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RICHMOND, VA – Following Sunday’s House Republican Caucus elections, Speaker of the House of Delegates William J. Howell (R-Stafford) issued the following statement:
“I am pleased to welcome Jackson Miller (R-Manassas) to the House Republican Caucus Leadership, where he will serve as the House Majority Whip. Our Caucus also voted to re-elect Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) and Tim Hugo (R-Fairfax) who will continue to serve our Caucus as Majority Leader and Caucus Chairman, respectively; and I am humbled to once again serve as Speaker of the House of Delegates,” said Howell.
First elected to the Speakership in 2003, Speaker Howell has led the New World’s oldest, continuously operating legislative body and the House Republican Caucus for the past nine legislative sessions. Delegate Tim Hugo has served as Caucus Chairman since April 2010 and Delegate Kirk Cox was elected Majority Leader in December 2010 after the previous Majority Leader, Morgan Griffith, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Delegate Miller replaces Del. Bill Janis (R-Henrico) as Majority Whip, who announced in August he would not seek another term in the House. The elections were held this afternoon at a Caucus meeting.
“Jackson will be a tremendous asset to our team,” said Speaker Howell. “He is a gifted lawmaker with remarkable talent and an enduring dedication to his constituents and the Commonwealth. Since 2006, Jackson has ably served the citizens of Manassas and Prince William County and now we are eager to put his energy and ability to work for Virginia.”
“It’s a very humbling honor to be elected by my peers to this leadership position in the Republican Caucus. I look forward to working with our leadership team in moving a common sense agenda forward,” said Miller.
“The House Republican Caucus has grown to a 68-member majority, the largest majority held by Republicans in modern history. The able leadership team our Caucus has chosen today will lead our ever-expanding Caucus during the 2012 General Assembly Session. We look forward to working with Governor McDonnell to address the issues important to all Virginians.”