Introduction
Dr. Luke E. Torian (born May 30, 1958) is an American politician. Since 2010 he has served in the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 52nd district in the Prince William County suburbs of Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Torian has served on the House committees on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources; Counties, Cities and Towns; and General Laws.
Early life, education, career
Torian was born in Roxboro, North Carolina. He received a B.A. degree in political science from Winston-Salem State University in 1980. Training to become a Baptist minister, he received a master's degree in divinity in 1984 from the School of Theology at Virginia Union University, and a doctorate in ministry from the Howard University School of Divinity in 1987.
Torian worked for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for eight years. He was pastor of Gilfield Baptist Church in Charles City County, Virginia 1990–1995. Since then, he has been pastor of First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dumfries.
Electoral History
In February 2009, Republican Party of Virginia chair Jeff Frederick announced that he would not run for reelection to the Virginia House of Delegates. Torian ran for Frederick's 52nd district seat, winning a Democratic primary with more than two-thirds of the votes cast, then defeating Republican nominee Rafael Lopez.
| Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia House of Delegates, 52nd district | |||||
| Jun 9, 2009 | Democratic primary | Luke E. Torian | 1,812 | 68.14 | |
| Michael A. Hodge | 847 | 31.85 | |||
| Nov 3, 2009 | General | Luke E. Torian | Democratic | 8,267 | 51.89 |
| Rafael Lopez | Republican | 7,616 | 47.81 | ||
| Write Ins | 46 | 0.28 | |||
| Jeff Frederick retired; seat switched from Republican to Democratic | |||||
| Nov 8, 2011 | General | Luke E. Torian | Democratic | 5,156 | 60.58 |
| S. Cleveland Anderson | Republican | 3,327 | 39.09 | ||
| Write Ins | 27 | 0.31 | |||