Virginia Political Newsletter

View Details

This is the Virginia Political Newslettercovering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider becoming the ultimate political insider by supporting non-partisan, independent news and becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter today.

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

Today’s Sponsor: Google

Google is deepening its commitment to Virginia with new investments that will support thousands of jobs, expand workforce training opportunities, and help lower energy costs for families. We recently announced funding to train more than 2,700 additional electrical apprentices by 2030 and launched a $15 million Energy Impact Fund to support home repairs, weatherization, and energy-efficiency upgrades across the Commonwealth. Learn more here.

I talked to Joe Dodson of Courthouse News about the new injunction that a Lancaster County judge issued against the assault weapons ban, which is supposed to go into effect on July 1.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

My computer is currently in a crisis so for right now you just have to watch this video of me awkward talking about big topics in the news today.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

Today’s Sponsor: Google

Spanberger will have technical amendments to budget agreement

During a press conference in Richmond on Tuesday morning, Gov. Abigail Spanberger said she will be proposing some technical amendments to the budget agreement that the General Assembly sent on Monday night.

“I will be putting forth some amendments, and importantly, some of those are technical amendments actually requested by patrons related to some of the implementation language,” Spanberger said.

Spanberger has until Monday night to take action on the legislation.

Funding for the state government runs out Tuesday, June 30, at 11:59 p.m.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, confirmed to Virginia Scope that the Senate will meet on Monday.

Sources tell Virginia Scope that the House of Delegates will likely return Monday, as well.

Spanberger, aware of the contention over finalizing this budget, wanted to make it clear to party leaders in both chambers that some of her amendments were requested by legislators.

“I’ve also been asking to make sure that they advise leadership in the House and Senate that some of those amendments are coming from them,” she said of the legislators making the requests.

Stay tuned for more updates.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

General Assembly budget proposal expected to generate $600 million a year in revenue from data centers

Virginia lawmakers are moving to tax data centers’ electricity use under a budget conference report unveiled this week, a measure expected to generate $1.2 billion over the two-year state budget cycle.

The provision, included in the conference report just released by the House and Senate, would charge data centers $0.011 per kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed each month. Collections would be capped at $600 million annually; any amount collected above that cap would be refunded to data center operators on a prorated basis after the fiscal year ends. The definition of “data center” used in the bill is written to exclude telecommunications companies.

The fee is projected to bring in $600 million in fiscal year 2027 and another $600 million in fiscal year 2028.

The measure comes as Virginia, home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers, faces growing scrutiny over the industry’s strain on the electric grid and water supplies, particularly in Northern Virginia’s “Data Center Alley” in Loudoun County.

As a result, the debate over forcing data centers to contribute more money to the commonwealth has been the main topic of all budget negotiations.

The Senate wanted to eliminate the sales and use tax break that data centers are set to receive through 2035. The House and the governor did not want to go back on that commitment.

That tax break remains, but the Senate did get its pound of flesh with the energy consumption fee.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

The latest on the budget.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

The latest on the budget negotiations in Virginia.

Today’s Sponsor: The Virginia Chamber of Commerce

Instead of making life more affordable, the Virginia Senate is pushing a new tax on digital infrastructure, which will increase costs on Virginians. Our economic growth depends on trust, stability and a consistent commitment to the business community. Protect Virginia’s business reputation by rejecting the Digital Infrastructure Tax.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Yesterday, at a ceremonial signing of gun violence prevention legislation, Gov. Abigail Spanberger scrapped her prepared speech on the stage to give a passionate speech about why she got into politics.

Listen to it at the top of this newsletter.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Check out my conversation with Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs. She is running for the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s First Congressional District.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Candidate for Virginia’s 1st Congressional District Salaam Bhatti talks about Medicare for All, taxing billionaires, banning congressional stock trading and selling his own.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney Shannon Taylor talked with me about her campaign for the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s First Congressional District.

She is hoping to run against Rep. Rob Wittman in November.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Senate Republican Leader Ryan McDougle talks on the heels of his victory in the Virginia Supreme Court.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

I talked with Joe Dodson of Courthouse News Service and Sam Shirazi about the latest in the redistricting lawsuit. Joe and I also discussed the tension between the General Assembly and the governor over collective bargaining legislation.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Joe Dodson from Courthouse News Service was in the room for the Virginia Supreme Court hearing this morning as they took up the redistricting case. Listen to our full conversation at the top of this newsletter.

Below is coverage from Virginia Scope of the hearing:

Virginia Supreme Court hears oral arguments in redistricting case

by Brandon Jarvis

The Virginia Supreme Court heard arguments from both sides in the redistricting debate Monday morning. The issues likely to be the deciding factors in the case are whether early voting starts the election process and whether the special session used to initiate the amendment process was legal.

To amend the Constitution, the General Assembly must pass the language twice, with an intervening House of Delegates election. The General Assembly used an already active special session to meet at the end of October last year to complete the first passage of the amendment language, just days before Election Day in November.

Republicans argue that the election started when the early voting period began 45 days prior to Election Day. Democrats argued that the votes are not counted until Election Day.

Republican attorneys cite three reasons they believe the amendment is invalid.

First, they said lawmakers improperly used an ongoing special session to pass the amendment the first time. They argued that special sessions are limited in scope and meant for specific purposes — in this case, budget matters — and that legislators could not use it to advance a redistricting amendment.

The special session that Democrats used last year to advance the redistricting proposal was originally called in 2024 to address budget issues. The scope was changed in October of 2025 to include redistricting.

“You don’t disagree that the General Assembly didn’t follow the terms of the resolution for expanding the argument is, as a legal matter under Article Four, Section Seven. It’s irrelevant that they didn’t follow that?” asked Justice Wesley Russell.

“That principle is firmly rooted in law,” responded Matthew Seligman, the attorney for the Democrats.

“And that’s a yes,” Russell stated.

“That is a yes,” Seligman said. “But to be precise, first of all, there are two points here, one about judicial power, and the second about compliance with legislative rules.”

“First about judicial power,” Seligman continued. “This court does not have the power to enforce alleged violations of legislative rules. That principle has been established by the United States Supreme Court and has been established by this court and state courts around the country.”

“I think that’s a compelling argument on how the legislature, by majority vote, sets up its own rules,” Justice Stephen McCullough said in response. “The more tricky and in my mind, unprecedented aspect of that question is the idea of a sort of perpetual special session, when the Constitution envisions a citizen legislature that’s part time, that meets at prescribed time periods, and we’re writing on a blank canvas on that question. And so to me, that was the argument that had more layers to it than the one you were just immediately addressing.”

“It’s true that this court has never addressed it, but I think the text of the Constitution answers that question,” Seligman responded.

Russell then focused on the 2025 legislative session and described a special session as something that happens outside of the general session.

“Special Session [by] definition is something that happens outside of the general session,” Russell said. “If we’ve been in special session and we get around to another general session…why doesn’t the general end the special?”

“What authority do you have for that proposition other than constitutional silence?” he asked the Democratic attorney.

“I think the constitutional silence is telling, and that constitutional silence exists not only in contrast to other sentences in the very same section of the Constitution, but also in contrast to every single, and I repeat, every single other state’s constitution that the challengers rely on here,” Seligman said.

“Would a special session convened in 1929, if they forgot to adjourn sine die, still be in session?” Russell asked.

“No, Your Honor,” Seligman responded. “And I think there’s some important distinction here, and this is reflected both in the Virginia Legislature and also in Congress and other states’ legislatures. So any open sessions at the end of the term of office of the members of the General Assembly here or Congress, it automatically terminates.”

Second, challengers argued there was no valid “intervening general election” between the first and second legislative approvals because early voting for the 2025 House elections had already begun before the amendment first passed.

“Recognizing the text is most important,” Russell said. “If you look at the General Assembly debates over the 1971 Constitution, didn’t at least a few of the members say that the reason we have the intervening election requirement is so people will know when they vote how incumbent members voted and allow their opponents to say they would have voted differently. That’s what they said on the floor.”

“I don’t think that statements by individual legislators can overcome the clear text of the Constitution,” Seligman said in response.

The Democratic argument is that since the votes are not actually counted until Election Day, early voting does not violate the intervening election requirement.

“You would say doing it on election day itself, anytime before the polls closed, might be valid?” Russell asked.

“I think probably not,” Seligman responded. “The point I’m just trying to make here is that that’s not the case that we have here. The case that we have here is the General Assembly passed the proposed amendment before the election, where the term election is defined in the Constitution by five separate provisions, as a single day that takes place in November.”

“So Article Two, Section six, defines the election as the November general election. That is an election that takes place in November, not over a three month period,” Seligman continued, before Russell interrupted him.

“That doesn’t, because the phrase in Article 12, Section One, is the next general election, and Article Two, Section Six, it’s that’s when the members of the House shall be elected,” Russell said. “It’s not the same phrase, it’s not the same word, it’s not even the same type of speech. One is a noun. One is a verb.”

“What is inconsistent with interpreting election as describing the process and saying shall be elected is, by definition, the termination of that process by which the members are elected,” Russell continued. “And in fact, the verb is passive. Somebody else has to do something for them to be elected. That is, the voters have to vote.”

“The textual answer is that we have other provisions of the Constitution that answer directly this point,” Seligman responded. “So Article Seven, Section Four, says regular elections for such officers — this is local and county officers — regular elections for such officers shall be held on Tuesday after the first Monday in November. And so that answers exactly the grammatical point that you’re making here, and that speaks to the broader structural point that I’ll make.”

“Second, which is that we have a coherent structure across multiple provisions of the Constitution that the election takes place on a single day, that takes place in November, assuming it’s a general election, and there can be early voting that participates early in that election that takes place on a single day,” Seligman continued.

“So your position requires us to interpret election in such a manner that literally, every single vote that is cast for whatever the office is, is cast before the election even begins,” Russell asked.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Seligman responded. “The contrary interpretation would make Virginia a sole outlier.”

Third, opponents said the state failed to follow a statute requiring public notice of proposed amendments 90 days before the intervening election in circuit courts

The justices who asked questions did not seem to give much credibility to this argument, pointing out that one rogue circuit court clerk could refuse to post the amendment and stop it in its tracks.

“It would strike me as pretty extreme for us to say that one rogue circuit court clerk just refusing to post it on a courthouse wall stops the entire commonwealth from ever considering a constitutional amendment, and that would essentially give a circuit court clerk veto power over amending the Constitution. Isn’t that too extreme?” one of the justices asked the Republican attorney, Thomas McCarthy.

“This is not at all like that. This isn’t like one circuit clerk somewhere in the commonwealth only put it up 48 days ahead of time, or something like that,” he responded. “It was never posted.”

The justices’ decision will determine whether the amendment approved by voters becomes part of the Virginia Constitution.

There is no timeline for when a decision will be released.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Spanberger reflects on first 100 days in office

Gov. Abigail Spanberger released a new video reflecting on her first 100 days in office. Watch it at the top of this newsletter.

Transcript:

Spanberger: My husband Adam and I grew up in Virginia. We are raising our daughters here, because there is no better place in the world to call home.

Spanberger: As Governor, my job is to make sure it stays that way. 100 days into my administration, we’ve hit the ground running.

News Broadcast: Today marks 100 days in office for Virginia’s Governor.

News Broadcast: Abigail Spanberger, Virginia’s first female Governor.

Spanberger: We’ve worked to tackle the high cost of living, because everyone is feeling the impacts of reckless economic policies coming out of Washington.

Spanberger: And I’m happy to report that my Affordable Virginia Agenda is now law.

News Broadcast: Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a batch of affordability bills into law today. They focus on healthcare, housing, and energy.

News Broadcast: Governor Spanberger is celebrating a series of new laws aimed at expanding worker protections across Virginia.

News Broadcast: Virginia will have a paid family and medical leave program starting in 2028.

Spanberger: We also have announced new business investments across the Commonwealth.

Spanberger: But it’s not just about policy, it’s about approach. I’m a pragmatist. Always have been.

Spanberger: I also know that Democrats, Republicans, Independents... Virginians. We all want our Commonwealth to succeed.

Spanberger: I still believe what I said on inauguration day: That our leaders and our fellow Virginians should join in common cause, find common ground, and pursue common purpose. That is the concept at the heart of what it means to be a Commonwealth. This is what it means to be United for Virginia’s Future.

Spanberger: After all, we live in a Commonwealth. And that should be a call to action.

Spanberger: Finding common ground, pursuing a common purpose, working towards commonsense solutions.

Spanberger: It’s also been guiding our work for these first 100 days and will continue to guide our work into the future.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife Wednesday night before killing himself. He did this while his teenage son and daughter were in the home, according to the Fairfax Police Department.

Fairfax was a rising star in Virginia politics at one point — but then scandals and accusations from his past overtook the narrative, and his political career never recovered.

He made a failed attempt at the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2021, and then went into the private sector.

On his final day as lieutenant governor, Jan. 14, 2022, I was in the Senate chamber as they honored him for his work.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

State Navigate released a new poll on redistricting and Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s approval rating this morning.

The “Vote Yes” campaign is leading by 5 points according to the poll. Yes accounts for 50.7% and No accounts for 45.4%.

Democrats are overwhelmingly backing the measure, with 92% saying they have voted or plan to vote yes and 5% opposed. Republicans are similarly unified in opposition, with 95% voting no and 2% supporting it, according to the poll.

Among true independents — those who do not lean toward either party — 56% say they are voting no, while 32% say they are voting yes.

Among likely voters, 47% approve of Spanberger’s job performance, while 47% disapprove. Intensity skews more negative: 41% strongly disapprove, compared with 31% who strongly approve. Another 11% somewhat approve, and 4% somewhat disapprove.

Read the full breakdown from State Navigate here.

This survey was fielded from April 10-13, 2026, among 707 registered likely special election voters in Virginia. Respondents were chosen from a voter file provided by i360. The margin of error is 3.7% for a 95% confidence interval. The survey was designed and conducted by State Navigate. This survey was not sponsored by any party, candidate, or candidate’s committee.

Complete toplines can be found here, and selected crosstabs can be found here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Public service workers rallied and marched to the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond to urge Gov. Abigail Spanberger to sign SB 378 and HB 1263, legislation that would allow Virginia public service workers to collectively bargain.

Watch footage from the event above.

The deadline for Spanberger to sign legislation is 11:59 p.m.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Speaker Don Scott gave brief remarks to the press in Richmond ahead of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger’s election night party. Scott is looking to expand the slim 51-49 majority that Democrats have had for the last two years.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Democratic lieutenant governor nominee talked to the press after she voted this morning.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

I talked to Nick Ianelli from WTOP about the redistricting special session. Listen to the conversation up there 👆🏻.

