The ranks of Virginia Republicans have grown by one. State Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Fauquier) gave birth Wednesday morning to a 7-pound, 18 3/4-inch bundle of GOP joy: Olivia Marguerite Holtzman Vogel.
Virginia State Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Fauquier) with newborn daughter Olivia Marguerite Holtzman Vogel and husband, Alex Vogel.
(Family photo)
Vogel carried out her Senate duties right up to the end of pregnancy, returning to Richmond just last Tuesday and Wednesday to vote on the state budget.
Vogel, who has three sons and two step-children, thought she was going into labor Tuesday afternoon and was worried about missing the vote, a nail-biter in the evenly divided chamber.
Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax) offered to pair her vote with Vogel’s, forgoing her own vote if need be so that Vogel’s absence wouldn’t give the Democrats an advantage.
“It was Janet who very graciously offered to help me out if I had to leave during the budget vote,” Vogel said via e-mail earlier this week. “I had forgotten about that courtesy used in the Senate that lets you have a family crisis (or baby) and still maintain the balance in the vote. Someone else just pair votes with you and the record reflects that they would have voted X.”
As it turned out, the labor symptoms stopped and Vogel was able to remain in Richmond to help Republicans pass a a two-year, $85 billion budget last week.
“I really appreciated Janet for that,” Vogel said. “People stick up for you when it matters.”
Perhaps Vogel will show her appreciation by raising little Marguerite to be a Democrat.
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