Longtime state Sen. Linda 'Toddy' Puller announces retirement

After 23 years in office, state Sen. Linda “Toddy” Puller has announced she will retire at the end of the year and will not seek re-election in November.

Puller, a Democrat, was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1991 and state Senate in 1999 and was a fierce advocate for U.S. veterans. She championed efforts to expand mental health services for vets as well as initiatives to waive property taxes for those who became disabled as a result of their service.

Puller also spearhead revitalization efforts along U.S. 1 and sponsored “Ashley’s Law,” which requires emergency responders to use sirens and flashing lights when passing through an intersection against a red light.

Puller sponsored the bill after a young woman was killed on U.S. 1 in Fairfax County in 2008 when her car was struck by a speeding police car with no active siren. Former Gov. Bob McDonnell signed the bill into law in 2011.

Puller most recently defended the 36^th district seat against former Virginia delegate and state Republican Party Chairman Jeff Frederick. Puller won the election with 55 percent of the vote. The 36^th Senate district encompasses parts of Fairfax, Prince William and Stafford counties. It stretches along the U.S. 1 corridor from north of Mount Vernon to south of Quantico and includes Montclair and parts of Dale City.

Puller announced she would retire on her website Wednesday.

She wrote that serving northern Virginians “has been one of the greatest honors of my life” and noted her many leadership positions in the state legislature, including chairwoman of the Joint Commission on Health Care and the senate committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services. Puller also served on the Board of Veteran Services.

Puller said she would continue to advocate for veterans, education and access to health care during the current legislative session, which began this week.

“Everyone who knows me and has worked with me over the years knows I am still going to be a tireless advocate for my constituents and my legislative agenda during the General Assembly session and throughout 2015,” she wrote.

“I will fight hard to support those bills which will help veterans, children and families have access to the health care, education and programs and services they need and deserve.”

Efforts to reach Puller for comment were not immediately successful this morning.

Puller, who will turn 70 on Monday, is the wife of the late Lewis Puller, Jr., a U.S. Marine Corps officer who lost both his legs and his left hand in Vietnam but went onto become a lawyer and write a Pulitzer prize-winning autobiography, Fortunate Son.

Lewis Puller, Jr., was the son of Gen. Lewis “Chesty” Puller, who remains one of most highly decorated Marines in U.S. history.

Puller’s retirement has Democrats scrambling to find a candidate for a seat important to the party’s efforts to regain control of the state’s upper chamber, where Republicans currently outnumber Democrats 21 to 19.

Harry Wiggins, chairman of the Prince William Democratic Committee, said Thursday there are several well-known people “with impressive credentials” who are exploring a run for Puller’s seat, but said he cannot yet share specifics.

“But in my view,” Wiggins added. “Toddy’s probably not replaceable.”

Dumfries Mayor Jerry Foreman announced late last month he would seek the Republican nomination for the seat. So far, no other Republicans have announced their intent to run.

Puller and her late husband have two children, Lewis III and Maggie. In her announcement, Puller said she will continue to serve Prince William and Fairfax counties but is also looking forward to spending more time with family.

“I look forward to remaining involved in my community and in local politics in Fairfax and Prince William counties,” she wrote. “I look forward to spending more time with my children and two grandsons.”