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Eight candidates six Republicans and two Democrats are vying in June 13 primaries for a chance to succeed retiring Del. Peter F. Farrell, R-Henrico.

Farrell, 33, who has held the seat since 2012, surprised many Virginia politicians when he announced in March that he would not seek re-election. Farrell, who has an 18-month-old daughter and a growing investment firm, said that it was a tough decision, but with a young family and a growing business I cannot give the job as delegate the time and energy that it deserves.

The six Republicans in the GOP primary are Graven Craig, Surya Dhakar, George Goodwin, John McGuire III, Matt C. Pinsker and Jay F. Prendergast. The two candidates in the Democratic primary are Melissa M. Dart and Lizzie Drucker-Basch.

A registered voter in the district may cast a ballot in the Republican primary or the Democratic primary, but not in both contests.

Traditionally, the 56th has been a solidly Republican district. While Democrat Hillary Clinton carried Virginia in November, Republican Donald Trump carried the 56th District by nearly 20 percentage points.

Farrell succeeded Del. Bill Janis, a Republican who represented the district from 2002 to 2012. Janis did not seek re-election in 2011, choosing instead to mount an unsuccessful run for Henrico County commonwealths attorney.

Democrats have not fielded a candidate for the seat since 2009, when Janis was elected with nearly 70 percent of the vote.

The district includes Louisa County, which makes up 40.26 percent of the district, and parts of Henrico, Goochland and Spotsylvania counties.

Here is a look at the candidates:

Graven Craig is a personal injury attorney at his law firm in Louisa, where he has lived and worked since 1997. He is one of four founders of the United Self Defense Law Firm, which specializes in defending gun owners who use them in self-defense.

A native of Charlottesville, Craig attended the University of Maryland for his undergraduate degree before earning a law degree from George Mason University. He has been married for 21 years and is a father to three teenagers.

Craig said he wants to protect civil liberties outlined in the Bill of Rights, which he described as having come under attack because of government overreach.

Craig said he also seeks to ensure fiscal responsibility in Virginia, calling it concerning that the General Assembly this year raided the rainy day fund to balance state spending.

We need to figure out where we can cut some spending, and were going to have to have the courage to cut spending, he said.

Surya Dhakar says he wants to abolish state income taxes, rein in government spending, eliminate overreaching regulations on businesses, and provide affordable health care to Virginians.

A dentist with his own clinic in Glen Allen, Dhakar leads the Republican candidates in campaign contributions with $58,173 to date, far more than any of his rivals, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

He has lived in Henrico County since 1995 when he began dental school at Virginia Commonwealth University. He previously obtained a doctorate in ocean science from Old Dominion University in Norfolk.

Dhakar said he supports Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespies proposed 10 percent personal income tax cut over three years, adding that he wants to eliminate state income taxes entirely if the proposed cuts go well.

He said he has not seen any delegates who have proposed any tax cuts or proposed ... removing regulations for businesses.

George Goodwin is a retired senior intelligence analyst who runs a cow and calf farm with his son in Louisa, where his family history spans generations. He went into the U.S. Air Force following graduation from Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. He holds degrees from VMI and the University of Virginia.

After working with the Virginia Department of Transportation as a highway engineer, Goodwin served as director of the National Ground Intelligence Center. After retirement, Goodwin worked as a campaign manager for the state Senate bid of Republican Tom Garrett now the 5th District congressman and did the same for state Sen. Mark J. Peake, R-Lynchburg.

Goodwin served as a legislative adviser for Garrett and Peake. He said his four years of experience in the legislative process is what sets him apart from the other candidates.

I can go down there on Day One and be effective because I know how it operates, he said. Ive done it.

Goodwin said he hopes to do away with unfunded mandates and make Virginia more business-friendly by getting rid of restrictive regulations on small businesses.

John McGuire III is a former Navy SEAL and founder of SEAL Team Physical Training Inc., an outdoor fitness training program with locations in Richmond, Henrico, Charlottesville, Washington and Atlanta. He lives in Henrico with his wife and five children.

McGuire said the strengths he would bring to the voters of the 56th are his abilities to be a leader and team-builder. While the run is his first for public office, McGuire said he has excelled in the military and in business when he was still brand-new, which he attributes to his gift of uniting people.

McGuire said it would be premature before hes elected to say what exactly he would do in the district, but he said hes interested in growing businesses in Virginia and wants to continue providing support for veterans and law enforcement officers.

I just want to make sure we have a better future for our grandchildren, McGuire said.

Matt C. Pinsker is a captain in the Army Reserve and an adjunct professor of homeland security and criminal justice at Virginia Commonwealth University.

He also works with his own law firm that specializes in criminal defense for people suffering from addiction. As a small-business owner, Pinsker said he sees the negative effects of high taxes and regulation on businesses.

Im really the only candidate whos not only talked the talk but walked the walk, he said.

A lifelong conservative, Pinsker attended Mills E. Godwin High School where he founded a Republican club before graduating from the College of William & Mary. He lives with his wife near his family home in western Henrico.

Pinsker said he actively works to help veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, gives law enforcement officers support and training as a professor, and fights to preserve conservative values. He added that those are some of the issues he would work toward resolving as a delegate.

Jay F. Prendergast works in commercial media at Studio Sound, a nationwide company that produces commercials for television and radio. He was a radio personality in Virginia Beach for more than a decade before moving to Henrico in 2007 with his wife and four children.

A native of Alexandria, Prendergast calls himself a forever Virginian. He attended T.C. Williams High School and went on to earn a degree in broadcasting from the University of Virginia.

In 2006, Prendergast unsuccessfully ran for a City Council seat in Chesapeake an experience he said provided a good lesson on local elections. Compared with the other candidates, Prendergast said he holds similar conservative views but distinguishes himself in that he has a flexible schedule to work the position full time.

He said he believes in holding government accountable and promoting fiscally responsible practices, saying he would promote a true free-market economic system for the people of the 56th.

If you free the people up to pursue their dreams, thats the best way to get things done, Prendergast said.

Melissa M. Dart works full time as a health care administrator with AllyAlign Health, a small company based in Henrico. She has worked in the industry for 20 years, which she said gives her detailed understanding of an issue important to all members of her district.

Dart is married and has three young children. She attended the University of Richmond for her undergraduate degree and has a masters in health care from Virginia Commonwealth University.

The motivation to run for office came to Dart after the confirmation of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, she said, because she was concerned how it could affect the public school systems nationwide.

Dart says she thinks the Democratic Party has a real shot at winning the 56th, and her campaign is important to her personally because a woman has yet to be elected to that office in the district.

I think that the demographics have changed, and I think a Republican being in this seat for so long doesnt represent the true progressive voices that are more and more a part of this district, Dart said.

Lizzie Drucker-Basch owns a property renovation company that rehabs historic buildings in the Richmond area.

The small-business owner has lived in western Henrico County for 15 years and has three children who have gone to public schools there. She serves on the board of directors for the Disability Law Center of Virginia and on the Henrico County Special Education Advisory Committee. She holds degrees from Syracuse University and the University of Chicago.

A first-time candidate for office, Drucker-Basch said she thinks the Democratic Party has gotten away from its roots and its base. Drucker-Basch dismissed the idea that the district is inherently Republican, saying the constituents want good jobs and education opportunities for their children the same desires she has for her own family.

Its going to be Republican if we dont show up and show that we care, she said.

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6 Republicans, 2 Democrats seek retiring Del. Farrell's seat - Richmond.com