This is the Virginia Scope daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider becoming the ultimate political insider by supporting non-partisan, independent news and becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter today.

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

Today’s Sponsor: Virginia Election Protection

Every voter deserves a voice. Virginia Election Protection, the state’s largest nonpartisan voter protection effort, is here to help ensure fair and accessible elections for all.

Have a voting question or issue at the polls? Call or text 866-OUR-VOTE for free, nonpartisan support.

Learn more at ProtectTheVoteVA.org, powered by the Virginia Civic Engagement Table.

The latest on redistricting

State-level Democrats have not publicly confirmed whether they will take up redistricting during Monday’s special session, but national party leaders have signaled it will be the focus.

“We are clear-eyed that Democrats cannot unilaterally disarm across the country and must pursue every available tool to counter Republicans’ desperate attempts to steal the midterms,” said Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) communications director Courtney Rice. “Virginia’s decision to convene and preserve the right to consider a new map in 2026 is critical in the fight to ensure voters have fair representation and we commend them for standing up against Republican attempts to weaken the power, and vote, of the people.”

Multiple sources told Virginia Scope that national figures are pushing the redistricting effort behind the scenes.

On Wednesday, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee gave $150,000 to Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger and another $150,000 to the Virginia House Democratic Caucus.

Spanberger, who appears to have not been involved in these special session plans, has not commented on the redistricting effort. Her campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the $150,000 donation Friday.

A spokesperson for the House Democratic Caucus did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has not responded to multiple phone calls.

Virginia House Republican Leader Terry Kilgore said in a press conference Thursday evening that a reliable source told him redistricting will be on the agenda when legislators meet on Monday.

The only statement on the record from Democrats since the official message went out for the special session meeting has been from Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax.

“We are coming back to address actions by the Trump Administration,” Surovell said.

What is happening:

Here is a full refresher on how the constitutional amendment process works—but for now, I am going to focus on parts I haven’t discussed much.
Legislation must be read on the Senate chamber floor three times before it can be advanced out of the chamber. It appears that it only has to be read twice on the House floor. Both chambers must pass the same bill, so we are potentially looking at a minimum of 5 days of meetings.
Typically, both chambers can vote to skip some of those readings to speed up the process, but a super-majority is required to skip a daily reading.
Republican sources tell me that they will not agree to that.
Republicans say they are expecting to spend those five days talking about Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones during floor speeches.
I have also heard from some Democrats that they are moving so quickly on this now to leave their options open down the road. The fact that a House election must occur between two General Assembly votes on amendments means this is a do-or-die moment. Democrats either meet now and approve some change to the redistricting method, or they lose that opportunity for two more years. Approving the change now keeps their options open next year.
One interesting theory is that, due to the realization that a referendum vote does not have to wait for the general election, Democrats could potentially bring the abortion, restoration of rights, and repeal of same-sex marriage ban constitutional amendments to a vote on the same day as a potential redistricting amendment. (I have not heard any discussion of this happening, just presenting an interesting thought.)
Attorney General Jason Miyares responded with a statement Thursday. “Virginia voters should pick their elected officials, not politicians picking their voters,” Miyares wrote. “I voted for the Nonpartisan Redistricting Commission and broke ranks with my own party on non-partisan redistricting, to the point where I was removed from House Privileges & Elections Committee for taking a stand. Keeping politicians out of the process was the right thing to do then, and I strongly believe it is the right thing to do now.”
Gov. Glenn Youngkin also released a statement Thursday night. “Two thirds of Virginians spoke loud and clear when they codified nonpartisan redistricting into our state Constitution five years ago,” Youngkin wrote. “12 days before our statewide elections, this is a shameless, reprehensible political power grab by Democrat lawmakers desperate for anything to distract from the disastrous Democrat Shutdown and Jay Jones’ demented comments and criminal investigation.”
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is also the Republican nominee for governor, attacked her Democratic opponent multiple times over the special session.
“This is what panic looks like,” said Earle-Sears spokesperson Peyton Vogel. “With just 12 days until Election Day, Abigail Spanberger and her Democrat allies have given up on talking to voters about real ideas and solutions. Instead, she’s leading the charge on cheap political stunts to slow down Winsome Earle-Sears’ momentum.”
Vogel continued with a second statement later on Thursday. “For years, Abigail Spanberger kowtowed to the Washington insiders, and now it’s clear she’ll do the same for the Richmond political class.”
Spanberger, Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi, and Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones have not responded to requests for comment.
Spanberger and Jones can continue to campaign, but Hashmi is a state senator and Democrats need every single vote for this effort to work — so she will be pulled off the trail.
Hashmi’s opponent, John Reid, commented on the special session Thursday. “Virginians made it clear they didn’t want gerrymandering years ago,” he wrote. “Now… just before a huge statewide election the Democrats wanna come back to the Capitol and start undoing the plan that was in place? How much more obnoxious and arrogant can these people be?”
Earle-Sears and Hashmi will be impacted the most out of the six statewide nominees. But Hashmi’s vote is necessary and Earle-Sears’ presence is not required.
The Senate Pro Tempore (Louise Lucas) can oversee the chamber in the lieutenant governor’s absence.
Other than overseeing the Senate, the only other official job of the lieutenant governor is to cast tie-breaking votes on legislation.
It is unclear if the LG could even do that on constitutional amendments, however.
Amendment resolutions are different than regular legislation. The Executive Branch is not involved in any official way.
Former two-term Republican lieutenant governor Bill Bolling released an opinion in 2012 saying he “cannot vote on final passage of bills such as the budget, tax bills, constitutional amendments, the election of judges and the creation of new offices.”
A source close to Earle-Sears told Virginia Scope that the LG will be in Richmond for the session because she feels it is her responsibility in the job she was elected to do.
She has set up a press conference at the Capitol to take place an hour before legislators are slated to gavel into session.

This will continue to be a developing story.

A Pro-Dominion Grassroots Group Has Financial Ties—to Dominion - Inside Climate News

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

By Charles Paullin

CHESTER, Va.—A crowd packed a meeting room at the SpringHill Suites here in September for a public hearing on an air permit for a controversial “peaker” plant that Dominion Energy has long been lobbying to build to enhance grid reliability.

Brent Archer, former president of Columbia Gas of Virginia, stood at the podium and told officials of the state’s Department of Environmental Quality that he strongly supported the project.

“The dispatchable energy represented by this plant is essential for balancing demand with available supply on the electric grid in partnership with renewable energy,” Archer said, with dozens of other supporters at his back.

He went on: “I am here today representing the Virginia Energy Reliability Alliance, or VERA. VERA is an organization that was formed to support programmatic, balanced policy that supports all forms of energy generation to meet Virginia’s growing energy needs. And I think we have a lot of supporters this evening if you could stand for a minute so we can see. Thank you.”

About a dozen people stood up around the room, most of them wearing stickers that said “I support reliable energy” and “Energy you can count on.”

What Archer didn’t say was that the Virginia Energy Reliability Alliance is funded by Dominion.

In an interview later, Archer said he was speaking as a volunteer and saw no need “to disclose anything that had to do with whatever Dominion’s relationship with VERA may be.” He said he assumed everyone else supporting him was there as a volunteer as well.

Several weeks later, one of Archer’s supporters wearing the stickers turned up in downtown Richmond in the lobby at 1021 E. Cary Street, an office tower populated by lobbyists and consulting firms within walking distance of the Virginia Capitol.

He declined to say who he was or whom he worked for, but he told Inside Climate News: “I’m not at liberty to talk to the media. I work for a consulting company that works with Dominion.”

Jeremy Slayton, a Dominion spokesperson, said in an email prior to the exchange that the utility’s involvement with the Virginia Energy Reliability Alliance “is transparently explained on the VERA website.”

Through the first half of 2025, he said, Dominion contributed $290,208 to another nonprofit called Power for Tomorrow, an advocacy group that works in favor of monopoly utility control as a means of power efficiency and reliability, which in turn supports the Virginia Energy Reliability Alliance. Power for Tomorrow has ties with Dominion dating back to May 2021, according to the Energy and Policy Institute, a utility watchdog group.

Aaron Ruby, another Dominion spokesperson, told Inside Climate News that those people at the hearing supporting Archer and wearing the stickers were not there at Dominion’s behest. “They are not paid, and their support is real,” Ruby said. “We have been transparent about VERA and their efforts to mobilize public support, including handing out stickers. … Thousands of everyday Virginians and more than 100 Virginia businesses and organizations have spoken out in support” of the proposed plant.

Dominion’s financial sponsorship of nonprofits that publicly support its projects is a practice used by utilities across the country. In Alabama, Alabama Power’s corporate offices gave space and paid millions in fees to the Hawthorn Group, a firm based in Alexandria, Virginia. Hawthorn, which describes itself as an international public affairs company, has admitted to hiring a subcontractor, Crowds on Demand, that paid actors to speak at New Orleans City Council meetings in 2017 on behalf of a natural gas plant proposed by another utility, Entergy.

The proposed peaker plant in Chesterfield County, called the Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center, would run when electricity demand is high, rather than round-the-clock. A U.S. Government Accountability Office report in 2024 found that such peaker plants produce more pollution per energy generated than the baseload plants that run regularly, and they’re more likely to be located in communities of color.

The Chesterfield plant has generated significant opposition in the majority Black community whose residents live in close proximity to the site of an old coal plant where the new natural gas facility would be built.

While Richmond-area Democrats have, for the most part, supported community members in opposing the peaker plant, Del. Destiny LeVere Bolling, a Richmond Democrat, recently came out in support of the facility.

Bolling said at a second DEQ public hearing on the air quality permit earlier this month that the project is needed, even though it could make achieving emissions reductions more difficult under the Virginia Clean Economy Act.

“I wholeheartedly support the Virginia Clean Economy Act and its stated policy goals, but as elected and appointed we also have an obligation to ensure Virginians have the energy they need in both the near term and the long term,” said Bolling, who is running an uncontested House of Delegates reelection campaign in Henrico County, a heavily Democratic suburb of the state’s capital city.

“We cannot ignore facts,” Bolling continued. “The data is clear: Without additional peaking capacity Virginia runs a real risk of not meeting demand when it matters the most.”

Prior to her testimony, Bolling’s top donor had been Dominion, which contributed $110,000 between 2023 and August 2025. The day after she spoke, Dominion gave her another $50,000.

Bolling said her testimony and Dominion donations were unrelated. “I’ve actually voted on several bills that they don’t quite like, but that’s the beauty of being on [the Labor and Commerce Committee] and hearing all the energy conversation behind the scenes.”

Dominion, too, said the two were unrelated. “Dominion Energy does not ask the recipients of our campaign contributions for favors,” Slayton said. “That would be unethical, if not illegal.”

Shortly after the VERA supporter at 1021 E. Cary Street declined to give his name, Del. Jason Ballard, a Pearisburg Republican, appeared in the building’s lobby with two men, one of whom had also stood with the VERA supporters back at the air permit hearing in September. They went out on the street and appeared to be recording an audio interview.

Ballard is also a recipient of a Dominion campaign contribution, receiving a $25,000 donation from the utility on the same day as the second air permit hearing earlier this month, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. The utility is Ballard’s fourth-biggest donor at $122,500, records compiled by the access project show.

Asked about the men he had been talking with and whether their interaction had anything to do with the peaker plant in Chesterfield County, Ballard said: “Dominion’s not in my territory, you know that.”

Slayton, the Dominion spokesman, said the utility’s contributions to lawmakers had been made without any expected action in return. “We don’t exchange campaign contributions for political favors,” Slayton said. “Like most companies, we contribute to candidates from both parties who support commonsense public policy.”

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

HD-75 Democratic nominee Lindsey Dougherty speaks at “No Kings” rally in Richmond.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Watch our recap of the attorney general debate with Anna Bryson Sam Shirazi at the top of the newsletter.

Below, you can view an immediate response to the debate from state Sens. Lashresce Aird, D-Petersburg, and Glen Sturtevant, R-Colonial Heights.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Check out my conversation with Rich Meagher, a political science professor at Randolph Macon College, and Sam Shirazi, a political commentator.

we analyzed the gubernatorial debate that happened tonight.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

Reid crashed a Spanberger press conference

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger and the Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid showed up to Henrico’s West End early voting location at the same time Friday morning to commemorate the first day of early voting in Virginia.

The crowd was overwhelmingly skewed to Spanberger and was very loud when she arrived, as Reid was attempting to talk to members of the press.

After Spanberger voted, she came outside for a press conference, during which Reid interrupted to talk to her — resulting in a friendly exchange between the two.

When she finished answering a question, Reid stepped out of the crowd and said, “Well, let me do that too.”

Spanberger supporters started getting louder to interrupt Reid with boos, to which Spanberger turned to quiet them and say, “Hey, hey, hey, John Reid has put his name on the ballot.”

Spanberger then turned to Reid and said, “I hate to be the one telling you this…. I did not vote for you today.”

“I return it, but that’s okay,” Reid responded. “But I would like to demonstrate that we can still be friends. You live in Henrico, I live in Henrico. I am glad to see you always.”

Spanberger then said, “But we are too busy for coffee anytime soon, my friend.”

“Probably true,” Reid responded.

Reid thanked Spanberger and wished her a good day before heading to his car and leaving.

Watch video from the event at the top of this newsletter.

“

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

👆🏻Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

An update after a busy week of covering the debate over debates in Virginia’s statewide elections. Watch it at the top👆🏻

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

Meteorologist Sean Sublette launched his campaign for the Democratic nomination in VA-01 today. Watch my interview with him at the top of the newsletter.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

I talked to WTOP’s Nick Ianelli on Monday about President Donald Trump’s potential endorsement of Winsome Earle-Sears for governor. Check it out at the top of the newsletter.

Related: Trump comments on possibly endorsing Earle-Sears

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

National Fraternal Order of Police Recognizes Spanberger for Leading Social Security Fairness Act

During its 67th National Conference in Miami Beach, the National Fraternal Order of Police recognized former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger with its inaugural “Armstrong Award” for her work to pass the Social Security Fairness Act in Congress. The legislation that was signed into law earlier this year helps ensure that public employees receive their full benefits.

