Aide says Newman and Peake will not run against each other
The two Republicans were drawn into the same district. They held a joint fundraiser last month.
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Aide says Peake and Newman will not run against each other
Republican state Senators Steve Newman and Mark Peake will not run against each other during next year's nomination elections according to an aide for one of the senators. Newman and Peake were put into the same district when the legislative boundaries were redrawn last year.
Newman and Peake held a joint fundraiser last month in Forest to raise money for the 2023 election. “The fundraising event was held not so much for the benefit of one candidate, but for the benefit of quality representation for our entire region,” said Sarah Owens, the legislative director for Newman.
Owens says Peake has agreed to support Newman if he runs for reelection. If Newman decides to not seek reelection, he will support Peake.
“Senator Newman and Senator Peake have been close friends for decades,” Owens said. “With the newly drawn Senate District 8 including both gentlemen in the same district, Senator Peake has agreed to support Senator Newman, should he decide to run for re-election. And likewise, Senator Newman has agreed to support Senator Peake should he himself not run.”
According to Owens, the decision from Newman as to if he will run for reelection will be made after the 2023 legislative session. Peake’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The joint fundraiser from the two senators last month was hosted by Newman’s PAC.
Newman has been in the General Assembly since 1991 serving first in the House before moving over to the Senate in 1996. He was President Pro Tempore of the Senate from 2016-2019.
Peake has been serving in the state Senate since 2017.
Rumors have been circulating this past year that Newman is interested in retiring. He was the co-chair of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s transition team last year which led to Republican operatives believing that he was planning on joining the administration —but those rumors never panned out.
Peake and Newman were drawn into the new SD-08.
SD-08 encompasses Lynchburg City, Bedford County, and Campbell County. The district is 75% White, 16% Black, 5% multiracial, and 2% Asian. There are two incumbents in this district: Sen. Mark Peake (R-Lynchburg) and Sen. Steve Newman (R-Forest.) Source: VPAP.
According to an analysis from VPAP, Republican Glenn Youngkin won this district by 45 points in 2021.
Newman serves on the Commerce and Labor, Education and Health, Finance and Appropriations, Rules, and Transportation committees.
Peake serves on the Education and Health, Judiciary, Privileges and Elections, and Transportation committees.
Newman is the vice president and is a member of the Board of Directors for Delta Star, Inc. which is located in Lynchburg.
He attended Lynchburg College and Central Virginia Community College
Peake is a lawyer in Lynchburg.
He attended Virginia Tech and Washington & Lee Law School
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Youngkin said that after the results have been reviewed, which happens today, “folks need to go ahead and accept the results and move on with it.”
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