Kilgore also said he believes the difficulty Puckett’s daughter, Martha P. Ketron, has had in gaining Senate approval for a judicial appointment given his status as a sitting senator “played a big role” in his decision to resign.

“Martha is fantastic, and I think he would hate to see her lose that opportunity, because she has done such a good job,” said Kilgore.

But Kilgore refused to speculate as to whether Puckett had cut a deal with Senate Republicans to tender his resignation at this time — a move that effectively enables Senate Republicans to take control of the chamber from Democrats, who had been holding onto the budget as leverage to win the inclusion of Medicaid in the spending plan.

As for the tobacco commission: “If he’s available I think he’d be great for us,” Kilgore said of Puckett, who has represented Southwest Virginia in the state Senate since 1998.

“He’d be a great asset because he knows the region, and he’s a former banker and [the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission] said we need more follow-up, so he’d be a perfect fit for us.”