“We knew that success depended on one critical factor — we had to make this a bipartisan mission. We had to rise above the political theater that dominates Washington, D.C. That journey would have never been possible without the courage and conviction of two leaders in the United States House of Representatives — two champions who refused to let an injustice continue,” said Patrick Yoes, National President, National Fraternal Order of Police. “For three consecutive congresses, these two leaders from different sides of the political aisle stood shoulder to shoulder with public employees coordinating monthly — and at times, weekly — meetings they called ‘the kitchen cabinet.’ They built a coalition of public employee groups that grew stronger with every step.”

The RTD covered this more in-depth. Read it here.

University of Virginia names law professor interim president - VPM News

By Meghin Moore, Jahd Khalil

The University of Virginia's Board of Visitors announced law professor Paul Mahoney as the public university's interim president in a meeting on Monday.

Mahoney, who has been a member of the UVA School of Law faculty since 1990 and served as its dean from 2008–16, will hold the role while the board conducts a nationwide search for a permanent successor to Jim Ryan.

Fairfax County Public Schools to hire 6-figure bodyguard for superintendent - WJLA

by John Barr

Fairfax County Public Schools has an active job posting for a new bodyguard for Superintendent Michelle Reid, a job opening that has raised concerns in a school district that recently faced a $121 million budget shortfall.

A spokesperson for the school district did not respond to questions from 7News about whether the hiring was a direct response to any security threats to Reid. Fairfax County Police also did not respond Monday to questions about whether any threats had been made against Reid.

ICYMI: A look back at the Earle-Sears and Spanberger series from Virginia Scope.

Sears and Spanberger Part 1: Their path to a historic matchup - Published 4/6/25

by Brandon Jarvis

Since Patrick Henry took office in 1776, Virginia has had 74 governors — all of them men. Now, the Republican nominee, Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, and the Democratic nominee, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, are both aiming to become the 75th, and the first woman elected to the role.

Only once before has a woman even made it to the general election: Democrat Mary Sue Terry, who lost to George Allen in 1993 after securing her party’s nomination.

While the historic nature of their bids is not lost on them, Spanberger and Sears are focused on talking about issues that impact voters.

“I’m running for Governor because I want to serve my fellow Virginians and focus on the issues that are top of mind for so many — the strength of our public schools, the cost of housing and healthcare, the safety of our communities, and the impacts of federal firings and trade wars on Virginians and our economy,” Spanberger said in a statement to Virginia Scope.

“I do know that electing our first woman Governor will be a source of pride and happiness for many people — and my goal is to serve the Commonwealth well and ensure I’m one of many qualified, hardworking women who eventually hold this or other offices serving Virginians,” Spanberger continued.

Sears, who would be the first Black female governor in the United States, recognizes the importance of potentially making history but says the job is about much more than that.

“Of course, becoming the first woman elected as governor of Virginia would be a profound honor and a significant milestone in our Commonwealth’s history, but leadership is about actions and results, not just making history,” Sears said in a statement to Virginia Scope.

“The people want to know ‘Do you see me? Do you know me? Do you understand what I’m going through?’ Because in America we elect our leaders from among us, not from above us,” Sears continued. “My commitment is to ensure that every Virginian has the opportunity to thrive, and I hope my journey inspires others to pursue their aspirations, regardless of the obstacles they may face.”

Their histories

Candidates often lean on their personal stories to connect with voters — and Sears and Spanberger are no exception. Their paths to this moment are vastly different, but each has the potential to resonate in a race that will make history.

“Politics, and especially a campaign, is all about storytelling,” said Richard Meagher, a political science professor at Randolph Macon College. “The whole point of a campaign is to try to tell a good story about your candidate — who they are and why they are the best choice for this job. If you can’t do that, or, even worse, if you let your opponent do it for you, you’re probably going to lose.”

Sears won the race to become Virginia’s lieutenant governor in 2021. Instead of seeking reelection, she launched her gubernatorial campaign last year to replace Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is term-limited.

Her past experience includes serving in the Marines, being the director of a homeless shelter, selling used cars, working as a program manager for the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, serving as the CEO of the Blue Ridge Association of Realtors and owning an appliance repair shop that also offered plumbing and electric services.

“I have learned that the leader eats last,” Sears said when asked what her past job experience has taught her. “Leaders ensure that the people, for whom they are responsible, have whatever they need to succeed.”

Sears says that she understands the challenges families and businesses face because of her experience.

“Those experiences have only strengthened my resolve to fight for commonsense policies that create opportunity, keep our communities safe, and ensure Virginians have someone looking out for them,” she said.

Sears also served one term in the House of Delegates from 2002 until 2004 and ran for Congress against Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA03, in 2004. She lost to Scott by 39 points.

In 2011, Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell appointed her to serve on the State Board of Education, which Sears says helped mold her beliefs now.

“I saw firsthand how bureaucratic red tape and one-size-fits-all policies fail our students, parents, and teachers,” Sears said. “That experience reinforced my belief that education must be centered on excellence, accountability, and parental involvement.”

In 2017, Sears ran a write-in campaign against United States Senator Tim Kaine (D), contrasting the Republican nominee, Corey Stewart, who had ties to white supremacists. Kaine won that race easily.

Spanberger was elected to Congress in 2018 after she defeated the two-term Republican incumbent Dave Brat. She chose not to seek reelection last year in order to run for governor.

Before her time in office, she served in the Central Intelligence Agency as an operations officer. She left the agency in 2014 and went to work for the consulting firm Royall & Company, which is now known as EAB.

Spanberger told Virginia Scope that for much of her professional life, the Hatch Act — a federal law that restricts political activity by government employees — kept her on the sidelines politically. When she left the CIA and returned to Virginia, she said, entering politics wasn’t originally part of the plan. She wanted to volunteer on issues that she cared about as a mother, however, so she started a Girl Scout troop and joined Moms Demand Action, a group that advocates for legislation to combat gun violence.

“I wanted to volunteer with Moms Demand Action because as a mother, I wanted to do all I could to address the threat of gun violence — the number one killer of kids in America — and keep our kids safe,” Spanberger said. “I hoped my perspective as someone who had been around guns my whole life would be valuable to my advocacy for commonsense gun violence prevention policies.”

Spanberger says that Moms Demand Action introduced her to the political process, which eventually inspired her to run for office.

“I was inspired by the tenacity and resolve of those who had worked year after year to make Virginia safer,” Spanberger said. “Building on that work, I started supporting local candidates who were committed to the same goal of protecting our kids from gun violence. When I later decided to run for office myself, my fellow Moms Demand Action volunteers were among my biggest supporters, and I’m grateful that they’ve continued to work with me and my campaigns over the years.”

Analysis

Spanberger’s history is more straightforward on the trail, even if some of it is classified.

“Spanberger’s background helps her to tell a clear story: she’s CIA-turned-Congresswoman, a sober and serious decision-maker who’s made the tough calls,” Meagher said. “While that makes her vulnerable on her left, I think many Democrats see her as much more resistant to Republican attacks. She’s not a ‘tax-and-spend liberal’ or some weak-kneed outsider.”

According to Meagher, Sears, with a diverse professional history, could face more of a challenge in defining her experience for the electorate.

“Sears’ background is equally impressive but a little muddier,” he said. “She’s done a lot of various things over the years. This makes her an interesting person but a little harder to define. That won’t hurt her much in a primary, but the lack of a clear story may make it harder to appeal to a wide electorate.”

Part two of this series, which looks at where both nominees stand on the issues, can be viewed here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Brad Kutner from Radio IQ and I provide a behind-the-scenes look at our coverage of the recent Chesterfield ICE situation.

For context on the situation: Chesterfield becomes focal point in Virginia Immigration enforcement debate

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

Today’s Sponsor: Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia

Meet the Champions for Reproductive Freedom!

Check out Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia’s 2025 Endorsed Candidates and see who’s fighting to protect your rights: PPAV Endorsements 2025

A conversation with Clean Virginia’s executive director

The clash between Clean Virginia and Dominion Energy was on full display in last week’s Democratic primaries — and Clean Virginia came out on top. I talked to Clean Virginia’s Executive Director Brennan Gilmore this morning about the elections, their mission, why he believes Dominion should not be allowed to donate to political candidates, what he would say to people who have concerns that Clean Virginia’s influence would replace Dominion’s, and a lot more. Listen to the conversation at the top of this newsletter.

Dominion Energy, the state’s largest public utility, is one of Virginia’s most prolific political donors, contributing to candidates in both parties. Clean Virginia, a rival donor group, says its mission is to promote clean government and clean energy — and backs only candidates who refuse contributions from Dominion.

In 2025, Clean Virginia contributed $957,543 directly to statewide candidates, including $200,000 to gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger and $757,543 to attorney general nominee Jay Jones. The group also gave an additional $50,000 — split evenly between state Sens. Ghazala Hashmi and Aaron Rouse — to their Senate campaign accounts. Both candidates later transferred the money to their lieutenant governor campaign accounts.

Dominion Energy donated $1.27 million to Democratic candidates in the statewide primaries this year. That includes $775,000 to Shannon Taylor’s attorney general campaign, $418,000 to Levar Stoney’s lieutenant governor campaign, and $75,000 to Babur Lateef’s campaign for the same office.

Hashmi secured the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, while Jones won the nod for attorney general. With Spanberger unopposed for the gubernatorial nomination, Democrats head into the general election with a statewide ticket fully backed by Clean Virginia — and free of Dominion Energy’s money.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

I talked to Randolph-Macon College political science professor and the host of VPM’s RVA’s Got Talent, Richard Meagher, about the primary results last night.

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

Today’s Sponsor: Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia

Protecting reproductive freedom takes more than good headlines—it takes organizing. Join Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia. Sign up here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Here is my latest conversation with Tom LoBianco about Virginia politics.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Listen to Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid as he guest hosts the John Frederick radio show until 10 a.m.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

John Reid, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor just released a new statement making accusations against the governor and his team.

Watch the full statement from Reid at the top of this newsletter.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

Today’s Sponsor:

Monday deadline: Tell Gov. Youngkin to sign HB 2531 for paid family leave in Virginia. Workers shouldn't choose between caring for loved ones and paying bills. Small businesses pay reduced rates. Tell voters to call his office now with our script: https://www.whatcanido.earth/action/pass-va-paid-family-leave-bill

The series continues, in which I ask the Democratic lieutenant governor candidates the same questions and then send their responses to you. Listen to former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney talk about his campaign.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

Today’s Sponsor:

Ghazala Hashmi

The series continues, in which I ask the Democratic lieutenant governor candidates the same questions and then send their responses to you. This morning, listen to state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, talk about her campaign.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

Today’s Sponsor:

The GOP nomination battle

The latest episode of the Virginia Political Podcast features GOP gubernatorial nomination analysis from Randolph Macon College political science professor Richard Meagher.

We discuss a lot in a short time. Check it out at the link at the top of this email.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

Today’s Sponsor:

Lateef interview

I interviewed Dr. Babur Lateef on Tuesday about his Democratic campaign for lieutenant governor. Listen to our conversation at the top of this newsletter.

VanValkenburg endorsed Stoney

State Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, announced his endorsement of Levar Stoney for lieutenant governor.

"Central Virginia is strongest when Richmond is strongest. Over the last eight years, I've seen the city of Richmond blossom,” VanValenburg said. “Under Mayor Stoney's leadership crime has fallen, poverty has fallen, and Richmond is a destination for people from across the Commonwealth and across the nation. I can't wait to see Levar tackle the challenges facing our Commonwealth as we hold Donald Trump and Elon Musk accountable for their dismantling of our government. We need energetic and experienced leadership to face this challenge, and I know Levar Stoney is the person to provide it. I am excited to endorse him to be Virginia's next Lieutenant Governor.”

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

I talked to Danny Kedem from DK Strategies about his time working for successful Richmond mayoral candidate Danny Avula and the process of creating ads for the campaign.

We talked about his job working for Avula, how to reach voters in this evolving media landscape when many people don’t use broadcast TV, tactics on spending, responding to attacks from the Roday campaign, and a lot more. Listen at the link at the top of this page.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

I talked to Nate Benforado from the Southern Environmental Law Center about his win today as the lead attorney in the case against Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the removal of Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI.

We discuss what this means for Virginia, the timeline for when Virginia will reenter RGGI, what the possible appeals process will look like and more.

For context:

A Circuit Court judge in Floyd County ruled against Gov. Glenn Youngkin, saying he unlawfully removed Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI.

RGGI is a market-based cap-and-invest initiative. Within the 11 states participating in RGGI, regulated power plants must acquire one RGGI CO2 allowance for every short ton of CO2 they emit. States participating in RGGI distribute allowances at quarterly auctions, which power plants and other entities can purchase.

Youngkin announced in 2021, before he was sworn into office, that he was planning to remove Virginia from RGGI. On day one of his administration, he signed an executive order to begin reevaluating Virginia’s participation in the RGGI and establishing regulatory processes to end it.

In 2023, the State Air Pollution Control Board voted to remove Virginia from RGGI. The lawsuit concerns the legality of the Youngkin administration’s move to reverse a legislative action.

“We respectfully disagree with the judge’s decision and will pursue an appeal,” said Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for Youngkin. “Governor Youngkin remains committed to lowering the cost of living for Virginians by continuing to oppose the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which fails to effectively incentivize emission reductions in the Commonwealth. Instead, it functions as a regressive tax, hidden in utility, bills passed on to all Virginians.”

Democrats, who passed legislation to implement RGGI, applauded the ruling.

“This is not only a win for every Virginian who has faced the devastating impact of severe flooding, but a win for all Virginians, their wallets, and our environment,” said Speaker of the House Don Scott, D-Portsmouth. “Programs funded by RGGI have helped Virginians cut household energy costs, helped protect communities from floodwaters, and have been critical in the fight to cut pollution and address climate change. Today’s decision saves hardworking Virginians money by ensuring the resources generated by RGGI are used to protect our communities. Governor Youngkin’s reckless attempt to undermine this critical program has been rightfully stopped, and we remain committed to building an affordable and more sustainable future for all.”

After joining the initiative in 2020 with 10 other states, Virginia made more than $227 million during the first year. The money is intended to be reinvested in toward low-income energy efficiency programs and a Community Flood Preparedness Fund.

“I am pleased that the court has found that Governor Youngkin acted illegally and Attorney General Miyares did not interpret the law correctly,” said Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax.

“Unfortunately, his decision has now cost Virginians over $200 million dollars of funds that could have been appropriated in the last two years to protect the Commonwealth against flood damage like what just happened in Southwest Virginia because of Hurricane Helene.”

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters praised the Circuit Court ruling.

