Profile: Steve Hunt, 37th District State Senate Candidate

At a Glance

• Born: Upper Marlboro, Maryland
• Education: Duke University, Civil Engineering, 1980
  
• Family: Married, 2 cats, 1 parrot, 4 dogs
• Occupation: Senior Systems Analyst, Science Applications International Corporation
• Public Office: Fairfax County School Board, 2004-2007

Steve Hunt, a former school board member and a retired Naval Flight officer, is entering the political arena once again this election cycle.

Hunt (R) is vying for the 37th District State Senate Seat currently occupied by Democrat Dave Marsden. He first is up against fellow Republican Jason Flanary in the August 23 primaries.

“My role as a State Senator is to be a State Senator. It’s to serve the 37th District, not myself,” Hunt, 55, said. “That’s a philosophy that you don’t see nearly enough.”

Hunt served on the Fairfax County School Board from 2004 to 2007. He ran for reelection on the school board, and lost. He also ran for the 37th Senate seat against Dave Marsden in the 2010 special election.

“It was a very close election,” Hunt said. “I lost in the absentee ballots by 327 votes.”

Hunt said that he got involved in politics as a “natural extension” of his career in the military. Hunt, who grew up in Maryland, was involved in the Navy ROTC when he studied civil engineering at Duke University. He subsequently joined the Navy as a flight officer.

“I got my wings in ‘81,” Hunt said. “Then was trained on the F-14...The model of airplane that I flew is now in at the Dulles Air and Space museum.”

Hunt retired from the Navy and moved to the Fairfax Station area, where he has lived for about 16 years. Hunt now works for the Science Application International Corporation, or SAIC, as a systems analyst.

“Being in the Navy and moving around, it’s hard to connect with the community, but I really wanted to be a part of organizations that do something for the area,” Hunt said.

Hunt has participated in the Clifton Lions Club, American Legion, among other organizations. Hunt is also a parishioner at in Chantilly Bible Church.

In 2005, Hunt’s personal views sparked controversy after he sent out a letter to local high school principals saying that gays lead a “very destructive lifestyle,” the Washington Post reported at the time.

 “Granted, there were some personal beliefs in that letter that should have been left out because they caused the intent of that letter to be lost,” Hunt said. “But my track record does not manifest any kind of extremism that someone may try and label me with.”

“What I think is important for people to know is that my Christian beliefs tell me that I need to be a servant leader and put the needs of others ahead of my own,” Hunt said.

Hunt stressed that his main concerns for the election cycle are business and transportation. At a recent debate, he spoke about the possibility of encouraging businesses to get on board with telecommuting.

“I would like to see government employees be allowed to telecommute to an office near them or a commercial telecommuting center where they can work from maybe two days out of the week,” Hunt said.

He also said that officials need to “proactively look at how transportation projects affect congestion instead of waiting for traffic to become a problem.” He would want to see additional traffic analysis.

Friends describe Hunt as a thoughtful debater, Eric Didomenico, who has known Hunt for over 10 years through their church, said.

“He does not get confrontational unless he get’s pushed into a corner,” Didomenico said. “He would rather have a friendly discussion, but he does care passionately about what is right.”

Hunt that the careful consideration is hard-wired from his background.

"My first response is to listen and become better education on the issue. Coming from an engineering background, I am trained to find a solution,” Hunt said. “I have no interest in a program that sounds good but isn’t physically capable of success.”

To find out more information about Steve Hunt, view our social media guide to the elections and our ongoing political coverage.