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Tara Durant
Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 27th district
Assumed office
January 10, 2024
Preceded byConstituency established
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 28th district
In office
January 12, 2022 – January 10, 2024
Preceded byJoshua Cole
Succeeded byJoshua Cole (Redistricting)
Personal details
Born (1972-10-26) October 26, 1972 (age 51)
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Children3
EducationCoe College (BA)

Tara Anne Durant (born October 26, 1972)[1] is an American politician who is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 28th district. Elected in November 2021, she assumed office on January 12, 2022. She is a Republican.

Early life and education

Durant was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1972. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and political science from Coe College and attended the University of Baltimore School of Law.[2]

Career

Outside of politics, Durant has worked as an educator in Iowa and Virginia. She was a teacher at the Holy Cross Academy in Stafford County from 2017 to 2021 and works as a librarian at the school.[3] She was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in November 2021, defeating incumbent Democrat Joshua G. Cole.[4] She assumed office on January 12, 2022.[5]

Controversy

Durant prompted her entry into politics by claiming she and her daughter were attacked by an "angry mob"[6] of Black Lives Matter protesters.[7][8] However, Durant's narrative has proved inconsistent. Police records[9] describe the protest as peaceful, with an aggressive car pointing in the direction of protesters at the same location as Durant's. Additionally, Durant's 911 call[10] indicates she threatened to hit protesters with her car as well as a person on her car's hood was a 13-year-old, unrelated to the protest. Durant's attempt to press charges against two teenagers, one of which that was not at the protest, for car assault failed, raising questions about the accuracy of her narrative.[11] Durant and her staff have ignored calls to respond to these inconsistencies and allegations.

References

  1. ^ "Candidate profile: Tara Durant". Fredericksburg.com. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  2. ^ "Tara Durant's Biography". Vote Smart. Archived from the original on 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  3. ^ STAFF, INSIDENOVA. "Tara Durant announces campaign for 28th District House seat". INSIDENOVA.COM. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  4. ^ "GOP on track to regain House, despite Dem wins in Northern Va". WTOP News. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  5. ^ "Tara Durant". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  6. ^ Durant, Tara. "Durant political website about page". Tara Durant. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  7. ^ Tucker Carlson Video on Fredericksburg Protestors, retrieved 2023-11-11
  8. ^ Tara Durant GOTV Rally with Glenn Youngkin 9/26/2023, retrieved 2023-11-11
  9. ^ "FOIA'd Police Report of Tara Durant's 911 Call | PDF | Traffic | Arrest | Fredericksburg Police Department". Scribd. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  10. ^ Durant 911 call audio | Fredericksburg Police Department, retrieved 2023-11-11
  11. ^ TAFT, COGHILL (2022-05-27). "Lawsuit against Del. Durant dropped, but a new suit is filed". Fredericksburg.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
Virginia House of Delegates Preceded byJoshua Cole Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 28th district 2022–2024 Succeeded byDavid Reid Senate of Virginia Preceded byJill Vogel Member of the Virginia Senate from the 27th district 2024–Present Incumbent
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