“Virginia’s membership in RGGI gave the Commonwealth a critical tool to combat the climate crisis, hold polluters accountable, protect communities against flooding and extreme weather, and lower household energy costs,” said Michael Town, the executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. “The Youngkin Administration’s illegal actions taking Virginia out of this program benefited no one except our state’s biggest polluters. The end result of this illegal rollback was dirtier air, more communities left exposed to floodwaters, and fewer tools to help Virginians cut energy costs. We are incredibly pleased with this ruling and hope to see Virginia rejoin RGGI as soon as possible.”

Attorney General Jason Miyares’ office, which is representing the Youngkin administration in the legal battle, has not commented.

“Democrats are cheering the resulting higher energy prices for Virginia citizens,” said House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah. “That’s the takeaway from this ruling.”

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.

This is the second episode of the Virginia Political Podcast.

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Danny Avula, City Councilor Andreas Addison, Harrison Roday and Maurice Neblett about their campaigns for mayor. Former City Council Chair Michelle Mosby’s campaign did not answer my phone call to be included in the episode.

An overview of the candidates:

Avula

Danny Avula was the director of the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts for six years.
He led the statewide Covid-19 vaccination effort under Gov. Northam
He served as the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services in Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration

Roday

He worked in the Obama administration and for Tim Kaine
He founded Bridging Virginia, a Richmond-based non-profit community development fund that provides access to capital for Black women, and minority-owned small businesses.
He worked in the private sector and founded a software company.

Michelle Mosby

She was the first first African American woman to lead Richmond's City Council,
She is an entrepreneur who launched her first business—a cosmetology salon 20 years ago, which is still open today.
She also works in real estate.

Andreas Addison

A small business owner and current member of City Council. He was first elected in 2016.
Before that, he worked for the City of Richmond as a management analyst and civic innovator.

Maurice Neblett

Grew up in Richmond and believes his life experiences growing up in Richmond will help him run the city as it should be.

Money raised:

Danny Avula raised $1,357,943
Harrison Roday raised $1,292,781
Michelle Mosby raised $366,456
Andreas Addison raised $187,375
Maurice Neblett raised $7,708

Listen to the full episode at the link on the top of this newsletter.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

In this episode, I talk to Rep. Abigail Spanberger about her decision to leave Congress and her campaign for governor. She contrasts a Spanberger administration with a Sears administration, she talks about how she would support getting Virginia back into RGGI, how she thinks Youngkin has done as governor in more. I also talk to Randolph Macon College political science professor Richard Meagher about the state of the race in Virginia's Second and Seventh Congressional Districts.

Check it out!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiapoliticalnewsletter.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Democratic state Sen. Joe Morrissey seems unhappy in the audio recording at the top of this newsletter. Morrissey asked me to record the phone call.

The situation is still developing but on Thursday in court, the judge agreed to quash (reject) the subpoenas that Morrissey served me with in regard to his custody case. Sources say that the custody case was closed today (Friday). Morrissey is still trying to find out if anyone violated the gag order, however. He implied he was going to subpoena me again if he does not get the answers he wants. Listen to him at the link on the top of this newsletter.

Morrissey is trying to figure out where this message below came from…. in the phone call today he says the statement was inaccurate but he is going through a lot of trouble to try and find out who released it.

Morrissey will likely try to subpoena me again, so this is developing.

More context: Reporter's subpoena underscores that Virginia lacks 'shield' law - Richmond Times-Dispatch

by Charlotte Rene Woods

“It's annoying that I have to deal with this (expletive) if I'm gonna be honest,” Jarvis said in a recent phone call with The Times-Dispatch.

After a Thursday virtual hearing in Chesterfield County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, a judge quashed (a legal term for rejecting) the subpoena.

“The judge quashed it yesterday and said [Morrissey] needs to exhaust his other options first before trying to get that information from me,” Jarvis said. “It’s still possible he could subpoena me in the future.”

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider becoming the ultimate political insider by supporting non-partisan, independent news and becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter today.

Have a tip? You can reply to this email, or email me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com

Listen to my conversation with Sam Shirazi, an observer of Virginia politics. We talk about 2023 elections and three specific state Senate nomination races: John McGuire v. Duane Adams; Amanda Chase v. Glen Sturtevant v. Tina Ramirez; and Lashrecse Aird v. Joe Morrissey.

Listen to the conversation at the top of this newsletter and read some of the latest analysis from Shirazi below, as well.

Did you miss the newsletter from this morning:

Amanda Chase endorsed Bryce Reeves’ primary opponent this morning. She gives three reasons why.
Audio: Listen to Del. Marie March talk about Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA09) and how she believes there needs to be a change in representation in his district.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email, or email me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com

The rundown

Some Democrats are considering filing a lawsuit over the nomination process for the SD-07 special election.
A conversation with Norfolk City Councilor Andria McClellan (D)
Housing among several issues Rep. McEachin will address in 3rd term
U.S. House GOP lawmakers say they will probe Hunter Biden

I talked to Norfolk City Councilor Andria McClellan about her campaign for state Senate. McClellan is seeking the nomination for a new district that was created during redistricting last year. Del. Angelia Williams Graves is also seeking the Democratic nomination in this district (SD-21). Listen to my conversation with McClellan at the top of this newsletter.

Potential Lawsuit in SD-07 Special Election?

by Josh Stanfield

Stanfield served on the CD2 Democratic Committee from 2017 until 2022. He currently represents York County on the CD1 Democratic Committee.

The Democratic Party of Virginia announced yesterday that Aaron Rouse was selected as the Democratic nominee in the SD7 special election to fill the seat Congresswoman-elect Jen Kiggans vacated. But new developments suggest the fight for the Democratic nomination may have just begun.

Former Virginia Beach Democratic Delegate Cheryl Turpin, who had publicly announced her intention to run for the nomination in this special election and who lost to Jen Kiggans in the 2019 SD-07 general election by less than 1%, has asked Paul Goldman to help her explore her options. Goldman is an attorney, a former chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia, and was recently called an election law expert by a federal judge in Richmond. “I am unaware of any federal case that has upheld a $5,000 mandatory fee to get on the ballot for an office with a salary under $20,000 a year,” Goldman said. “They ought to read the 'white primary' cases which were explicitly intended to prevent issues like this."

Stay tuned for a longer analysis of the SD7 special election drama later today.

Housing among several issues Rep. McEachin will address in 3rd term

By Chloe Voss, Capital News Service

RICHMOND, Va. – The housing market in Virginia’s 4th District is turbulent on many fronts, but reelected Democrat U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin says he will fight to ease the crisis for his constituents.

McEachin for a third term will represent a district that generally encompasses a swath of territory stretching from parts of Henrico County down south past the city of Emporia, westward to Brunswick County and east over to Surry County.

McEachin secured a victory with almost 65% of the vote against previous Republican challenger Leon Benjamin, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.

“I am going to continue fighting for forward-looking policy solutions that address the issues most important to Virginians: rising costs and inflation, job creation, the right to choose, gun violence, and housing insecurity,” stated McEachin in an email.

The most populous areas of the 4th District have faced a tumultuous few years in almost every aspect of the housing market.

Richmond City experienced a 14% rent increase on the low end and Henrico County experienced a 28% rent increase on the high end from 2021 to 2022 according to CoStar data published in March.
Evictions have increased 678% in Chesterfield County, 340% in Henrico, 513% in the city of Hopewell, 582% in the city of Petersburg and 751% in Richmond from 2021 to 2022 according to data from the RVA Eviction Lab.
Median home sale prices have increased 3.7% in Richmond, 8.7% in Henrico and 12.5% in Chesterfield from September 2021 to September 2022 according to data from Redfin.
The median household income varies throughout the 4th District, but a recent market value analysis report shows most homes are unaffordable.

McEachin’s campaign did not tout housing reform or relief as a platform issue, but he said he is aware of the problems in Virginia.

“I will continue fighting to expand and improve affordable housing, bolster rental assistance and other resources and explore additional legislative avenues to help tackle our nation’s housing crisis,” McEachin stated in an email.

House lawmakers have introduced several bills to combat housing insecurity, which have not yet come to a vote, but McEachin’s staff said he is committed to helping those in need through policy.

“Rep. McEachin remains committed to advancing smart policies that will provide much-needed assistance to renters and home buyers, as well as improve and expand affordable housing,” stated Shahid Ahmed, McEachin’s communication director, in an email.

McEachin helped secure $1.6 million in Housing and Urban Development funding to combat youth homelessness earlier in the year, along with almost $400,000 from Veteran Affairs to help with housing for homeless veterans.

“My staff and I will also continue to keep our localities apprised of federal grants and other funding opportunities to help improve affordable housing and reduce housing insecurity,” McEachin said.

The RVA Eviction Lab conducted through the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University released its third quarter data last month showing evictions are quickly climbing in the Richmond metro area.

State lawmakers began tackling housing reform legislation the year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, after five Virginia cities ranked in the top 10 for national eviction filing rates, including Richmond, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk and Chesapeake.

Renters have more legal protections in place than before the pandemic, but emergency housing protections that expired in June were most effective at keeping evictions at bay.

“I think there's certainly a risk that that could happen [pre-pandemic eviction rates] based on how it's already happened in certain places, but it's by no means inevitable,” said Ben Teresa, RVA Eviction Lab co-director.

There is still time for policymakers and advocates to help prevent the situation from worsening, Teresa said.

While housing aid may be available, the conversation around fiscal aid does not address helping those in need more permanently, according to Jatia Wrighten, an assistant professor of political science at VCU.

“This is the conversation of the deserving and undeserving poor,” Wrighten said. “Virginia actually does a pretty good job of allotting funds for social programs like housing, but they are very difficult to gain access to.”

A lot of housing solutions are going to be temporary, according to Wrighten. “Temporary is sort of the name of the game as it relates to social welfare programs.”

Resources for those in uncertain housing situations can see if they are eligible for aid on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s website.

House GOP lawmakers say they will probe Hunter Biden

By NOLAN CLANCY, Capital News Service

WASHINGTON – Reps. James Comer of Kentucky, and Jim Jordan of Ohio on Thursday set the focus of the soon-to-be Republican-led House oversight and judiciary committees on an investigation of President Joe Biden and his family.As the new 118th Congress takes shape and prepares to take office in January, the House will flip narrowly to Republican control, in turn giving the party the chairmanships of committees for the first time since the 115th Congress in 2019.Comer is expected to chair the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Jordan likely will be chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. The pair, flanked by other Republican committee members, spoke at a press conference about the alleged international dealings of the president’s son Hunter Biden, and how they implicated the president.“This is an investigation of Joe Biden, the President of the United States, and why he lied to the American people about his knowledge and participation in his family’s international business schemes,” Comer said. A spokeswoman for the House Democrats, Nelly Decker, told CNN the GOP’s targeting of the Bidens was politically motivated.“Now that former President Trump is running for office again, House Republicans’ top priority is attacking President Biden and his family in a desperate attempt to return Mr. Trump to power,” Decker said. More broadly, the future committee heads said they would make it a priority to investigate activities they consider overreaches by the federal government. Jordan said the judiciary panel would target it deems to be political within the Justice Department, keying in on specific action that he said interfered with U.S. elections in the past. Jordan alleged that the FBI spied on former President Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016 and went on to speculate that the bureau’s raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in August was an attempt to influence the most recent election. “Maybe it’d be nice if the FBI and the Justice Department just stayed out of it and let we the people decide who we think should represent us, who we think should lead us?” Jordan asked rhetorically. “That’s supposed to be how America works.” On the oversight side, Comer said the committee has obtained two Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) from banks that involved members of the Biden family. SARs are filed by financial institutions to report known or suspected violations of law, according to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. “We’re going to do a lot of investigations. We’re going to do a lot of probing,” Comer said. “We’re focused on waste, fraud and abuse and there’s no shortage of that in this federal government, let me assure you that.”Republicans on the oversight panel published an interim staff report entitled “A President Compromised: The Biden Family Investigation,” a 31-page document that included screenshots of emails, SARs and articles that alleged corrupt dealings. Most of the evidence presented was allegedly obtained from Hunter’s laptop, which was said to be recovered from a Wilmington, Delaware, repair shop in 2020. A Justice Department investigation led by the U.S. attorney in Wilmington began in 2018 and remains open, but no charges have been brought against Hunter or the president thus far. Neither Comer nor Jordan responded when asked about the possibility of an attempt to impeach Biden in the House. “You’re going to be presented with something you haven’t been used to over the past four years: evidence,” Comer said.

More Links

State Senate candidate's restaurant has ABC license suspended, keeps selling booze
Two Va. lawmakers again seek repeal of same-sex marriage prohibition
Virginia attorney general to name special counsel after fatal U-Va. shooting
Guns and ammunition seized from Jones' UVa dormitory room
Va. education board delays review of new history and social studies standards
Virginia Senate budget writers see uncertainty ahead
Youngkin discusses state education debate during Southwest Virginia visit

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email, or email me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com

I talked to former Nascar driver Hermie Sadler about his campaign for the state senate in District 17. Sadler talks about priorities and what he would do in the Senate. He also talks about why he believes voters should choose him as the Republican nominee in SD-17.

State Del. Emily Brewer is also seeking the nomination. Democratic Del. Clint Jenkins is the only Democratic candidate in the race right now.

This district will be important for both parties as control of the chamber will come down to a few tight races. According to an analysis from VPAP, Glenn Youngkin won this district by five points during 2021’s gubernatorial election.

Listen to the full conversation at the top of this newsletter.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

This morning I talked with Richard Meagher, a political science professor at Randolph Macon College about the midterm results and what that might mean for Virginia's political landscape moving forward.

We discussed the election results, Chase v. Anderson, Youngkin v. Trump, the pushback from Earle-Sears against Trump, and abortion’s impact on races like Spanberger v. Vega. Meagher also told me which party he would prefer to be moving into the General Assembly’s next election in November.

Listen to the full conversation at the top of this newsletter.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Have a tip? You can reply to this email, or email me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com

Today’s Sponsor: Meet Our Moment

Meet Our Moment is an effort spearheaded by former Delegate Jay Jones to recruit and train minority and female Democratic candidates to run for and win state and local offices across the Commonwealth. To date, Meet Our Moment has trained 25 Virginians from every region of Virginia, and six alumni are now running for office in 2022 and 2023. The programming is entirely free to participants.

Apply for the December 3rd training session in Northern Virginia here. Applications will be accepted through October 31st

Cruz and Youngkin stump for Vega

Close to a thousand people piled into a parking lot in Northern Virginia Monday night to listen to Gov. Glenn Youngkin and United States Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) campaign for VA-07 Republican nominee Yesli Vega. You can listen to the full event with the link at the top of this email, or the individual speeches from Cruz, Youngkin, and Vega can be found below.

