This is great news for Democrats' chances of picking up control of the State Senate this year. As Ben Tribbett points out, Colgan "will begin the campaign as the favorite and Democrats will have a serious chance to draw 20-20 in the Senate with their top 3 challengers..."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2007CONTACT:
SEN. CHARLES J. COLGAN (703) 368-0300
OR MARY FINNIGAN AT (703) 331-3102SEN. COLGAN WILL SEEK 9TH TERM
State Senator Charles J. Colgan, D. Prince William County announced today that he will seek the Democratic Party nomination in June and seek his 9th term as a member of the Virginia State Senate.
Sen. Colgan was first elected to the Senate in 1975 and took office on January 8, 1976. Prior to serving the Senate he served four years on the Prince William County Board of Supervisors representing the Gainesville District, one year as Chairman of the Board.Sen. Colgan is the senior member of the Senate and serves on the Senate Finance Committee, Committee on Commerce and Labor, General Laws and Technology Committee, Rules Committee and is a member of the Senate and House Joint Rules Committee.
The Republican Party presently controls the Senate by a margin of 23 Republicans and 17 Democrats. Should the Democrats succeed in picking up four seats in the 2007 November election, Sen. Colgan would become chairman of the very powerful Senate Finance Committee and become President Pro-Tempore of the Senate.
Sen. Colgan has served on the budget Conference Committee for 16 years and has succeeded in diverting millions of dollars into his district and Northern Virginia. The presence of George Mason University in Prince William County is due in no small measure of Sen. Colgan's efforts to acquire funds to construct the George Mason University buildings. His effort also resulted in an additional building at the Northern Virginia Community College in Manassas and Woodbridge and during the 2007 session of the General Assembly his amendment to build a third building at the Manassas Campus was approved.
Sen. Colgan has consistently been named one of Virginia's most effective legislators by the Virginia Foundation for Research and Economic Education, Inc.,which does an annual poll of more than 500 lobbyist in Richmond.
Sen. Colgan's wife Agnes passed away in January 2001, and they are the parents of eight children, twenty-three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Sen. Colgan will be honored by the Northern Virginia Community College graduation ceremony on May 14 with the presentation of the Gold Medilor the highest award which the college can bestow on a citizen. Earlier this year, Sen. Colgan and Del. Vince Callahan, Chairman of the House of Delegates Appropriation Committee were honored by George Mason University with similar awards.
Sen. Colgan and his family organized and built Colgan Air, Inc., a Regional Airline at the Manassas Regional Airport. The company was sold recently to Pinnacle Airlines of Memphis, Tennessee. However, the Colgan family will continue to operate the airline.
In 1980, Sen. Colgan became the 17th member inducted into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame.