A little over one month after his reelection, Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg County, announced Friday that he will retire from the state Senate after 23 years for health reasons.
Democrat Trudy Berry, who was denied ballot access over an email error, said that she would run in the special election that Gov. Glenn Youngkin set for Jan. 9, the same day for which he set a special election earlier this week in House District 48. Both districts overlap geographically. So far, three candidates have announced for the Republican nomination.
On Friday, Ruff endorsed Tammy Brankley Mulchi, a member of the town council in Clarksville, as the Republican candidate to succeed him. Mulchi has previously served as Ruff’s legislative aide. “She understands the issues facing our communities and will not need any on-the-job training in Richmond,” he said in a statement.
Also on Friday, Danville city councilman Lee Vogler announced his bid for the GOP nomination. On Saturday, Halifax County businessman and pastor Andy Ferguson entered the race.
Ruff, who was first elected to the state Senate in 2000 after serving six years in the House of Delegates, will complete his current term, which expires when the General Assembly convenes for its 2024 session on Jan 10. He was set to be the senior Republican on the budget-writing Senate Finance Committee.
“It has been the honor of my life to represent and serve the people of our communities,” Ruff said. “Whether on the Mecklenburg Board of Supervisors, in the House of Delegates, or in the Senate of Virginia, I believed public service was always about finding good policy solutions that improved the lives of those we represent. That was my goal every day in Richmond.”
Ruff said that he decided to step down because of a recent cancer diagnosis that will require “aggressive and ongoing” treatment. “I may not be able to devote 100% of my focus to doing the work needed in the General Assembly. Consequently, I believe now is the right time to retire,” he said in the statement.
Ruff currently represents the 9th Senate District, which includes Pittsylvania, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Lunenburg and Charlotte counties, parts of Prince Edward County, and Danville. The district leans Republican — Youngkin, the 2021 GOP nominee for governor, carried the district by more than 65%.
Ruff said that he was proud of his efforts in economic development, particularly in bringing Microsoft and other companies to the region. “The workforce training programs we instituted in our area are and will continue creating good paying jobs, allowing the next generation to live, build a career, and raise their families here,” he said.
He also hailed the investments made in his district’s communities through the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, on which he has served since its inception and that he currently chairs, and the Center for Rural Virginia, for which he serves as the chairman of the board of directors.
“In the General Assembly, I am most proud of the historic investments we were able to make in our community colleges. Every Virginian should have the opportunity to pursue a trade or higher education close to home, and we are so much closer to making that a reality,” he said.
In his statement, Ruff thanked his wife of 41 years and his family for their patience during the last 30 years. “I am looking forward to spending a lot more time with Jessie, my four children, and four grandchildren,” he said.
Sen. Tommy Norment, R-James City County and the outgoing Senate minority leader, in a statement praised Ruff’s “unwavering dedication to the people and the region he represents,” and his commitment to Virginia.
“Frank’s fellow senators know him to be a ‘workhorse,’ tirelessly devoting the long days and hours necessary to pass landmark legislation, to protect Virginia’s rural heritage through his work with the Center for Rural Virginia and the Tobacco Commission, and to expanding opportunities for the people of his region through his leadership on workforce development and with our Community College system,” Norment said. “Frank’s work has changed countless lives for the better.”
Vogler, the Danville city councilman seeking the GOP nomination, said in a statement that “after much prayer and consideration,” he was “excited and humbled” to announce his candidacy.
“I have always been driven by a steadfast commitment to upholding our conservative way of life, championing individual liberty, and promoting limited government. We need leaders in Richmond with the experience of creating good-paying jobs for our community and defending our Southside way of life,” Vogler said.
In 2012, Vogler became the youngest person ever elected to the Danville City Council at age 24. He has served on council and various other city boards and organizations since then.
Vogler has long been a champion of growth in Danville, giving it the moniker “the Comeback City.”
It was his 2018 tweet about the White Mill, a former Dan River Mills building that sat empty for decades, that got the attention of The Alexander Company, a developer that is now undertaking an $85 million project to transform the site.
He also promotes the city’s growth through his role as chairman of the Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Development Authority, which works to develop industrial properties in the city and county for economic development use.
As of earlier this year, Danville and Pittsylvania County have more industrial sites ready for development than any other locality in the state.
In 2022, Vogler was appointed by Youngkin to the Small Business Commission. He works as managing partner for the Andrew Brooks Media Group in Danville.
Ferguson grew up on a farm in Halifax. In a statement, he said: “As a strong conservative, I will bring our shared values to Richmond and fight to ensure that the voice of the Southside is heard. As a small business owner and principled conservative, I will fight unnecessary and burdensome regulations, and stand up against government intrusion upon our sacred freedoms granted to us by our Creator. As I stand for Faith, Family, & Freedom, I will be a champion for the agricultural community and the family farm, law enforcement, protection of our children, and to provide opportunities for our citizens to better their lives and protect our way of life.”
Under state law, Republicans must nominate their candidate by Dec. 20. The eight members of the 9th Senate District Republican Legislative Committee will meet Saturday afternoon to discuss the nomination method, a date and location.
The panel’s chairman is Will Pace, a Republican from Pittsylvania County who on Thursday lost his own nomination battle in House District 48 following a controversy over his role in setting a mass meeting in his hometown Chatham.
Pace said in a Facebook post Friday that after his failed bid for the House of Delegates, he would not be seeking the Republican nomination in Senate District 9.
Berry, so far the only Democrat seeking to run, said that she would be filing soon.
“It has just come to my attention that Senator Frank Ruff is retiring for health reasons. I wish him the best as he attends to his health,” Berry said in an email.
Ruff’s departure means there will now be 18 new senators in the 40-member body.
Reporter Grace Mamon contributed to this story.
