Assembly, Delegate Saxman serves on the State Water Commission, the Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind Advisory Commission, and the Board of Trustees for the Frontier Culture Museum. An active member in the community, Saxman is a member of the St. Francis of Assisi Church and the Shenandoah Valley Kiwanis. He also serves on the Board of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and is serving his first term as Chairman of the Board of the International Bottled Water Association. Saxman and

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

John Warner were Virginia state co-chairs for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.

Potential 2008 Senate Candidacy

On November 19, 2007, Saxman announced that he was mulling over a bid to run for the U.S. Senate to fill the seat of retiring Republican John Warner. Former Governor Jim Gilmore (R) announced that he was running on November 19, 2007. Saxman's announcement comes on because of Gilmore's announcement. Former Governor Mark Warner (D) - no relation to John Warner - has announced his candidacy. Most recent polling from November 5, 2007, has Warner leading Gilmore by 20+ points. On November 20, 2007 the Staunton News Leader theorized that a good portion of Chris Saxman's support for the U.S. Senate was coming from Democratic operatives supporting Mark Warner and internet provider addresses from outside the Commonwealth of Virginia. On December 1, 2007, the Associated Press reported Chris Saxman would not seek the Republican Convention nomination to replace U.S. Senator John Warner and would be a candidate for reelection to his 20th District House seat in 2009.

House of Delegates Retirement

Delegate Saxman shocked the political community when he announced on July 17, 2009, that he was withdrawing from his reelection bid, only days after campaigning door-to-door. He cited his desire to fight for what he calls "projects of my passion." GOP leaders nominated Staunton City Councilor Dickie Bell as the Republican nominee. In the November general election, Bell defeated the Democratic nominee, Erik Curren, marketing director the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton.

Personal life

Delegate Saxman currently resides in Staunton with his wife, Michele, an employee in the family business, and their four children, Mary Kathryn, William, Nora and John. Saxman's father, Bill, and mother, Jan, are the founders of Shenandoah Valley Water Company.

References

External links

*
Virginia House of Delegates: Bio for Christopher B. Saxman (2008 session)Virginia Public Access Project: Christopher B. Saxman
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saxman, Christopher B. 1965 births Living people Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Washington and Lee University alumni Politicians from Staunton, Virginia 21st-century American politicians