GOP Delegate Behind First Casino Bill Co-Patron On 2026 Legislation

RICHMOND, VA — Del. Wren Williams (R-Stuart), who introduced the first Tysons casino bill to the Virginia House of Delegates in January 2023, is a co-patron on the newest bill submitted by State Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon) on Tuesday.

During the 2025 legislative session, the Tysons casino referendum bill had three chief co-patrons: Sens. Lamont Bagby (D-Richmond), Stella Pekarsky (D-Centerville), and Todd Pillion (R-Abington). This time around, Williams is the lone co-patron on the bill.

Three years ago, Williams and Sen. Dave Marsden (D-Burke) introduced identical bills (HB 2499/SB 1523) seeking to put a casino somewhere on Metro's Silver Line outside the Capital Beltway in Fairfax County. The bills were quickly withdrawn after receiving pushback from other lawmakers.

Neither of those bills mentioned Tysons, but Marsden identified that as being the location when he introduced similar legislation in 2024. That information is reflected in the summary of the current bill, SB756:

"Adds Fairfax County to the list of localities eligible to host a casino in the Commonwealth and provides that any proposed site for a casino gaming establishment considered by Fairfax County shall be (i) located within one-quarter of a mile of an existing station on the Metro Silver Line, (ii) part of a coordinated mixed-use project development consisting of no less than 1.5 million square feet, (iii) within two miles of a regional enclosed mall containing not less than 1.5 million square feet of gross building area, and (iv) outside of the Interstate 495 Beltway."

Comstock Holding Companies, the Reston developer that wants to build the Tysons casino, has spent more than $2.5 million on campaign contributions and lobbyists to bolster that effort.

Read Patch's reporting on Comstock Companies' plan to build a casino on Metro's Silver Line in Fairfax County at Silver Line Casino.

In October 2023, Patch first reported that 14 Comstock employees donated $29,525 to Williams' campaign committee.

A month later, Patch learned that Williams had donated $15,000 in 2021 to the campaign of Nick Clemente, who was running in Loudoun County for the House of Delegates. Williams even posted on social media that he enjoyed knocking on doors with Clemente, who is the son of Comstock CEO Christopher Clemente.

Also See ...

• New VA Casino Bill Draws Criticism From Fairfax Leaders
• 14 Comstock Employees Gave $29K To VA Delegate Who Backed Casino Bill
• GOP Casino Bill Backer Linked To Developer's Family, Chamber Lobbyist

Williams has received donations of $22,500 from Christopher Clemente, according to campaign finance filings reported by the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project. His campaign committee also received $30,000 from the Building a Remarkable Virginia Political Action Committee, which Comstock formed in 2023 to advocate for the Tysons casino.

It was a fun time knocking doors yesterday in the beautiful fall weather for Nick Clemente in Northern Virginia. We had great conversations with many voters who hadn’t been following the election and weren’t going to vote, or who feel forgotten by the Democrat party … (1/2) pic.twitter.com/n6JF42Ftn8
— Wren Williams (@WrenWilliamsVA) October 24, 2021