"Capping months of hints and speculation, Del. Paul C. Harris, R-Albemarle, will announce today that he is accepting a Justice Department job.

President Bush appointed Harris to be a deputy assistant attorney general in charge of the department's tort litigation section, Harris told The Daily Progress. The position carries a salary of $131,500 a year, he said.

Harris plans to resign his 58th District House of Delegates seat before moving to Northern Virginia and starting work by July 2, he said. It's unclear whether a special election will be called prior to the Nov. 6 election, Harris said.

The two-term delegate does not plan to let a federal appointment end his hopes to seek higher elective office at some later date.

'Not at all,' said the 37-year-old attorney who was the first black Republican elected to the General Assembly in more than 100 years when he won the delegate seat in 1997.

'I am clearly interested in running for statewide office in the commonwealth at some point in the future,' Harris said Tuesday.

With two delegate elections and a GOP primary victory under his belt last year, Harris won a prime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention that nominated Bush. He also considered a bid for lieutenant governor this year.

He has made several trips to the White House this year for meetings and ceremonies with Bush, who strongly hinted a few months ago that he would be bringing Harris into his administration.

Paul Clinton Harris, Jr.

'The president has appointed me to a position as deputy assistant attorney general in the civil division,' Harris said. 'I will be in charge of the torts section.' That section, among other duties, litigates tobacco claims on behalf of the federal government, he said.

The position is leading a section of the department that decides whether and when to defend federal officials sued for torts claims and defends the U.S. government under the Federal Torts Claims Act, Harris said....

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In his new post, Harris will have 'between 150 and 200 lawyers who will be under my charge in that section,' which ahs offices in Washington, New York and San Francisco....

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With his plans to go to Washington no secret the past few months, Harris has watched as at least two Republicans and one Democrat have all but announced their intentions to run for the House seat.

Albemarle County Republicans Rob Bell and Michael Brown have expressed strong interest in the seat, as has Supervisor Charles S. Martin, D-Rivanna.

The new 58th District will include 11 of Albemarle's current 22 precincts plus all of Greene County, three of Fluvanna County's five precincts and the Barboursville-area's western-most precinct of Orange County" (Bob Gibson, The Daily Progress, May 16, 2001).