George Barker (Virginia politician)
Encyclopedia
George Lincoln Barker is an American politician of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. He currently serves in the Senate of Virginia
Senate of Virginia
The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia...

, representing the 39th district, made up of parts of Fairfax and Prince William
Prince William County, Virginia
-National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...

 Counties. He was first elected in November 2007.

Early life

Barker attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

, where he received an A.B. degree in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

 and Public Health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...

 and an M.A. degree in Health Policy and Management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...

. He began a career in health systems planning with the Health Care Agency of Northern Virginia in the mid-1970s.

In 1990 Barker became the chair of the newly formed Northern Virginia Perinatal Council. The following year, he became president of his homeowner's association. In 2001, he was appointed chair of the Fairfax County Transportation Advisory Commission.

Barker and his wife, Jane, have two children, Erik and Emily. He was PTA president at both Robinson Secondary School
Robinson Secondary School
James W. Robinson, Jr. Secondary School, known as Robinson Secondary School, opened in 1971, is a public school in the Commonwealth of Virginia....

 (1992–94) and Mount Vernon High School (2000–01).

Barker hosted two shows on Fairfax Public Access
Fairfax Public Access
Fairfax Public Access was established in October 1981 as a non-profit Public, educational, and government access cable tv station based in Fairfax, Virginia, and now operates three channels....

 Television, Focus on Franconia and Spotlight on Springfield.

2007 election

Barker announced his candidacy in 2007 against incumbent Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 Jay O'Brien
Jay O'Brien (Virginia politician)
James Kenneth "Jay" O'Brien Jr. was a Republican member of the Virginia Senate, representing the 39th District from 2003 through 2007. Previously he was a Delegate of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 through 2002...

, who represented the 39th District, located in Fairfax County. On June 12, Barker defeated Greg J. Galligan in the Democratic primary, 2,585 to 1,641.

O'Brien said that illegal immigration was one of the biggest issues of concern to district voters, proposing aggressive crackdowns. Barker said that voters in the district were more interested in issues such as transportation funding. Barker defeated O'Brien in the general election on November 6, 19,282 votes to 19,131.

2008-2011 legislative sessions

In June 2011, the Fairfax Connection said that in the Senate, "Barker has been one of the most successful members in terms of getting legislation through the General Assembly. In the most recent session, for example, he was one of two members who were able to get 20 bills or more to the governor’s desk."

2011 election

In early 2010, O'Brien announced that he intended to run for the seat he had lost in 2007. Scott Martin, an assistant dean at George Mason University who ran unsuccessfully for a Fairfax County School Board seat in 2003, also announced he planned to seek the Republican nomination. As of June 2011, O'Brien was no longer running, and Martin had been joined by two other Republican candidates, former Justice Department official Miller Baker and special-education assistant Andre Muange. Muange also dropped out, and Baker defeated Martin 73%-27% in the August 23, 2011 primary. The race is closely watched, as Barker is seen as vulnerable. Outside Democratic and Republican party groups have dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the race for their respective candidates.

External links

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