Brian Joseph Moran (born September 9, 1959) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. He served as Virginia Secretary of Public Safety from 2014 to 2022, and was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1996 until 2008, representing Northern Virginia's 46th district. Moran was a primary candidate for Governor of Virginia in 2009, hoping to succeed fellow Democrat Tim Kaine, but on June 9, 2009, he lost the Democratic Party nomination to Creigh Deeds, a member of the Virginia Senate. Early life Moran was born in Natick, Massachusetts, the youngest of seven children in a Catholic family of Irish descent. His father is former professional football player James Moran Sr. At age 13, he took the train to Washington, D.C. to watch the Watergate hearings. Moran attended university at Framingham State College, and later the Catholic University of America, where he earned his Juris Doctor from the Columbus School of Law in 1988. Moran's older brother is Jim Moran, a former U.S. Congressman from Virginia's 8th district. The elder Moran helped raise funds for his brother during his gubernatorial campaign, and both represented areas in Northern Virginia, but the two have differing opinions on several issues such as gun control and parole laws. Politics After one year clerkship, Moran became an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for Arlington County. Moran spent seven years in the Commonwealth Attorney's office, working cases ranging up to rape and murder, before he ran for the House of Delegates in 1995. After being elected, Moran served on the Transportation, Courts of Justice, and Health Welfare and Institutions Committees. He is a repeat winner of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Legislator of the Year, a recipient of the Tech-10 award from the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and a Friend of Business awardee from the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce. Moran was named 2006 Legislator of the Year by the Virginia Sheriffs Association. He resigned his seat on December 12, 2008, to pursue the Virginia governorship full-time. In 2001, Moran was elected to chair the House Democratic Caucus, succeeding Creigh Deeds who was elected to the Virginia State Senate. During his tenure, Democrats added seats in every consecutive general election and ultimately held 44 of the chamber's 100 seats. Moran spent the better part of 2006 and 2007 traveling the state to recruit and support House candidates for the 2007 election, when all