Government | Politics 2024: LUKE TORIAN

As chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Torian oversees the creation of the single biggest piece of legislation his chamber passes every year: the budget. Difficult in the best of times, the budget process in recent years has been complicated by divided state government. In 2023, with Republicans in control of the House of Delegates and Democrats leading the Senate, it took six months for both parties to agree to amendments to the two-year spending plan. In 2024, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Democratic-led House and Senate reached a compromise budget in mid-May, with no tax increases or cuts.

Elected to represent part of Prince William County in the General Assembly in 2009, Torian took over leadership of House Appropriations in 2020, when Democrats seized control of the legislature. After a two-year hiatus when Republicans controlled the House, he returned to the post in 2024. He also chairs Virginia’s Minority Business Commission and is vice chair of the Major Employment and Investment Project Approval Commission, which vets projects eligible for economic development incentives.

A pastor, Torian holds degrees from Howard University, Virginia Union University, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Winston-Salem State University.