RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Republican member of the Senate of Virginia has announced he will be retiring at the end of his current term.
Sen. Frank M. Ruff, Jr. (R-Mecklenburg) announced his retirement on Friday, Dec. 15, after 30 years of service in the General Assembly.
Ruff won his race in the November election, securing the 15th District seat for the 2024-2028 term. However, his decision to retire was the result of health issues.
“Having recently been diagnosed with cancer, and entering into an aggressive and ongoing treatment regimen, I have concluded I may not be able to devote 100% of my focus to doing the work needed in the General Assembly. Consequently, I believe now is the right time to retire,” Ruff said in a statement.
A successor to his position is expected to be elected shortly before the General Assembly convenes on Jan. 10, 2024.
“It has been the honor of my life to represent and serve the people of our communities,” Ruff said. “Whether on the Mecklenburg Board of Supervisors, in the House of Delegates, or in the Senate of Virginia, I believed public service was always about finding good policy solutions that improved the lives of those we represent. That was my goal every day in Richmond.”
Republican leaders commended Ruff and thanked him for the commitments made throughout his career.
“Senator Frank Ruff has been a consummate statesman, meticulously and persistently working to deliver positive results for the people of his region and for Virginia,” said Senate Republican Leader Ryan T. McDougle (R-Hanover). “In Frank Ruff, Virginians living in rural communities had an effective and accomplished champion. Frank successfully fought for workforce training, for a community college system that offered greater opportunity to every region, and for economic development in regions that otherwise might have been left behind.”
Ruff says he will now be spending more time with his wife of 41 years, his four children and four grandchildren.
“I am, and will forever be, deeply grateful to the people who have entrusted me to represent them in Richmond,” Ruff said. “As our region has always been and will continue to be my home, I look forward to thanking them in person over the years to come.”
