Jody Moses Wagner (born August 6, 1955) is an American politician from

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

. A

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 ...

, she served as

State Treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

from January 2002 to January 2006, and as

Virginia Secretary of Finance The Secretary of Finance is a member of the Virginia Governor's Cabinet. The office is currently vacant. List of Secretaries of Finance Secretary of Finance (July 1, 1972–July 1, 1976) * Walter Craigie (1972–1973) * William H. Forst (1973– ...

in the Cabinet of Governor

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgini ...

from January 2006 to August 2008. She was an unsuccessful candidate for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Virginia's 2nd congressional district Virginia's second congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It currently encompasses all of Accomack, Northampton, and York Counties; all of the independent cities of Virginia Beach and Willia ...

in the 2000 election She was the Democratic Party nominee for

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia The lieutenant governor of Virginia is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The lieutenant governor is elected every four years along with the governor and attorney general. The office is currently held by Winsome Earle S ...

in the 2009 election, and was defeated by Republican incumbent

Bill Bolling William Troy Bolling (born June 15, 1957) is an American businessman, politician and educator who served as the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Running as a Republican, he was elected twice to the position by defeating his Democratic oppo ...

Personal life

Wagner received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1977, and a J.D. from

Vanderbilt University School of Law Vanderbilt University Law School (also known as Vanderbilt Law School or VLS) is a graduate school of Vanderbilt University. Established in 1874, it is one of the oldest law schools in the southern United States. Vanderbilt Law School has consiste ...

in 1980. She was admitted to the bar in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

in 1980 and in Virginia in 1984. Prior to her appointment to

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

, she worked for about 18 years at the

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

law firm Kaufman & Canoles, specializing in securities and banking law. She has been a board member of the Norfolk Foundation and the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. She is a former president of the Jewish Family Services of Tidewater and former board member of the

Eastern Virginia Medical School Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) is a public medical school in Norfolk, Virginia. Founded by grassroots efforts in the Southeastern part of Virginia known as Hampton Roads, EVMS is not affiliated with an undergraduate institution and co ...

. In September 2005, Wagner and her husband, Dr. Alan Wagner, an

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

, began a side business making gourmet

popcorn Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion. A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the se ...

Political career

In 2000, Wagner was the Democratic nominee in

following the retirement of Democratic Representative

Owen B. Pickett Owen Bradford Pickett (August 31, 1930 – October 27, 2010) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia. Early life Pickett was born in Richmond, Virginia on August 31, 1930. He graduated from Virg ...

. She lost the race to

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Ed Schrock Edward Lee Schrock (born April 6, 1941) is a retired naval officer (1964–1988) and American Republican politician who served as a member of the Senate of Virginia from 1996 - 2001. He also served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Jan ...

, a Virginia state senator, despite roughly matching Schrock in fundraising and showing unexpected strength in a Republican-leaning district. In January 2002, Wagner was appointed by Virginia Governor

Mark Warner Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th governo ...

Treasurer of Virginia The Virginia State Treasurer is the head of the Virginia Department of the Treasury. They are the primary manager of the state's multi-billion dollar investment portfolio and oversee the issuance of bonds and management of debt in excess of $15 b ...

, an office within the Secretariat of Finance. During her tenure in that position, she was elected President of the National Association of State Treasurers, and upon leaving the position, she told ''The Washington Post'' that her "major accomplishment" in the position was preserving Virginia's AAA bond rating. She also told the publication at that time of her efforts "to modernize the state's treasury functions". In December 2005, incoming Virginia governor

announced Wagner as the state's first female

Secretary of Finance The Secretariat of the Treasury and Public Credit ( es, Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público, SHCP) is the finance ministry of Mexico. The Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the department, and is a member of the federal executive ...

. She was succeeded as state treasurer by deputy state treasurer Braxton Powell. Wagner resigned as Secretary of Finance effective August 8, 2008, and was succeeded in that post by state budget director Ric Brown. A week later, on August 15, she announced her candidacy for lieutenant governor in the 2009 election. She won the June 9, 2009 primary. She lost the general election to Republican incumbent

. On the filing deadline of June 9, 2020, Wagner announced she would run for

Mayor of Virginia Beach The mayor of Virginia Beach is the head of the municipal government in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which has a Council–manager government, council-manager system of government. The mayor presides over city council meetings and serves as the cerem ...

in the November 2020 election against incumbent Bobby Dyer. Dyer's previous opponent, City Councilman

Aaron Rouse Aaron Roosevelt Rouse (born January 8, 1984) is a former American football safety who last played for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He p ...

, ended his campaign on May 30. By June 20, 2020, Wagner had outraised Dyer, $75,453 to $67,225. She was defeated in the election by Dyer.

References

External links

Jody Wagner for Mayor
2020 campaign page *
Jody Wagner for Virginia campaign website Biography
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Jody 1955 births 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Businesspeople from Virginia Businesspeople from Ohio Candidates in the 2000 United States elections Lawyers from Canton, Ohio Living people Northwestern University alumni Politicians from Canton, Ohio Politicians from Virginia Beach, Virginia State cabinet secretaries of Virginia State treasurers of Virginia Vanderbilt University alumni Virginia Democrats Virginia lawyers Women in Virginia politics