‘Tito the Builder’ considers run for Va. General Assembly By Jennifer Buske

Prince William County resident Tito Muñoz –also known as Tito the Builder- has formed a political action committee and is considering running for the Virginia General Assembly.
“Many friends have told me and asked me to consider running,” Muñoz said in an interview Thursday. “While Gov. [Bob] McDonnell ( R) has been an excellent leader for Virginia, there are clearly some in the General Assembly who have not gotten the message.”
Muñoz, 50, briefly took the spotlight during the 2008 presidential campaign when he made an appearance on stage with former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and gained the nickname Tito the Builder. He later campaigned for McDonnell and was appointed to the Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development.
Muñoz is still contemplating whether he would seek a house or senate seat and said he would spend the next few weeks talking to voters to gauge their interest in his candidacy. If he chooses to run for senate, it would either be to challenge Sen. Toddy Puller (D), who is running for re-election, or Sen. Chuck Colgan (D), who hasn’t said whether he is running yet. The seat depends on which redistricting proposal is adopted. It also is unclear what house seat he would run for.
The owner of a commercial construction company in Woodbridge and a conservative Latino voice on the radio, Muñoz said job creation and economic expansion are both important issues to him. Education, energy independence and transportation are also issues he plans to address if he runs for the General Assembly.
“I want people to achieve the American dream like I did,” said Muñoz, who was born in Colombia but became a U.S. citizen in 2008. “My biggest concern is jobs. There needs to be less regulations and less obstacles for people to obtain and open a business.”
This is not the first time Muñoz has contemplated running for office. Last year, he told The Washington Post he was considering challenging Prince William Board Chairman Corey. A. Stewart in the Republican primary.
Staff writer Anita Kumar contributed to this report.