Virginia Capitol Connections, 2025 Annual Magazine 8 A Man of My Own Heart Senator Scott Surovell By BONNIE ATWOOD This is a story about The Honorable Scott A. Surovell. Professional news reporters writing interviews are never supposed to make the story about themselves. They are unbiased, skilled narrators who rarely, if ever, enter the story at all. This isn’t one of those times. Today, we break the rules. I may be one of a diminishing number of people who has spent time (as a reporter, that is) inside the old Spring Street Penitentiary. If you remember those days, that’s how long and how deeply I have fought the death penalty. My best friends can attest—it has been my number one priority among the things I wanted to change. Credit goes to Sen. Surovell, along with other legislators and fellow advocates, for the abolition of capital punishment in 2021— the first southern state to do so. Surovell did not hesitate to name this as his proudest legislative achievement. But back to the Scott Surovell story. He grew up in Mt. Vernon, in eastern Fairfax County, lives in his grandfather’s house, and now represents that district as its State Senator. His demeanor speaks of fearlessness, likely due to being in a politically active family—not to mention politically active classmates. His father was an attorney, practicing what he calls “real people stuff,” such as divorce, car crashes, and DUIs. That’s the kind of law Surovell, now aged 53, practices today. His mother worked in the U.S. Congress in various roles—assisting a senator, then as a Scott Surovell addresses the Senate floor.
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