John Chapman “Chap” Petersen was born on March 27, 1968, in Fairfax, Virginia. A Democrat, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002–06, was elected to the Virginia State Senate in November 2007, and was reelected in 2011. He represents the State Senate – Virginia District 34.
For the past sixteen years, Chap has been honored to represent Northern Virginia as a Democratic State Senator. He is running this year for re-election in a new Senate – Virginia District 37 which includes Fairfax City, Falls Church City, and parts of Fairfax County. The Democratic primary election date is June 20, 2023.
As a Young man, Chap watched his parents, John and Mary Petersen, serve the Fairfax community. In 1998, he followed that path when the voters elected him to the Fairfax City Council. In 2001, he won a seat in the House of Delegates, defeating a Republican incumbent. In 2007, he defeated another Republican incumbent and won a seat in the State Senate.
In all those races, he went “door to door” to meet the voters – a tradition he continues to this day.