Amherst supervisor announces state Senate bid

Citing her connections to both the corporate world and the farming business, Claudia Tucker filed Tuesday as a candidate for the state Senate in the 22^nd District.

Tucker, chairwoman of the Amherst County Board of Supervisors, becomes the fifth candidate, and second non-lawyer, seeking the Republican nomination in the district, which was created by the General Assembly’s redistricting process. It does not have an incumbent senator.

“If you want to send an attorney back to Richmond, there are a lot of choices. But if you want to send a pro-business candidate with real-world experience, there is only one choice,” Tucker said.

Tucker, 54, is senior director of state-government affairs in 12 states for Medco Health Solutions, a Fortune 50 company that manages pharmacy-benefit plans for corporate employers.

Her husband, Bill, operates Tucker Family Farms, an approximately 1,000-head beef cattle operation that has been in his family for seven generations, she said. They have three daughters, all college-age or above.

In her work with Medco, Tucker said, “I hire attorneys or lobbyists or whatever the case may be, and I manage them. It has been my responsibility to read all legislation, work with legislators, and educate them about our company.”

She also worked four years as chief of staff for former Del. Vance Wilkins, R-Amherst, who was speaker of the House of Delegates. During that time, she was involved in an eavesdropping incident on a Democratic-party conference call that led to her pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge in 2003.

“People make mistakes all the time,” Tucker said Tuesday. “My mistake was public, and if you ever want to learn and understand the consequences of your behavior, make a mistake that is in the public eye,” she said.

The misdemeanor plea was a campaign topic for Tucker’s opponent, Bonnie Limbrick, in the 2009 Board of Supervisors election. Tucker won by 41 votes.

“You can either make a mistake and sit on the sidelines, or take that mistake and learn from it and use your skills to make the process better. That is what I have chosen to do today,” Tucker said.

Lynchburg lawyer Mark Peake entered the 22^nd District race on Monday, joining three previously announced candidates: Bryan Rhode of Goochland County, Brian Bates of Buckingham County, and Tom Garrett of Louisa County.

Republican Party leaders say they will meet soon to decide how to select the party’s candidate, and many of them are leaning toward having a primary election on Aug. 23.