During college, Eric Cantor interned in the office of then-Congressman Tom Bliley, then attended law school and served time in the Virginia General Assembly before running for his mentor’s congressional seat after Bliley announced his retirement.
Susan Stimpson, who was mentored by Speaker Bill Howell and served three years on the Stafford Board of Supervisors — leaving in 2013 to unsuccessfully pursue the lieutenant governor position — chose not to wait for her former friend to retire from the House of Delegates. In a hard-hitting campaign, she is running against Howell for the 28th House District seat.