Vega is running against two-term Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) in VA-07.

The event took place at Montclair Tabernacle in Dumfries. Youngkin, Cruz, and Vega arrived on a bus that had a deck on the top where they were standing and waving to the crowd as they pulled into the church lot.

As the pastor at the church introduced the politicians, he called the event a gathering of patriots.

Vega eventually took the stage first. Listen to her full speech below:

Vega then introduced Youngkin who brought basketballs and tossed them to the crowd before giving his speech.

Listen to Youngkin’s full comments below:

Then Youngkin introduced Cruz, a former Republican presidential candidate and staunch conservative who has no problem attacking Democrats at every chance he gets. Cruz made fun of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and several other prominent Democrats.

Listen to his full speech below:

Later, after the event in a conversation with the press, Youngkin also discussed election security in Virginia and emphasized that he believes Vriginia’s elections are secure.

“First of all, Virginia’s elections are secure,” Youngkin said. “I want to remind everybody, we passed three bills this year: we got rid of Zucker-bucks, we update our voter rolls every week, and we make sure mail-in ballots get assigned right back to their precinct. In Virginia, every ballot is cast on a paper ballot, it is kept. We do not have voting machines, we have counting machines - I went and certified them myself. Voters can trust the elections in Virginia. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go to work. We have got to continue to improve our election process and continue to improve people’s faith in our election process.”

Youngkin then said early voting in Virginia is safe and encouraged people to vote early for this election.

Election day is Nov. 8.

A reminder of the electorate profile in VA-07 according to analysis from VPAP:

Glenn Youngkin won VA-07 with 52% of the vote in 2021
Tim Kaine won VA-07 with 55% of the vote in 2018
Ralph Northam won VA-07 with 52% of the vote in 2017

Young voters might be a wildcard, but organizers hope voting becomes habit

By Cassandra Loper - Capital News Service

RICHMOND, Va. -- Roughly three years ago, Maria Reynoso determined local policy issues and election information were not readily available or easily digestible to the average voter, and especially younger voters.

Reynoso now runs We Vote Virginia, a nonpartisan digital media resource to help voters become more informed.

“What my focus when creating the organization, and I guess my mission, was really to make it incredibly accessible and fun and engaging to learn about local politics,” Reynoso said.

The most critical change happens in local and state politics, according to Reynoso. Virginia voter turnout traditionally drops off between presidential elections. Candidates are vying for U.S. House of Representatives seats in Congress this year, with other local races and initiatives on the ballot throughout the state’s districts.

Political organizers and candidates are watching to see if they pull younger voters to the polls in an election that could change the balance of power in Congress. They hope that more education on the importance of voting, and how to vote, can develop a consistent habit among young voters whose participation can be a wildcard.

Virginia Commonwealth University’s VCU Votes Student Coalition is a network of the university’s students, faculty and staff that promote voter engagement on campus, according to the VCU Votes website.

“Younger voters are considered a wildcard because they're still very new to voting, and I think also, they're still new to the democratic process as a whole,” said Cameron Hart, director of partnerships for VCU Votes Student Coalition.

Young voters understand the urgency of issues, such as climate change, according to Hart, and it can motivate them to the polls.

Both the Democratic and Republican parties of Virginia could do more in terms of encouraging young people to vote by making appearances on college campuses, Hart said.

Generation X, millennials and Generation Z make up over 46% of the Virginia population, according to American Community Survey data by the U.S. Census Bureau. That percentage is totaled from the provided categories of ages 20-54, although the generations are ages 10-57. Gen Z and millennial eligible voters ages 20-44 account for over a third of the population, based on the census data.

Virginia young voter turnout ages 18-29 has been a mixed bag in the past few elections, according to Tufts Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE. That age group is most commonly used by researchers, versus a precise snapshot of voter participation by generation.

The 18-29 voter turnout more than doubled in the 2018 midterm election, according to CIRCLE (13% to 33%). Virginia voters are inconsistent when it comes to midterm elections, in general. Since 2000, anywhere from almost 32% to almost 60% of voters participated, according to the Virginia Department of Elections website.
The 18-29 voter turnout was 56% in Virginia in 2020, according to CIRCLE, up from 48% in 2016. Voter turnout for the 2020 presidential election was the highest turnout of the 21st century, overall.
The 18-29 voter turnout decreased in the 2021 gubernatorial election, according to CIRCLE, from 34% in 2017 to 27%.

Social media is a great way to engage young voters, according to Reynoso. The We Vote VA Instagram account launched in late 2019. The account now has nearly 16,000 followers and is one of the organization's primary methods of reaching voters. It features easy to read and visually appealing posts containing information about polling locations, important dates, redistricting background and more. The concept is to inform and help create a habit of voting.

“It is so important that young voters know their facts,” Ellie Sorensen, press secretary for the Republican Party of Virginia, stated in an email.

Young voters may think their vote doesn’t matter because some policy issues might not directly impact them, according to Sorensen.

“Sometimes, voters just vote based on what other people around them vote, but if they are taught the importance of voting and the facts about what they are actually voting for, it will encourage younger people to vote,” Sorensen stated.

Voting can become a habit, especially when voters can see the “good it can do,” according to Gianni Snidle, press secretary for the Democratic Party of Virginia.

“If we’re not actively participating in our democracy, then we’re failing,” Snidle said.

Nonprofit organization Rock the Vote has worked to make voting a habit among young voters since 1990. It launched with a public service announcement featuring singer, songwriter and actress Madonna.

Rock the Vote serves as a one-stop shop for all things voting, Carolyn DeWitt, president and executive director of Rock the Vote, stated in an email. Voters can check registration status, request an absentee ballot, get election reminders and view election deadlines through the website.

The organization had direct channels to young voters through their partnership with MTV, and through concert venues where the organization would register people to vote.

Rock the Vote has adapted through the decades and was the first to launch an online voter registration platform in the late ‘90s, according to an L.A. Times report. The organization reports that they’ve helped register 14 million people to vote.

The new generation of voters are extraordinarily in touch with their values, according to DeWitt.

“But over the past few years, they’ve witnessed our political culture become increasingly volatile and our democracy threatened on multiple counts,” DeWitt stated.

Young people know their value and they keep showing up despite the obstacles put before them, according to DeWitt.

State lawmakers have made voting more accessible in recent years. Virginia voters are no longer required to show photo identification at the polls. Voters can prove their identity with things such as a driver’s license, passport, college student ID and even a current bank statement or utility bill that contains the voter's name and address. Same-day voter registration can be done up to and on Election Day, although voters receive a provisional ballot.

Voters can find local polling places and request an absentee ballot on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

Early voting started Sept. 23 and will end on Nov. 5. Absentee ballots must be requested by Oct. 28 and postmarked by Election Day on Nov. 8.

Youngkin calls latest student test scores ‘catastrophic’ - AP

by Sarah Rankin

Math and reading scores declined in Virginia, as they did around the country, according to the results of a closely watched national test, findings that Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Monday were “catastrophic.”

“I hope we’re all shocked, because we should be,” Youngkin said at a news conference in Richmond highlighting Virginia’s performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the “nation’s report card.”

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

I recently interviewed Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) with Marques Jones ahead of the 2022 midterms. We talked about Spanberger’s efforts to ban members of Congress from actively trading stocks, her desire for new Democratic leadership in Congress, abortion and using this issue for her campaign, and more. Listen to the full interview at the top of this newsletter.

Have a tip? You can reply to this email, or email me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com

Saslaw and Scott sent a letter to the OSIG over Poolhouse ad

Virginia state Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw (D) and House Minority Leader Don Scott (D) sent a letter to the Office of the State Inspector General calling for a full investigation into the $268,000 contract for Poolhouse to create a tourism ad for Virginia.

Del. Eileen Filler-Corn’s office responds to Del. Kathy Tran’s campaign announcement

Del. Eileen Filler-Corn’s (D) office responded Thursday to the announcement from Del. Kathy Tran (D) that she will be seeking reelection in the same district where Filler-Corn resides.

“Speaker Filler-Corn’s number one focus right now is electing Democrats who are on the ballot this year and ensuring they are successful at all levels from Congress to School Board,” a spokesperson for Filler-Corn said Thursday. “She lives in the 18th district and has been speaking to her neighbors and constituents for months about Republican attacks on education, abortion access, and sensible gun violence prevention. It’s important to note that early voting has already started and she believes we need all hands on deck to win in 32 days.”

Youngkin’s Spirt of Virginia PAC recently received several large contributions. Here are the latest numbers via VPAP:

$100,000: Tiger Lily Capital LLC
$100,000: Thompson, Bruce L
$100,000: Hobbs, C Bradford
$25,000: IGT Global Solutions
$10,000: Va Eagle Distributing Co
$10,000: Hoffland Properties Inc
$10,000: Premium Distributors of Va LLC
$10,000: Va Beer Wholesalers Assn

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Today’s Sponsor:

Virginia campaigns have a new secret weapon, thanks to Virginia's Favorite Union Printers! Check out Gibson Print's new online print-ordering storefront at DemPrinting.com

Today, I talked to Louisa Supervisor Duane Adams about his state Senate campaign. Adams is seeking the Republican nomination in the new SD-10 where there is no incumbent. The other Republicans currently seeking this nomination are state Del. John McGuire and Jack Dyer.

In this audio interview, Adams discusses his work on the Louisa County Board of Supervisors, why he is running for the state Senate now, why he believes he is the best Republican for this district, the latest news that Governor Youngkin wants schools to notify parents if they know their child is transgender, and more. Check it out at the link at the top of this email.

SD-10 has no incumbent due to redistricting. The district encompasses part of Hanover County, Powhatan County, part of Louisa County, Fluvanna County, Goochland County, Buckingham County, Appomattox County, Amelia County, part of Prince Edward County, and Cumberland County.

According to an analysis from VPAP, this district voted for Republican Glenn Youngkin by 36 points during 2021’s gubernatorial elections.

According to the July 1 filing deadline:

Adams has raised $191,044 and has $167,284 cash on hand. - VPAP

Dyer raised $71,976 and loaned his campaign $100,000 leaving him with $152,985 cash on hand. - VPAP

McGuire has raised $56,720.74 and has $1,027.05 cash on hand. - Va Dept. of Elections

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, Jamie Lockhart, talked Wednesday about the recent news that the Supreme Court of the United States will likely be overturning Roe v. Wade.

“All the emotions,” Lockhart said of the moments she learned the news. “We knew that this was likely coming - that anti-abortion activists have been planning for this for decades.”

President Donald Trump appointed three new conservative Supreme Court justices during his four years as president paving the way for the highest court in the land to overturn the 1973 decision that guaranteed the right to an abortion in the United States.

“It's heartbreaking thinking about the people in what is estimated to be 26 states who are likely to lose access to abortion care,” Lockhart said. “To be honest I just felt sick.”

If the decision is officially announced, the laws in Virginia will remain the same for now. “Today, abortion is legal and it will remain legal after the U.S. Supreme Court officially announces their decision,” Lockhart said. “While abortion will continue to be legal here in Virginia, the future of abortion rights depends on our elected officials serving in Richmond. This decision will return the power to states.”

She stressed the importance of electing legislators next year that will continue to advocate for healthcare access. Republicans control the House of Delegates by two seats and Democrats hold only a one-seat majority in the state Senate. One of those senators, however, is anti-choice Democrat Joe Morrissey.

His primary opponent, former state Del. Lasheresce Aird (D) called him out in a statement Tuesday. “This is about all of us and if this opinion is a reality, my candidacy to the Virginia Senate, against an anti-choice democrat just became more dire than ever,” Aird said. “This race single-handedly is now the difference between protecting Virginia’s progress in expanding reproductive freedom and not.”

Governor Glenn Youngkin said Tuesday that he agrees that states should be making these laws while reiterating that he opposes abortion.

“Im pro-life and I have been very clear about that,” Youngkin said. “This should be a state’s decision. We are going to have to wait until the Supreme Court ruling is final before we in fact can really define where we are going to go.”

Listen to my full interview with Lockhart at the top of this email. You can hear my brief interview with Youngkin from Tuesday here.

Executive Schedule

9:00 AM: GOVERNOR GLENN YOUNGKIN SIGNS SB 120 AND SB 17

10:30 AM: GOVERNOR MEETS WITH FORMER GOVERNOR DOUG WILDER

2:00 PM: GOVERNOR ATTENDS GROCERY RETAILER ROUNDTABLE

3:30 PM: GOVERNOR SIGNS HB 553

7:00 PM: GOVERNOR & FIRST LADY SUZANNE YOUNGKIN ATTEND THE ASIAN AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA RECEPTION

Did you miss the newsletter from this morning?

The rundown

Virginia schools, scrutinized for years over reports of disproportionate punishment, need more services that prioritize help over disciplinary actions that put students in contact with law enforcement, according to some lawmakers and education and justice advocates.

Spanberger differs in response to SCOTUS news compared to Vega and Reeves

A former governor endorsed Bryce Reeves in VA-07

A Democrat announced she is running in a new Democratic-friendly district

Hundreds marched in support of Planned Parenthood in Richmond

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Listen to the audio at the top of this newsletter to hear Governor Glenn Youngkin’s response to the reports that the Supreme Court of the United States will likely be overturning Roe v. Wade.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

In the audio at the top of this newsletter, I talk to Randolph Macon College Political Science Professor Richard Meagher about the first legislative session that has taken place since Glenn Youngkin became governor.

We also briefly discussed:

Who does the extended budget debates hurt more?

Is Youngkin positioning himself for a national run?

The dynamics right now around Hala Ayala v. Jennifer Carroll Foy.

Why Democrats might not want to have elections again this year.

Check out my discussion with Meagher with the link at the top of this newsletter.

Did you miss the newsletter this morning?

Kiggans and Bell race to the right

A former member of Congress in Virginia endorsed Amanda Chase

A peak at congressional candidates’ fundraising emails

The latest actions from some of Virginia’s members of Congress

More news, headlines, and reactions from around Virginia politics

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

The audio at the top of this newsletter is a discussion between Brandon Jarvis, Marques Jones - former Democratic Committee Chair in Henrico, and Nathan Kiker - a Democratic operative in Virginia. The discussion is centered (mostly) around two competitive Senate primary races next year between former Prince William Delegates Hala Ayala and Jennifer Carroll Foy; and state Senator Joe Morrissey (Richmond) and former Del. Lashrecse Aird (Petersburg.)

