Democratic members of the Virginia House of Delegates elected Del. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, as caucus chairman late last week. The position is focused on helping Democratic leaders in the House of Delegates and to promote the interests of the party.
“The Caucus Chairman’s responsibility basically is to very broadly help the minority leader run the party,” Surovell said. “[Also] to help recruit candidates, raise money and hone our message.”
With the majority of Virginians voting for President Barack Obama in 2012, Surovell said he does not believe the 68-32 majority the Republicans hold in the House of Delegates is an accurate representation of the political views of the state.
“[One of my goals is to] make sure the majority is responsible for the decisions they make,” Surovell said. “However, not all issues are partisan and we do look for issues to side with the other side.”
Surovell grew up with politically-active parents and said politics was always a subject of dinnertime discussion. He recalled that his father was in the middle of a House of Delegates race when he was born.
Surovell first became active in politics at James Madison University, where he was a student from 1989 to 1993. While there, he said, he realized the student government was not interested in issues he felt were important.
“[One of the reasons I] got involved in student government was to get the government focused,” Surovell said.
As Virginia looks to solve its fiscal issues by passing a budget cut, Surovell said he is concerned for students of Virginia state universities.
“The first place we always look for money every time we have an economic downturn is to our universities,” he said. “I don’t think that when we balance the budget we should put the burden on the backs of families and students who chose to attend state-supported universities.”
A University Law School alumnus, Surovell said University students must become more engaged and let their representatives know what they think.
“When students are affected directly by state government, they have to let their state legislature know and vote,” Surovell said.
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