{"id":1043,"date":"2024-02-23T19:42:39","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T19:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/?p=1043"},"modified":"2024-03-09T20:08:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-09T20:08:02","slug":"cardinal-news-former-virginia-tech-football-star-aaron-rouse-makes-a-quick-rise-in-the-general-assembly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/cardinal-news-former-virginia-tech-football-star-aaron-rouse-makes-a-quick-rise-in-the-general-assembly\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Virginia Tech football star Aaron Rouse makes a quick rise in the General Assembly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In just his second session in Richmond, he now chairs a major committee and has tackled two key pieces of legislation \u2014 legalizing \u201cskill\u201d games and retail cannabis.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not too far-fetched to say that Aaron Rouse\u2019s career took an unexpected turn when the former NFL star decided to dedicate his life to public service. But to the Democrat from Virginia Beach, his quick ascent from his stint as a city councilman in his hometown to his election as a state senator is all part of a greater purpose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think everything has a season, and we\u2019re all on God\u2019s timing,\u201d Rouse, 40, said in a recent interview at his office on the fifth floor of Richmond\u2019s General Assembly Building. \u201cThat transition from a local level to state has helped me out tremendously, and it\u2019s been a rather smooth process, I\u2019m not just stepping into this blindly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in Aaron Rouse\u2019s world, football and politics really aren\u2019t all that different; they at the very least intersect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a tremendous crossover,\u201d Rouse said, easing into the chair behind his desk. \u201cWhat you find is that your priority goal is to win, it\u2019s the same focus. We all have different backgrounds, different interests, perspectives, duties and responsibilities. But when we step on this field, we\u2019re on the same team, and we are all shooting for the same goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe only difference is, in football I could hit people,\u201d he said, chuckling.\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While Rouse isn\u2019t the only professional footballer who sought out a political career after retirement \u2014 Napoleon Harris, a former linebacker for the Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs, has served in the Illinois state Senate since 2013, for example \u2014 his remains a unique story in Virginia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A former defensive player for the Virginia Tech Hokies, the 6-foot-4 Rouse embarked on his NFL career in 2007, when the Green Bay Packers selected him in the third round of the draft. He later played brief stints for the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals, as well as the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League, followed by one season for the Virginia Destroyers, another UFL team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his four years at Virginia Tech, Rouse started off as a linebacker and later moved to the safety position. Bud Foster, the Hokies\u2019 defensive coordinator during the early 2000s, remembers Rouse as \u201ca big athletic guy\u201d with a bright future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur first impression was this was going to be one of the elite football players in the state of Virginia,\u201d Foster said in a phone interview. \u201cHe had a great junior season, and he hit a lull in his senior year, which happens sometimes. But that\u2019s also a little bit of who he is, that\u2019s part of his character. He buckled his chinstrap a little tighter and went to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foster said that Rouse always was \u201can everyday guy, he was always taking care of business,\u201d on and off the field. \u201cHe was dependable, trustworthy and a guy you could count on. He is intelligent, he has all kinds of physical qualities, and I think these are the kind of qualities that led him toward where he is right now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, Rouse was elected to the Virginia Beach City Council, where he served one term. After ending his bid for mayor during the early stage of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Rouse announced in the spring of 2022 that he would run for the Virginia State Senate in the 2023 election. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But after Sen. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, was elected to Congress, Rouse became a candidate to succeed her in the January 2023 special election, during which he narrowly defeated Republican Kevin Adams, flipping the seat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One year later, as his second legislative session is underway, Rouse chairs the powerful Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, and he has sponsored high-profile legislation, including a proposal that would  create a marketplace for adult-use cannabis and another that would establish a regulatory framework and tax structure for skill games in Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Aaron
Aaron Rouse (36) in action for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Courtesy of Virginia Tech.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Foster said he wasn\u2019t surprised by his former player\u2019s fast rise in the political landscape. \u201cHe made us really, really proud. He is kind of like one of our children, growing and developing, and moving forward and doing great things in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rouse, Foster said, is stern and has strong beliefs. \u201cThrow out Democrat and Republican, he will do what\u2019s best for the people. He is going to be open-minded, but whatever he gets his mind set on, he\u2019s going to accomplish it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe is going to do his research, and he is going to be prepared and knowledgeable. I think he has grasped the responsibility of what it takes and the importance of being in this role, and he\u2019s going to do the very best that he can to represent the citizens of the commonwealth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rouse said that his time as a city councilman has prepared him for the job in Richmond. \u201cI understand what it takes to get very important and heavy legislation through all the hurdles,\u201d he said. He added that during his time on the council he was instrumental in helping to pass a pay increase for city workers, to expand the employment program and to pass a multimillion-dollar bond referendum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the full article here<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In just his second session in Richmond, he now chairs a major committee and has tackled two key pieces of legislation \u2014 legalizing \u201cskill\u201d games and retail cannabis. It\u2019s not too far-fetched to say that Aaron Rouse\u2019s career took an unexpected turn when the former NFL star decided to dedicate his life to public service. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1044,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1043"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1043"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1043\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1087,"href":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1043\/revisions\/1087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rouseforsenate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}