Profile: Jason Flanary, 37th District State Senate Candidate

At A Glance

• Born: Virginia Beach
• Education: Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Politics, George Mason University, 2004
• Family: Engaged
• Occupation: Chief Operating Officer, ccAdvertising
• Public Office: None

Friends say 32-year-old State Senate candidate Jason Flanary is “on a different clock then the rest of us.”

“One of the things that has always amazed me about Jason is that if you look at his birth certificate and then his resume, you say 'How did he do it all?”  said Bill Lecos, who has known Flanary for 10 years. “I’m not sure if he sleeps.”

Lecos worked with Flanary at the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, where Flanary worked for three years as the vice president of governmental relations doing advocacy work.

Flanary has also been in the Marine Corps, where he served as security at Camp David. He finished his degree at George Mason University at night as he worked on Capitol Hill during the day.

And now, Flanary (R) is vying for the 37th District State Senate Seat. The seat is now occupied by Democrat Dave Marsden.

“I decided to stop yelling at the TV and run for office instead,” Flanary said.

Flanary is running against Steve Hunt in the Aug. 23 Republican primaries. Flanary is by far the youngest of the three candidates. Marsden is 63 and Hunt is 55. The age difference has not gone unnoticed by his opponents.

At a candidate forum between Hunt and Flanary earlier this month, Hunt said that he was in public service “before there was a Jason.”

“As Steve has so eloquently put it, I’m 32-years old,” Flanary remarked. Flanary pointed out that he was nearly the same as Ken Cuccinelli was when he ran for and won the same seat in a 2002 special election. Cuccinelli was 33 at the time and Flanary is now 32 years old. 

Flanary, who was raised in the Virginia Beach area, said he didn’t grow up envisioning a career in the public realm.

“I was the first in my family to go to college, so it wasn’t understood that I would be attending school,” Flanary said. “In the first few months after I graduated high school, I went to work building houses and I realized it wasn’t something I wanted to do as a career. “

Flanary joined the Marine Corps from 1997 to 2001. For some of that time, he worked at Camp David as security for President Bill Clinton. He also served as the president’s personal trainer and events coordinator while at Camp David.

“Working with President Clinton was one of the most remarkable experiences I’ve had,” Flanary said. “For being a 19, 20 year-old kid at the time, it was remarkable. He is certainly one of the more personable presidents.” 

For the last three and a half years, Flanary has worked as the chief operating officer for ccAdvertising, a marketing firm in Centreville. The firm works with commercial and political clients for over-the-phone surveys and advocacy.

Flanary said that the key issues he is focusing on is transportation. He would want to see whether the HOV lanes on I-66 would be opened full time and whether traffic lights on major intersections resynchronized.

“We need to look for creative ways to ease congestion,” Flanary said.

Flanary also said that he would advocate for policies that support businesses. 

“Each year the legislature runs into issues which can either hurt or help businesses,” Flanary said. “My career is built on finding a common ground between those involved parties.”

To find out more information about Jason Flanary, view our social media guide to the elections and our ongoing political coverage.