Ayala and Carroll Foy are seeking the safe Democratic nomination in a new Prince William state Senate seat that has no incumbent due to redistricting. Ayala was the Democratic lieutenant governor nominee in 2023 and Carroll Foy ran for governor but lost in the primary to the eventual nominee, Terry McAuliffe.

Aird is running for a new open state Senate seat that state Senator Joe Morrissey plans to also pursue as redistricting has changed the district that he currently resides within.

Both primaries are set to entertain Virginia political fans and they will likely be quite expensive. Listen to our discussion with the link at the top of this newsletter.

Miyares’ office clarifies the situation with a pedophile in Northern Virginia

Attorney General Jason Miyares’ office says that he did not cut a plea deal with a pedophile in Northern Virginia.

This newsletter reported this morning that former Loudoun County Sheriff's Deputy Dustin Amos received one less charge after pleading guilty to soliciting a minor. NBC4 first reported that Miyares’ office offered a deal to Amos that resulted in only one felony charge.

According to the OAG, the man pleaded guilty on his own and there was no plea deal. The OAG did not seek the second charge because “there was not sufficient evidence to support a second charge,” said Victoria LaCivita, a spokesperson for Miyares.

“There’s a big difference between accepting a criminal plea to a charge supported with evidence and having blanket policies that encourage going after lower sentences and dropping felonies to misdemeanors at every chance possible,” LaCivita also wrote in an email.

The Democratic Party of Virginia shared the NBC 4 article in a press release Friday accusing Miyares of being a hypocrite after his rhetoric from the campaign trail last year. “From day one, the Attorney General has shown Virginians how big of a hypocrite he really is,” said DPVA spokesperson Gianni Snidle. “Attorney General Miyares has criticized Commonwealth Attorneys across the state for cutting plea deals, but then cuts a plea deal with a dangerous predator.”

Governor Glenn Youngkin signed HB 1239 into law

From LIS: The bill Authorizes localities to classify for rate purposes certain vehicles that, under current law, may be classified only for valuation purposes, including certain automobiles, trucks, motor vehicles for use by the handicapped, motorcycles, mopeds, all-terrain vehicles, off-road motorcycles, campers, and other recreational vehicles. The bill specifies that its provisions shall apply only to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2022, but before January 1, 2025. The bill contains an emergency clause

“With prices soaring on the necessities that families and individuals use every day, Virginians are in dire need of relief to their wallets. I am proud to sign this legislation and work with the General Assembly to empower localities to lower the cost of living,”Governor Youngkin said in a statement Monday. “Many Virginians are struggling due to rising prices, now it is up to local leaders across Virginia to step up and fight inflation with real tax relief. I look forward to continuing our work to deliver real tax relief for all Virginians.”

Did you miss the newsletter this morning?

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Listen to the audio at the top of this newsletter to hear the full speech that Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin gave to hundreds of his supporters at the Omni Hotel in Richmond Friday night. The full slate of GOP lawmakers was in attendance at the welcome reception for the governor-elect.

Youngkin is set to be sworn in Saturday at 12 pm. While there will be several celebratory events throughout the day, he has also stated repeatedly that he will be immediately getting to work and signing executive orders.

Virginia Scope will have behind-the-scenes coverage throughout the day for paid subscribers to this newsletter. So make sure you are signed up!

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

At the top of this newsletter, listen to my discussion with Marques Jones, Nathan Kiker, and Andrew Hull about the redistricting proposals submitted by special masters last night. We discussed Rep. Spanberger being drawn into Rep. Wittman’s district, the wild new district in Prince William County that is seeing a huge amount of interest from Democrats in the area, and Rep. Elaine Luria is facing tougher prospects with her district’s redraw in the second district.

Update: John McGuire released a statement on redistricting

Another Spanberger challenger, Del. John McGuire (R) released a statement on Thursday in response to the redistricting proposal moving him into Rep. Rob Wittman’s (R) district. Here is the statement from McGuire:

“Tracy and I are waiting for a final congressional map to be approved by the Virginia Supreme Court before we make any decisions. In the meantime, I am continuing to focus on my responsibilities as chair of Governor-Elect Youngkin's Veterans and Defense Affairs landing team. As a Delegate for the 56th District, I am also working diligently on our legislative priorities for the upcoming General Assembly session that will get Virginia back on track and make our Commonwealth the best place to live, work, and raise a family in peace."

House Democratic Leader’s office responds to Youngkin saying he plans to pull Virginia out of RGGI

Sigalle Reshef, a spokesperson for outgoing House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn released the following statement following the news that Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin wants to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

“It is disappointing that in one of his first policy announcements, Glenn Youngkin is choosing to remove the Commonwealth from a program focused on combating climate change. By joining RGGI last year, we made Virginia a leader in curbing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to clean energy, and the result has benefited our environment as well as our economy. This move would be a significant setback and will hurt our Commonwealth in the long term, and we are looking into whether such executive action can be taken on a bill that has been passed and signed into law.”

Hashmi and Herring say new opinion establishes Virginia’s environmental justice policy

In an environmental-related official opinion issued at the request of Senator Ghazala Hashmi, Attorney General Mark Herring provided an opinion that Hashmi says establishes Virginia’s environmental justice policy and concludes that state agencies, specifically the Department of Environmental Quality, must consider the Environmental Justice Act (EJA) during the permitting process for any kind of construction, program, or policy. The opinion will help ensure that environmental justice, as outlined in the Act, “is carried out” across the Commonwealth for any new project.

“The environmental justice impacts and consequences should be considered with any kind of project or construction that happens within the Commonwealth, and it’s on the respective state agencies to ensure that happens,” Herring said. “Too often, projects that had a negative environmental impact have disproportionately affected communities of Black and Brown Virginians, many times to the detriment of the individuals’ health who lived there. Ensuring environmental justice in every corner of Virginia is just another way we will be able to pursue our goal of making the Commonwealth more open and welcoming to all.”

Herring has just over a month left in his second term as Virginia’s attorney general.

“I thank the Attorney General for rendering his opinion that the Environmental Justice Act not only establishes environmental justice as a policy of the Commonwealth, but that it also imposes a responsibility on our agencies to include these concerns within all permitting decisions,” said Senator Hashmi. “Most particularly, the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality must evaluate permitting decisions through the lens of environmental justice and evaluate the impacts on our fenceline communities. The AG's opinion validates the years of effort by so many individuals and organizations that have shone a consistent spotlight on the environmental injustices of the past.”

Through legislation carried by Delegate Mark Keam and Senator Hashmi, the Environmental Justice Act was passed during the 2020 General Assembly Session and “provides that ‘[i]t is the policy of the Commonwealth to promote environmental justice and to ensure that it is carried out throughout the Commonwealth, with a focus on environmental justice communities and fenceline communities.’” The EJA was recently cited by the State Air Pollution Control Board in its decision to deny the permit for the Lambert Compressor Station.

In his opinion, Herring notes that “[u]nder the EJA, ‘environmental justice’ means ‘the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of every person, regardless of race, color, national origin, income, faith, or disability, regarding the development, implementation, or enforcement or any environmental law, regulation or policy.’” He further explains that “the EJA defines ‘fair treatment’ as ‘the equitable consideration of all people whereby no group of people bears a disproportionate share of any negative environmental consequence resulting from an industrial, governmental, or commercial operation, program, or policy.’”

Attorney General Herring concludes the opinion by saying, “the Environmental Justice Act not only sets forth a policy of the Commonwealth but also imposes specific, enforceable duties on the Commonwealth to ensure that the policy is carried out. Therefore, the Director [of the Department of Environmental Equality] must ensure that environmental justice, as defined in the Act, ‘is carried out’ when making his determinations . . .”

Have you missed our other newsletters today?

The Princeton Gerrymandering Project graded Virginia’s new map proposals

New map proposals for redistricting sent Virginia politics into a whirlwind Wednesday night

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

The audio at the top of this newsletter is the latest episode of the Virginia Scope Podcast: 'In the Scope' featuring Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin and others for a wide-ranging discussion of Virginia politics. In addition to Youngkin, Henrico County Democratic Committee Chairman Marques Jones and Democratic operative Nathan Kiker discuss the DPVA Chair and other inner-party politics. Listen now, and support our work by subscribing to this newsletter.

Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares made the first administration staffing announcement by revealing his pick for solicitor general today. His selection formerly worked for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Find out who he selected here.

(The Office of Solicitor General represents the Commonwealth in the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Virginia, and federal circuit courts in non-capital cases that call into question the constitutionality of a state statute or that bear on sensitive policies of the Commonwealth.)

Youngkin talks about Northam’s budget proposals, the transition, and inauguration

Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin ran in part on shaking up the status quo in Richmond from an outsider’s perspective along with a promise to address kitchen table issues for Virginians. Now, Virginians expect him to live up to those promises that voters across Virginia flocked to the polls in record numbers to express their support for last month.

He is keeping his word so far on doing things differently as he is changing the routine of the governor’s inauguration. Instead of a formal ceremony on the night of the inauguration, Youngkin will be hosting an event with a musical performance. “Choosing boots over ball gowns,” the description of the event reads in the announcement from the transition committee.

Youngkin said this type of event is a reflection of the diverse range of support they received.

“Suzanne and I have continued to be so encouraged but also reassured by the vast support from Virginians from all parts of Virginia, from all walks of politics, and from all backgrounds,” the gov.-elect said in an interview with Virginia Scope Tuesday. “So we wanted to make sure that everyone who wanted to participate had a way to participate. Often times that Saturday night event which has been a ball where somebody had to buy a gown and wear a tuxedo just all of a sudden became something that folks couldn’t attend.”

The theme for his inauguration will be “Strengthen the Spirit of Virginia Together,” according to an announcement from Youngkin’s transition team Tuesday. “The theme for inauguration weekend celebrates Virginia’s spirit—one linked to a rich history, but an even more exciting future as Virginians come together to make Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” the gov.-elect and First Lady Suzanne Youngkin said in a prepared statement.

As for the kitchen table issues that helped propel Republicans to victory last month, the current governor seems to be trying to steal some of Youngkin’s talking points in the final days of his administration. On Monday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that he will be proposing a 10% pay increase for teachers in his outgoing budget proposal. Then on Tuesday, he announced a proposal for a pay increase to law enforcement officers across Virginia. Both of these moves were key facets of Youngkin’s gubernatorial campaign. Any proposals will ultimately need Youngkin’s signature during the next General Assembly session, however, so the moves from Northam are largely symbolic.

Youngkin said Tuesday that he believes it is a sign that Democrats received the message that voters sent last month in record numbers when they elected him and gave control of the House of Delegates to Republicans. “Virginians spoke very loudly and the mandate that Virginians gave us broadly is one that I think that everyone recognizes,” Youngkin said. “So I am not surprised by Governor Northam’s initiatives. We are going to go to work on day one.”

Day one has always been a key phrase for Youngkin, but his transition remains behind schedule as he originally promised to announce his education department appointees by Dec. 1. He has repeatedly cited a high volume of applicants that they want to properly vet before making a decision on who to hire as the reason for the delay. On Tuesday, he said over 150 people applied for the top few jobs in the Department of Education.

He has also noted multiple times that he has hired several teams in his career, but this is the most important one so he wants to take his time. “We are not quite ready,” Youngkin said of announcing his education department appointees. “We are pressing forward as quickly as we can because I know it is important but I also want to make sure we make a great decision.”

While he announced a long list of transition team members the day before Thanksgiving, we are now one week into December and Youngkin has not announced any administration appointments yet.

Youngkin provided no new information about the transition Tuesday, other than to say they are working hard to have a legislative agenda ready for the session that begins next month. “We are of course getting ready for the first legislative session and our day one game plan is incredibly important to get done,” Youngkin said. “I have been really encouraged by not only the leadership from the Republicans but also the ability to have bipartisan discussions around lowering taxes and making sure our schools are returning to a standard of excellence and well funded.”

The gov.-elect has also been spending time meeting with Virginians in the weeks since he won the race. He visited a basketball camp, spoke with a police department, bagged groceries, and held multiple rallies thanking supporters across the commonwealth.

“My primary objective has been to continue to engage with Virginians on the issues that are most important to them. The last thing I wanted to do was have a big gap between Nov. 2 and Jan 15 where the gov.-elect was nowhere to be seen,” Youngkin said Tuesday. “Virginians hired us — as I have said many times, we were granted a license to lead. The folks that have the ability to take that license away are everyday living their lives. So I am starting to serve now.”

Gov.-elect Youngkin will be sworn into office on Jan. 15.

A full list and description of the inauguration events can be viewed here.*

Executive moves

Governor Northam is continuing his thank-you tour with stops in Richmond today. First, he will be making an outdoor recreations announcement at Brown’s Island in Richmond this morning. Later this afternoon, First Lady Northam and Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. Vanessa Walker-Harris to visit a mobile child vaccine clinic.

Governor Northam released the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan on Tuesday. The goal of the master plan is to provide a foundational and fundamental step towards protecting Virginia’s coast.

Northam proposes pay increase for law enforcement in outgoing budget

On the second day of his “Thank you Virginia” tour, Governor Ralph Northam announced that he will be proposing pay raises for law enforcement in his outgoing budget. The proposal is largely symbolic as Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin will take over budget negotiations with the General Assembly on Jan. 15 when he is sworn into office Youngkin pushed for law enforcement pay raises throughout his campaign, however, meaning it is likely that some sort of raise will happen.

Northam is proposing pay increases for Virginia State Troopers, correctional officers, deputy sheriffs, and regional jail officers. “Law enforcement officers carry a heavy burden as they work to protect Virginians, and this raise is the right thing to do,” Northam said Tuesday. “It is also important that our officers are paid enough to create a positive work environment free from as much stress and burnout as possible.”

Under Northam’s proposal, newly-sworn state troopers will receive a 7.7 percent pay raise; the starting salary for new correction officers will increase by 25 percent; and the average entry-level salary for deputy sheriffs and regional jail officials will increase by approximately 20 percent. The Governor’s budget also includes funding to address pay compression and provide additional raises to a range of targeted officers and sworn personnel. Virginia gave one-time bonuses of $3,000 to $5,000 to public safety officials in 2021, in addition to a one-time bonus of $500 in 2020.

“This raise and increased funding is a huge step forward,” Northam said Tuesday.

