Janet Denison Howell is an American politician. A Democrat

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...

, she was elected to 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...

 in 1991. She still represented the 32nd district in Fairfax County

Fairfax County, Virginia

Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...

 .

Biography

She was born to Edward Fulton

Edward Fulton Denison

Edward Fulton Denison was an American economist. He was a pioneer in the measurement of the United States gross national product and one of the founders of growth accounting....

 and Elsie (Lightbown) Denison. Her father was a prominent economist

Economist

An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...

 at the U. S. Department of Commerce and the Brookings Institution, and fellow Oberlin alumnus.

Mrs. Howell taught in the Philadelphia school district

School District of Philadelphia

The School District of Philadelphia is a school district based in the School District of Philadelphia Education Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that includes all public schools in the city of Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the eighth largest school district in the nation.The School...

, 1968-1969, and was a legislative assistant in the Virginia State Senate from 1989 to 1991.

The Reston Times named her Restonian of the year in 1984. In 1991 the Virginia Association of Social Workers honored her as Virginian of the year. She was named Senator of the Year (Fraternal Order of Police

Fraternal Order of Police

The Fraternal Order of Police is an organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It claims a membership of over 325,000 members organized in 2100 local chapters , organized into local lodges, state lodges, and the national Grand Lodge...

, 1998), Citizen of Yr. (ARC, 1998). She was Chairman of the Fairfax County (VA) Social Services Board, 1979-82, State Bd. Social Svcs., Va., 1986-91, Reston (Va.) Transp. Com., 1986-91; pres. Reston Community Assn., 1982-85, Citizen of Yr., 1990.
Mrs. Howell reported financial assests in 2010 worth more than $US1.48 million and possibly more than
$6 million.

Summary

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ Virginia Senate, District 32: Results 1995 to 2009
!|Year
!
!|Democrat
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!Third Party
!Party
!Votes
!Pct
|-
|1995
|
| |
| align="right" |26,470
| |57%
|
| |Robert M. McDowell

Robert M. McDowell

Robert Malcolm McDowell is a commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission.-Federal Communications Commissioner:...

| align="right" |19,738
| |43%
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|1999
|
| |
| align="right" |25,966
| |58%
|
| |Whitney Adams
| align="right" |18,615
| |42%
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2003
|
| |
| align="right" |21,252
| |57%
|
| |David M. Hunt
| align="right" |16,214
| |43%
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2007
|
| |
| align="right" |28,089
| |97%
|
| |no candidate
| align="right" |
| |
|
| |Write-ins

Write-in candidate

A write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...

| |
| align="right" |818
| align="right" |3%
|-
|2011 November 8
|
| |
| align="right" |tbd
| |tbd
|
| |Patrick Forrest
| align="right" |tbd
| |tbd
|
|
|
|
|

2011 election campaign

Janet Howell is running for reelection in Virginia's election 8 November 2011. The Virginia General Assembly

Virginia General Assembly

The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...

 drew new legislative districts to reflect the U.S. Census of 2010. As chairman of 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...

's committee on privileges and elections, Mrs. Howell led the process to draw new Senate district boundaries, and she did so to preserve her party's majority and to improve her own reelection prospects within the law. If the U.S. Department of Justice or U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approves the plan, as required by the voting rights act

Voting Rights Act

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....

, she will acquire some reliably Democrat voting precincts and shed others that lean 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...

.

External links

• Senator Janet Howell official website
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Janet Denison Howell (VA) profile
• Follow the Money - Janet D Howell
  • 2005 2003 2001 1999 campaign contributions
• Washington Post - Senate District 32 Race