Tara Anne Durant (born October 26, 1972) is an American politician who is a member of the

Virginia Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

from the 27th district, serving since January 2024. She is a Republican. From 2022 to 2024, she was a member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

. She and her husband Ted have been married 26 years and have three children. On June 18, 2025, Durant declared her candidacy for Congress in

Virginia's 7th congressional district Virginia's seventh congressional district is a United States congressional district in the U.S. state, Commonwealth of Virginia. The district encompasses a vast swath of Northern Virginia, Northern and Greater Richmond Region, Central Virginia ...

to challenge Democratic incumbent

Eugene Vindman Eugene Semyon Vindman (born Yevgeny Semyonovich Vindman; June 6, 1975) is an American politician, lawyer, and retired U.S. Army officer serving as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 7th congressional district since 2025. A member of the De ...

2026 Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 – Bulgaria is expected to adopt the euro and become the 21st member state of the eurozone. * January 6 – The 2025 Jubilee will end on this day. * February 5 – The New START Treat ...

Early life and education

Durant was born in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

in 1972. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and political science from

Coe College Coe College is a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1851 and is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The college is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Associati ...

and attended the

University of Baltimore School of Law The University of Baltimore School of Law, or the UB School of Law, is one of the four colleges that make up the University of Baltimore, which is part of the University System of Maryland. The UBalt School of Law is one of only two law schools i ...

Career

Outside of politics, Durant has worked as an educator in Iowa and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. She was a teacher at the Holy Cross Academy in Stafford County from 2017 to 2021 and works as a

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

at the school. She was elected to the

in November 2021, defeating incumbent Democrat Joshua G. Cole. She assumed office on January 12, 2022. Tara currently serves on the Senate Committees on Education & Health, Local Government, and Privileges & Elections; as well as the Behavioral Health Commission, Rappahannock River Basin Commission, Autism Advisory Council, Veterans Services Board, and Southern Regional Education Board.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durant, Tara 1972 births 21st-century American educators 21st-century American women educators 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Virginia General Assembly Coe College alumni Living people People from Stafford County, Virginia Politicians from Des Moines, Iowa Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Republican Party Virginia state senators Schoolteachers from Virginia Women state legislators in Virginia