On Monday, Northam announced that he included a 10% proposal for Virginia teachers. Both of these ideas were prominent within Youngkin’s campaign for governor. A source close to the gov.-elect provided Virginia Scope with a statement Monday afternoon. “Glenn’s entire Day One Game Plan is online if the Northam team wants to crib any other ideas to help Virginians or turn around Virginia’s economy.”

Rumor mill

Prior to earning the Republican nomination earlier this year, Glenn Youngkin told Republicans that he would want former House Speaker Kirk Cox as his Sec. of Education. The pick would have made sense due to Cox’s long career both in the legislature and as a public school teacher in Chesterfield. It appears, however, that the gov.-elect will not be hiring Cox. According to multiple sources within the Republican Party, Cox and Youngkin are not on great terms at this moment and it is unlikely that Cox joins the administration.

The cost to be a sponsor at Youngkin’s inauguration is HEFTY. Strike a $100K check and can get you nearly 50 tickets to various inauguration events. View More

This is not so much a rumor, but Democratic House Leader Eileen Filler-Corn announced a new chief of staff on Tuesday, David Cary. Cary has served as the Chief of Staff to the First Lady of Virginia since she took office in 2018. He also served as Assistant Secretary of Education since 2020, helping to design, develop and implement programs investing in public education to serve a record 25,000+ preschool students across the Commonwealth. Prior to serving as the Chief of Staff to the First Lady, he worked on the Northam for Governor campaign as well as campaigns throughout Virginia and the country. Cary replaces Kevin O'Holleran, who has served as the Speaker's Chief of Staff since January 2020.

Enjoying this content? Lose the paywall permanently and never miss out on the latest insider news in Virginia politics. Here is some of the paid content from the last few days:

Glenn & Suzanne Youngkin announced the inauguration theme and events

It is still too early to rule out a Nick Freitas congressional run in 2022

The race for DPVA chair continues to be complicated

Youngkin news

Va. Governor-Elect Youngkin talks Day One plan, transition of power, I-81

Youngkin inaugural plans include pricey dinner, musical act

Governor-elect Youngkin talks unifying Virginia ahead of inauguration

Youngkin transition reviews a flood of applications

Out with the tuxedo, in with the ‘Glenn vest’: Youngkin to host casual party in place of inaugural ball

More Virginia News

Northam releases long-awaited master plan addressing future of flooding, sea level rise

Virginia lawmakers endorse staffing requirements for nursing homes

Lynchburg-area legislators gather to talk politics ahead of General Assembly

Electronic skill games are legal again in Virginia for now after court blocks state ban

Loudoun supervisors adopt collective bargaining ordinance

'We will forever be grateful.' Foundation pays off mortgage for family of state trooper slain in Richmond bus terminal

National Headlines

Pfizer says COVID booster offers protection against omicron

‘It’s a sore spot for a lot of people’: Why officials are raising questions about Biden’s vaccine donations

House approves $768 billion defense bill, including review of Afghan war

Trump war with GOP seeps into midterms

Inside Joe Biden’s 2-Day Zoom Plan to Rescue Democracy

Judge sets July 18 for Bannon ‘contempt of Congress’ trial

‘Her failing is not an option’ — Harris convenes Black women and charts the path ahead

Biden warns Putin on call against Ukraine invasion

John Paul I was pope for just 33 days before he died. His legacy is still defined by its mysteries.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

The audio at the top of this newsletter is from my conversation with Danny Laub, a partner at POOLHOUSE, the Republican ad agency that created Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin’s ads for his campaign. Laub talks about the Youngkin campaign and Virginia politics in general.

This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider supporting non-partisan, independent news by becoming a paid subscriber today.

Virginia Supreme Court grants two-day extension for filing new redistricting special master nominees - Richmond Times-Dispatch

by Frank Green

The Virginia Supreme Court Monday extended the deadline for submitting the names of new redistricting special master candidates until 5 p.m. Wednesday, but denied a Republican request for conference call with the Court.

All three Republican special master nominees to assist the Virginia Supreme Court redraw the state's new legislative and Congressional districts were rejected by the Virginia Supreme Court on Friday. One unidentified Democratic candidate was also rejected. The parties were given until 5 p.m. Monday to submit new names.

VA-07 Republican nominee Taylor Keeney launches “help wanted” small business tour

Former McDonnell staffer Taylor Keeney is launching a “Help Wanted” small business tour as she seeks the VA-07 Republican nomination to run against Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Henrico).

“While Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger is in Washington dismissing the focus on the ‘price-tag’ of President Biden’s reckless socialist spending spree, here in the district people are struggling,” Keeney said in a press release Monday. “Small businesses can’t hire, inflation is at a 30-year high, and Spanberger wants to double-down on more spending."
“Businesses across the district, and particularly small businesses, have been hit hard over the last 19 months. That’s why I am going all over the district - from Henrico to Powhatan and Culpeper to Nottoway - to shine a light on why folks are having such a hard time hiring and getting back on their feet. Public service is about listening, then offering solutions to deliver a result for our communities,” concluded Keeney.

The tour is expected to hit stop by Melito’s, RMC Events, Groovin Gourmets, and James River Heating and Air in Henrico County on Monday.

Republican consultant group releases post-election polling data

Co/efficient conducted a poll for the Republican consultant firm Creative Direct after the election. Co/efficient has a provisional rating of B/C pollster rating from FiveThirtyEight.

Co/efficient is a Kansas City-based company that polled all three statewide races and 12 state legislative districts during the 2021 cycle. Co/efficient's final polling on the statewide race was within one point, and their tracking of state legislative races was accurate in 10 of 12 tracked races.

Key Findings from the survey:

Independent voters broke for Glenn Youngkin 61 to 37 percent

Jobs, the Economy, and Education were the top issues for most voters, and independent voters trusted Youngkin demonstrably more on these key issues

President Joe Biden's favorable rating among voters was only 38 percent

70 percent of voters who decided "within the last few days" cast ballots for Youngkin

54 percent of voters said McAuliffe's statement was a factor in their vote

64 percent of voters deciding in the last month said it was a factor, including 50 percent who said it was a "very significant" factor

81 percent of voters deciding in the last week said it was a factor in their vote

Voters who viewed this statement as a significant factor broke for Youngkin 88 to 11

RSLC congratulates Todd Gilbert on becoming Speaker of the House

Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) President Dee Duncan today congratulated Todd Gilbert on being selected as speaker-designee by the Republican caucus Sunday.

“The RSLC was proud to work hand-in-hand with Todd Gilbert to take back the Virginia House. Few gave us a chance at the beginning of the cycle, but Todd’s tireless work ethic and steady leadership allowed us to snap a three cycle street of net seat losses in the Old Dominion and pull off a remarkable upset. He will make a fantastic Speaker and we congratulate him on his nomination."

“We also congratulate Delegates Terry Kilgore, Kathy Byron, and Jay Leftwich for their elections to leadership positions within the House Republican Caucus. Virginia is in great hands with this team of common-sense conservatives who all share Glenn Youngkin’s optimistic vision for the future commonwealth. We look forward to continuing to support Virginia Republicans as they work to lower the cost of living, empower parents, and protect communities.”

Monmouth poll shows increasing distrust in America

Three in ten Americans now believe the nation’s system is fundamentally unsound, according to new polling from Monmouth University. This number has increased from prior Monmouth polls while one-third of the public continues to believe voter fraud determined the outcome of the 2020 election, a finding that has been consistent over the past year. A GOP-sponsored audit of Arizona election results did more to reinforce this belief than dispel it. The poll also finds that half of Americans support greater regulation of Facebook, with majority support among most groups – except for Republicans and independents who use the platform.

Fewer than half of all Americans believe that the American system of government is basically sound and needs either no changes (8%) or some improvement (35%). The combined 43% who feel the system is basically sound is nearly identical to 44% who said the same shortly after the U.S. Capitol riot in January. Polls over the prior three years had this number higher – between 50% and 55% basically sound. An older Opinion Research Corporation poll, from which this question was taken, showed faith in the system being sound at a significantly higher level in 1980 (62%).

In the current poll, 26% say the system is not too sound and needs many improvements. This is down from 33% in January, but the shift in opinion has resulted in more rather than less negative views. Specifically, 30% feel that the American system is not sound at all and needs significant changes. This number stood at 22% in January 2021 and ranged between 21% and 24% in polls taken between 2017 and 2020. Four decades ago, only 10% of the country said the American system was not at all sound.

“The increase of distrust in the American system appears to be linked to the persistence of ‘the big lie.’ The fact that this belief continues to get oxygen is having a serious, and potentially dangerous, impact on faith in our fundamental democratic processes,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Bannon surrenders to FBI - Politico

By JOSH GERSTEIN, KYLE CHENEY and NICHOLAS WU

Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald, surrendered to the FBI Monday morning following his indictment on contempt of Congress charges.

Bannon was indicted over his refusal to appear for a deposition or provide documents to the House select committee investigating Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election results, and the violent Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol that those efforts inspired. News reports suggest that Bannon was in touch with Trump in the crucial days before Jan. 6 — the day Congress is required to certify the presidential election results — and joined other key Trump advisers planning strategy on Jan. 5.

Toll relief for the Elizabeth River Tunnels

Governor Ralph Northam announced on Monday a major expansion of the Toll Relief Program in partnership with Elizabeth River Crossings, the owners of the Elizabeth River Tunnels. This program will reduce tolls for those most impacted by the Downtown and Midtown Tunnel tolls.

“This will make it significantly more affordable for working people to use the tunnels in Hampton Roads,” said Governor Northam. “The Commonwealth and the Elizabeth River Crossing team are making commuting easier, and that is something we can all be proud of.”

Annual funding will increase six-fold in the program in 2022 to more than $3.2 million and then grow 3.5 percent annually. The increased funding will allow the region, Elizabeth River Crossings, and the Commonwealth to consider additional improvements for 2023.

The funds will allow for the following changes to be implemented in 2022:

Provide participants with a 50 percent toll discount on up to five round-trips a week to reducer the cost of commuting to and from work;

More than double the number of drivers, up to 4,300, eligible for the program;

Eliminate the minimum number of trips required before discounts become available; and,

Apply the rebate for the discount on a daily basis instead of monthly.

The 2022 Toll Relief Program is open to Portsmouth and Norfolk residents who earn less than $30,000 a year. The enrollment period begins December 1, 2021, and closes February 15, 2022. Toll reimbursements for the new program begin on March 1, 2022. Current participants must re-enroll to receive the 2022 Toll Reduction Program benefits.

National Headlines

Sen. Patrick Leahy, 81, the chamber’s longest-serving Democrat, announces he will retire

Dems' bitter pill: Popular health provisions won't kick in until after the midterms

Democrats fear consequences after Biden underestimated U.S. problems

4 big questions as Congress heads into end-of-year slog

The ring in the ashes: Why FEMA’s program to prevent disasters failed to save California’s Mount Olive Road

Democrat Beto O’Rourke announces bid for Texas governor

Abbott responds to O'Rourke challenge in Texas: 'Bring it'

GOP weighs trapping Democrats in Trump’s budget

Judge dismisses weapons charge at Rittenhouse murder trial

The vaccine tore her family apart. Could a death reunite them?

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider supporting non-partisan, independent news by becoming a paid subscriber today.

Education to remain a focus for Virginia legislators heading into 2022

by Brandon Jarvis

474 votes on Tuesday decided the fate of a lawmaking body that represents every resident in Virginia. Those 474 votes, split between two races, ended up providing Virginia Republicans control of the House of Delegates after being in the minority for the last two years.

After flipping seven seats in total while running on a platform of education throughout this cycle, Republicans will now be expected to turn their focus in that direction. Democrats, who have often been the party known for a focus on education, will have to decide if they want to try and stall the Republican agenda in the House with their 48 votes, or work with Republicans to try and find a compromise on legislation.

The House has been in Republican control for the majority of the last few decades, but Democrats made huge gains in 2017 and then again in 2019 to take the majority. During the last two years, nder the leadership of Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn, House Democrats passed hundreds of pieces of new progressive legislation that eventually became law.

Now the unofficial results indicate that the Republicans will likely have a 52-48 majority in the House after flipping seven seats on Tuesday night. In addition to the gains in the House, Republicans won all three statewide seats, a feat they haven’t achieved since 2009.

While it might not have been a wave, it is clear the momentum for Republicans was statewide.

Henrico County, a locality that turned blue with the wave of seats Democrats flipped in 2017, didn’t follow the trend of turning Tuesday night, however. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico), a public school teacher, and Rodney Willett (D-Henrico) both represent districts in the west end of Henrico that turned blue in 2017. They were both competitive this year with Republicans eying them as a good opportunity for a flip.

VanValkenburg and Willett were able to successfully defend their seats.

“One thing that Democrats and western Henrico candidates in the party have done since 2017 is just worked hard, show up, and talk to people,” VanValkenburg said in an interview Thursday.

VanValkenburg ended up winning by nearly 2,000 votes and Willett won by a few more than 1,300. He credited the messaging and involvement in the community from Henrico candidates for their success.

“Focusing on the nut and bolt issues that the people of western Henrico are concerned about — things like education and healthcare costs,” VanValkenburg said. “We just went out there and we kept doing what we have been doing, which is showing up and talking to folks about issues that they care about.”

South of Richmond, a district that on paper should be Democratic even though it has been held by a Republican for three decades will remain red for two more years. Mike Cherry (R-Colonial Heights) defeated Katie Sponsler (D-Colonial Heights) to keep Kirk Cox’s former seat in Republican control for at least one more term. Cox represented the district for more than 30 years and eventually reached the role of Speaker of the House. He retired this year.

Cox’s district was redrawn in 2019 by the courts to make it much friendlier to Democrats. Cox used his sway within Colonial Heights to drive turnout and win the district after the redraw. Cherry was able to repeat that feat Tuesday on a night when Republicans had clear momentum.

In an interview with Virginia Scope Thursday, Cherry, a private Christian school administrator, said he is looking forward to sharing a new perspective in Richmond. “I want to share that same new perspective with those in Richmond where you can kind of get into a rut, if you will, sometimes as a legislator,” Cherry said. “I am never someone who really likes to readily accept the status quo.”

Cherry said the voters in his district want his focus to be on education. “What we are going to be advocating on from the beginning are the same things I ran on,” Cherry said. “Trying to fix education has got to be number one.”

VanValkenburg and Cherry say they both want to focus on education —however, their priorities might not always align.

During Cherry’s’ campaign, school choice led in his platform for education. “During the COVID shutdown, he saw firsthand the disparity for people that did not have school choice,” his campaign website reads. “If we are going to have true educational equity and equality, school choice is the only way.”

