Incumbent Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. denied offering a job to a retiring Virginia state senator’s daughter in the hopes of keeping him in the State House during contentious debates over expanding Medicaid, the Virginia Senator said Monday.
“I did not offer her a job, nor would I offer her any kind of position,” Warner said during the debate Monday night against Republican challenger Ed Gillespie.
It was reported last week by the Washington Post that Warner reached out to the son of retiring state Senator Phillip Puckett to discuss several job prospects for his daughter, including a federal judgeship.
Puckett’s resignation occurred during a heated legislative debate in Richmond over the proposed expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, something Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe had made a key legislative issue during his 2013 successful gubernatorial run.
Puckett, a Democrat, eventually resigned and Republicans gained control of the chamber. His resignation led to a failure by Democrats to expand Medicaid in the state.
The issue dominated much of the hour-long debate, however the two candidates also sparred over other issues like energy, tax increases and campaign spending.
Recent polling shows Warner up by double digits over his Republican challenger.
