As the son of a naval aviator my family traveled throughout the United States wherever duty called. In 1988 my family purchased a house in Franklin County. I graduated from Hampden Sydney College and the D.C. School of Law, and began my law practice in Northern Virginia with former Attorney General Candidate Gil Davis. One of the first cases I was involved in was Paula Jones vs. Bill Clinton which resulted in a favorable 9-0 U.S. Supreme Court decision. In 1999 I returned home to practice law in Franklin County and to help my mom reach one of her life goals, which was to become a lawyer.After my father passed away, I encouraged my Mother to go to law school—and I am proud to be her partner in my general trial practice law firm here in Franklin County. My political foundation was cemented by the conservative values of my father a Ronald Reagan Republican who preached the benefits of working hard, personal responsibility, spending less than you earn, and standing by your principals no matter what the cost. I became the Franklin County Republican Party Chairman in 2008. In 2010, I won election to become Virginia's 5th Congressional District Republican Party Chairman. During my tenure as Chairman, the district committee has transformed itself into a successful cohesive grassroots-oriented conservative political organization that is a force in the future of Virginia politics, and was able to provide Robert Hurt the essential volunteer effort that helped him win election to be our next great Congressman here in the 5th. In January of 2011, I was elected State Senator for Virginia's 19th Senate District. In November of 2011, I was elected as the State Senator for the 20th Virginia State Senate District, which spans southside and southwest Virginia.