Hogan Will Not Run for Re-Election

Del. Clarke N. Hogan (R-Charlotte) announced this weekend that he will not run for re-election in November.

Hogan, a friend of House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) and a powerful budget conferee, has represented the southcentral part of the state since 2001.

Hogan did not immediately return calls today. But he told the Gazette Virginian in Halifax County that he made the decision after considering the responsibilities of owning and operating a business, Ontario Hardwood, during tough economic times.

"We are dealing with the toughest economy we have seen in 60 years, since the Great Depression that requires anyone who has a business to spend all of their focus on that business,'' he told the newspaper. "I see this decision as dealing with the reality of the environment."