Tommy Norment

Thomas Kent Norment Jr. (born April 12, 1946) is an American politician who served as the Minority Leader and Majority Leader of the Senate of Virginia.

Initially a Democrat, Norment was elected to the James City County Board of Supervisors as a Republican and served from 1987 to 1991.

He was elected to the James City County Board of Supervisors where he served as chairman before being elected to the Virginia Senate in 1991.

He was elected to the state senate in 1991, defeating incumbent Democrat Bill Fears with 54% of the vote.

When he first entered the Senate in 1992, no other lawyer in Virginia had tried as many capital murder cases as Tommy Norment.

Parallel to his burgeoning legal career, Tommy was actively involved in local volunteer work through the College of William and Mary.

He remains committed to giving back to his community and fostering a sense of responsibility towards the greater good.

Norment served as an adjunct professor of law at William and Mary Law School.

He served as on-campus attorney, and counselor and attorney to the president of William and Mary.

Norment entered into his first marriage to Mary Carlisle Humelsine, daughter of Carlisle Humelsine, the longtime president of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Norment's connections to the prominent Humelsine family helped propel his political aspirations into reality.

Norment would later remarry to his wife, successful Richmond lobbyist Angie Bezik.

Norment was unopposed for reelection in 1995, reelected with 63% of the vote in 1999, reelected with 62% of the vote in 2003, reelected unopposed in 2007 and 2011, reelected with 70% of the vote in 2015, and re-elected with 61.7% of the vote in 2019.

Norment decided not to seek re-election in 2023 and officially retired from the Senate of Virginia on January 9, 2024.

A leader on safety issues, particularly those pertaining to schools, in 1995 Senator Norment introduced and passed the legislation (SB874) that requires the immediate one-year expulsion of students who illegally bring firearms onto school property or to a school-sponsored event.

According to the Clerk of the Virginia Senate, Norment was first elected as Minority Leader in 2007 and is tied with Senator Richard "Dick" Saslaw for having switched between Minority and Majority leader more than any other two senators in Virginia's history.

Similarly, Senator Norment holds the records for the longest serving Republican senator as well as the longest serving Senate Republican Leader in the history of the Commonwealth.

A Republican, he represented the 3rd district of the Virginia Senate which, during his service, was based around Williamsburg, VA. Tommy served on the Commerce and Labor, Judiciary, Rules, and Finance and Appropriations Committees.

Norment also served as a member of the Governor's Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates, the Virginia Crime Commission, the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council, and the Major Economic Impact (MEI) Project Approval Commission.

A longtime resident of James City County, Norment maintains an active role in the community.

Norment serves as Chairman of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and is the only individual to have served in this role more than once.

He has served as a member of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's board of trustees.

He further serves on the Hampton Roads Board of Directors for TowneBank, chairs the Williamsburg Board of TowneBank, and serves as a member of the College of William and Mary Board of Visitors.

Professionally, Norment is an attorney with Kaufman and Canoles, P.C. and a former law professor at the College of William and Mary.

He is a graduate of James Blair High School, the Virginia Military Institute, and the Marshall Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary.

Born in the City of Richmond, Norment spent his youth in Williamsburg where he attended James Blair High School.

During his time in high school, Norment was elected class president and was named "most likely to succeed".

Having served as President of the student council, high school is where future senator Tommy Norment got his first taste of politics.

Norment graduated from the Virginia Military Institute where his budding spirit of leadership was nurtured amidst the institution's rich traditions.

Tommy wholeheartedly embraced VMI's storied customs, none more emblematic than the Honor Court.

Here, the principles of honor and ethical conduct were deeply ingrained in his character.

Among the most transformative experiences at VMI was Tommy's journey through the Rat Line, a grueling initiation that bound him to his fellow brother rats through shared challenges.

After his transformative years at VMI, Norment embarked on a new journey as a young, aspiring attorney.

Eager to uphold the principles of justice and advocate for those in need, Tommy passionately pursued a career in law.

Norment graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and received his J.D. degree from William and Mary School of Law.

Norment opened his first law office in Newport News where his path to becoming a prominent attorney was marked by his dedication to high-stakes criminal defense cases.

Known for his veracity in the courtroom, Norment quickly became known as one of the most successful defense attorneys in the Commonwealth.

Tommy's worked in emotionally charged, high-profile rape and murder cases were a testament to his unwavering belief in the legal system and his dedication to protecting the rights of all individuals, no matter the allegations against them.

He led the Virginia Senate Republican caucus since 2007.

As the longest serving Senate Republican Leader in Virginia history, Senator Norment has built a significant resume of achievements.