School choice is the concept of providing options for families outside of public education. Youngkin and the Republicans in Virginia ran on providing parents with more school choice options. Democrats have historically opposed school choice, saying it will divert money away from public schools, but Cherry says he has never voted against fully funding schools while serving on Colonial Heights City Council.

VanValkenburg, on the other hand, wants to focus on investing in public education and making different changes throughout the system. He said he is open to working with Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin on revamping the public education system. “To the extent how Youngkin has talked about creating a robust education system, I’m game, let’s do this,” he said. “I would love to be at the table — I would love to do the work.”

“I hope we keep this priority on education funding,” VanValkenburg said. “[Democrats] got the state back in the game for education. I hope we start from that foundation.”

Carrie Coyner, a Republican from Chesterfield that was elected to a second term Tuesday night was able to pass a long list of bills while Democrats were in power. She says she plans to continue doing the same work moving forward. “I am going to continue bringing forward legislation focused on strengthening public education, improving lives of those suffering from the disease of addiction, veterans issues, and supporting small businesses,” she said in a statement to Virginia Scope. “I look forward to getting things done to make life easier for every person in our community.”

It is still unclear who will be in charge of the Republican House Caucus during the next session. Del. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) has been leading the caucus while in the minority during the last two years, but longtime Del. Terry Kilgore (R-Scott) announced this week that he will also be seeking to become the Speaker of the House.

The current Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn has not conceded yet citing the close vote totals in multiple races that wild decide the outcome.

The state Senate remains in Democratic control as they sit with a 21-19 majority for the next two years. That only leaves them with one vote to spare due to the new lieutenant governor, Republican Winsome Sears, who will be casting any tie-breaking votes as she presides over the chamber.

Youngkin is tasked with staffing the entire Executive Branch between now and inauguration day on Jan. 15. A spokesperson for the governor-elect said, “stay tuned.”

Either way, Virginia is pretty evenly divided. 474 votes out of 3.2 million in total prevented Republicans from having to share power with Democrats in the House.

(Listen to audio from Virginia Scope’s interview with VanValkenburg and Cherry at the top of this newsletter.)

After winning in Virginia, Youngkin is already hearing calls for a presidential bid in 2024

After winning the race to be the next governor early this week, political newcomer Glenn Youngkin is already being rumored to be a potential 2024 presidential nominee.

Prior to the election, however, both Youngkin and Terry McAuliffe committed to serving their full term.

After not previously being asked to commit to serving a full term as governor if elected next week, a spokesperson for Youngkin said “Of course,” when pressed on the question. “Glenn has been very clear he is running to serve the people of Virginia and that’s what his focus will be,” said Matt Wolking, communications director for the Youngkin campaign.

A former finance executive that rose to the top of the chain at the global investment firm The Carlyle Group, Youngkin is personally worth hundreds of millions and helped finance this gubernatorial run by loaning his campaign $20 million.

Richard Meagher, a political science professor at Randolph Macon College said it would still be an uphill climb for Youngkin. “His whole brand is that he’s not a Trump, more of a Mitt Romney type,” Meagher said. “And those kinds of candidates are not welcome in the Republican party right now.”

Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares announced his transition team

Former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore will be the Chair of Attorney General-elect Miyares’ transition team.

FORMER STATEWIDE ELECTED OFFICIALS:

Former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore

Former Attorney General Mark Earley

Former Governor and Attorney General Jim Gilmore

Former Governor and Attorney General Bob McDonnell

Former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Former Governor George Allen

Former Attorney General Richard Cullen Sr.

This newsletter will continue to provide coverage of Virginia politics but now it will be with a heavy focus on every change that Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin attempts to make in Virginia. Additionally, we will be providing in-depth coverage of the complicated congressional elections taking place across Virginia in 12 months.

Don’t miss a single move that Youngkin or your favorite congressional candidate makes by becoming a paid subscriber today.

How Glenn Youngkin Kept Trump at Arm’s Length, But on His Side - Wall Street Journal

by Michael Bender

When Donald Trump released a statement suggesting he was planning a trip to Virginia last week, aides to Republican Glenn Youngkin’s campaign for governor panicked.

Mr. Youngkin had, for months, navigated the narrow path between embracing the former Republican president’s policies without being drawn into a debate about Mr. Trump himself. The two men held private phone calls in recent weeks, but Mr. Trump hadn’t said anything about a trip to Virginia.

GOP agenda takes shape in Richmond - Virginia Mercury

by Ned Oliver

A friendly meeting between the governor and the governor elect. A preview of the new House majority’s agenda. Promises to refocus the attorney general’s office on law enforcement.

The transition of power from Democrats to Republicans in Richmond began in earnest Thursday after the GOP’s electoral sweep earlier this week, which handed the party control of all three statewide offices and the House of Delegates after two years of unified Democratic control.

More News

As GOP takes over Richmond, local officials in deep-blue Northern Virginia start to worry

Reeling From Surprise Losses, Democrats Sound the Alarm for 2022

Democratic turnout myth unraveled

Youngkin, Northam pledge smooth power transition in Virginia

Miyares, attorney general-elect, plans thorough investigation of parole board misconduct

Gilbert makes his bid to become Speaker

Election night mistake changes margins, not outcomes – area House races

Meeting to discuss transgender issues at Hanover schools draws vocal supporters for both sides

Charlottesville city councilors condemn Lincoln Project stunt in official statement

Richmond, Henrico to open vaccine clinics for 5-to-11-year-olds in schools near the least-vaccinated neighborhoods

UVa Health employees facing termination if not vaccinated

National News

Sinema's raking in cash from MLMs. They want to kill her party’s labor bill.

When the Unstoppable Activists Met Their Match

Pfizer antiviral pill reduced risk of covid hospitalization and death by 89 percent in high-risk people, company study shows

Pelosi revs House Dem engines after season in the ditch

'We have had enough': DeSantis will sue Biden over workplace vaccine mandates

U.S. cancels multimillion-dollar deal with covid vaccine maker whose plant ruined Johnson & Johnson doses

Democrats plea with Biden to get more assertive

No million-dollar checks: Democratic governors may sit out Florida

New York City cuts vaccine mandate deal with unions

Indictment charges Steele dossier’s main source with lying to investigators

Democrats scramble for path forward after election setbacks

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Post-election analysis: The audio at the top of this newsletter is the second episode of ‘In the Scope.’ In this episode, Virginia Scope journalist Brandon Jarvis talks with Henrico County Democratic Committee Chair Marques Jones, Democratic operative Nathan Kiker, and former Republican Party staffer Andrew Hull about the election that took place Tuesday night resulting in the first statewide Republican win in 12 years.

This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider supporting non-partisan, independent news by becoming a paid subscriber today.

This newsletter will continue to provide coverage of Virginia politics but now it will be with a heavy focus on every change that Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin attempts to make in Virginia. Additionally, we will be providing in-depth coverage of the complicated congressional elections taking place across Virginia in 12 months.

Don’t miss a single move that Youngkin or your favorite congressional candidate makes by becoming a paid subscriber today.

Delegate Hala Ayala Statement on Election Results

“Virginia, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. The results are in, and while they may not be what we had hoped for, this is just the beginning,” said Delegate Hala Ayala. “I want to congratulate my opponent on making history and paving the way for future women leaders who look like us. We may not be able to claim victory today, but we know that the results of this election are simply a minor setback in our larger fight for progress.”
“I’ve always said that this campaign was never about ‘me,’ but about ‘we.’ I want to thank the tireless volunteers and campaign staff who knocked doors, made phone calls, and sent text messages. Thank you for your refusal to settle for what is, and for your unwavering commitment to fight for what could be. That commitment is what brought more early voters to the ballot box than any other off-year election in our Commonwealth’s history. And of course, thank you to my friends and my family, who have been my rock through this wild ride.”
“I have been so fortunate to have traveled the Commonwealth and connected with more Virginians than I ever thought I would have the opportunity to embrace. And with every conversation, roundtable, and community event, I’ve emerged even more sure of my commitment to uplifting and fighting for every Virginian’s voice to be heard. Regardless of the role that I hold today, tomorrow, or 10 years from now, you can count on me to put you first, because Virginia is my family.”

STATEMENT FROM SPEAKER FILLER-CORN ON GLENN YOUNGKIN’S VICTORY

"I want to congratulate Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin on his win last night, and I look forward to working with him and his administration.

“Over the last several years, Virginia has led the nation – earning the title of Top State for Business for consecutive years, creating a world-class education system, and passing responsible budgets that made critical investments in our state while maintaining our Triple A Bond rating. Our Commonwealth has much to be proud of, and I look forward to collaborating with Governor-elect Youngkin to build on this successful track record and working together on our shared goal of building a better Virginia."

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, Planned Parenthood Action Fund Statement on Governor’s Election

Statement from Jamie Lockhart, executive director, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia:

"We are grateful to Terry McAuliffe, Haya Ayala, Mark Herring, and all of the candidates who ran in support of reproductive rights in this election. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia is proud to stand with you, and we will continue to move our shared goals for Virginia forward.

“Years of polling — and last night’s exit polls — show that the majority of Virginians support safe, legal abortion and access to affordable reproductive health care. We will not let our rights go without a fight. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia will hold Governor-elect Youngkin and the rest of Virginia’s leaders accountable for the promises they made on the campaign trail. “We will work to make sure that Youngkin and his supporters in the House of Delegates cannot push our state back in time by reinstating harmful restrictions, banning abortion, and defunding essential health care services. Most importantly, we will continue standing with Virginians who want to make their own reproductive health decisions without interference from politicians.

“While disappointed with the statewide results and the loss of the pro-reproductive rights majority in the House of Delegates, we are proud of our work to protect many competitive House of Delegates seats: Delegate Wendy Gooditis (HD10), Delegate Dan Helmer (HD-40), Delegate-elect Briana Sewell (HD51), Delegate Rodney Willett (HD73). And we’re hopeful the House will return with Delegate Kelly Covirs-Fowler (HD-21) and Delegate Alex Askew (HD85), whose races are still too close to call.

“Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC supported these campaigns through a paid canvass operation in Virginia Beach, regular volunteer and staff canvassing in Loudoun, Prince William, Henrico and Virginia Beach, a robust mail program, and an aggressive digital advertising campaign. We were happy to work with Debra Gardner (HD27), a challenger we were proud to support, and we are excited to support her in her future endeavors. We would also like to thank our champions Delegate Lashrecse Aird (HD63) and Delegate Nancy Guy (HD83) for their support and steadfast commitment to sexual and reproductive health care. While their races are still too close to call, we are honored to have worked for their re-elections and hope to support them in the future.”

Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

"The results in Virginia are disappointing, but we are proud that Planned Parenthood supporters turned out across the commonwealth to rally for abortion rights champions. While not all of these candidates were successful in this election, they demonstrated the leadership that we need in these dark times for reproductive freedom. Planned Parenthood Action Fund is grateful to each of them for standing up for Virginians throughout this election.

“We are especially grateful to Terry McAuliffe, who has been a brick wall for reproductive health and rights throughout his career and fought a valiant campaign. We are grateful to Haya Ayala, a rising star who we know will continue fighting for Virginians. And we are grateful to Mark Herring, whose race remains uncalled and has challenged attacks on abortion access throughout his tenure as attorney general.

“Make no mistake: Our rights are under attack, from city councils and state legislatures to the nation’s highest court. This election further proves that our fight is far from over. Planned Parenthood Action Fund and our supporters will not back down, and we will keep fighting to ensure that reproductive freedom is protected in Virginia and beyond."

According to exit polls from last night, a strong majority of Virginians (59%) believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Seventy-five percent of those people voted for Terry McAuliffe.

Americans for Prosperity Congratulates Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin

AFP President Tim Phillips issued the following statement:

“Virginians had a clear choice in this election – further empower the government or start to empower the people. Their message was crystal clear. Glenn Youngkin inspired Virginians with a positive alternative to an overreaching government seeking control over virtually every aspect of our lives and the future we are building for our children. This was a referendum on the partisan agendas being pushed by ideologues who have completely lost touch with concerns of everyday Americans. Glenn Youngkin spoke to what people truly care about; making life more affordable, getting people back to work, and putting people back in control of their lives. Leaders in Washington should pay close attention to the message that was sent tonight in Virginia.”

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider supporting non-partisan, independent news by becoming a paid subscriber today.

With only Monday standing between Halloween and election day, Democrats are rallying across the commonwealth with a long list of events aimed at getting out the vote for Tuesday.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe fired up a large crowd of people in Henrico County, a Richmond suburb that is crucial for Democrats in keeping Virginia blue for another four years.

The audio at the top of this newsletter is from the event.

Photos from the event are below: (plus an Amanda Chase scoop at the bottom).

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

The audio at the top of this email is from a canvass rally for the Democratic House candidate in HD-66, Katie Sponsler. She is looking to replace Kirk Cox in the House of Delegates. (Background on the district)

Del. Jay Jones (Norfolk) and Sponsler addressed a group of supporters ahead of a canvass launch, which can be heard in the audio.

The Lincoln Project claims credit for the stunt in Charlottesville Friday

Democrats are denying any involvement in what appears to be an attempted trolling attempt by individuals in Charlottesville who stood with tiki torches next to a Glenn Youngkin campaign bus. The protesters resembled the white supremacists that marched through Charlottesville in 2017 chanting “Jews will not replace us,” on the night before the deadly rally where Heather Heyer was killed by a white supremacist who drove his car into a crowd. Two Virginia State Police officers also died that day while monitoring the events from their helicopter.

The Lincoln Project claimed credit for the stunt at 5:16 p.m. They are a group of former and current Republicans that opposed Donald Trump and now oppose Youngkin.

“Today’s demonstration was our way of reminding Virginians what happened in Charlottesville four years ago, the Republican Party’s embrace of those values, and Glenn Youngkin’s failure to condemn it,” The Lincoln Project said in their statement.

Youngkin, the Republican nominee for governor, accused his opponent Terry McAuliffe of sending the individuals to stand next to his bus Friday. “I think they work for Terry McAuliffe, and I’m sure he sent them,” Youngkin said in a statement to NBC29. “They’ll do anything to win, and he’s doing anything to win, and so he’s paying people to show up and act silly at our rallies.”

Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman Andrew Whitely issued a statement on social media Friday afternoon denying any involvement. “The Democratic Party of Virginia, along with its coordinated partners and its affiliates, did not have any role today in the events that happened outside of the Youngkin campaign bus stop today,” Whitley said in the statement. “For anyone to accuse our staff to have a role in this event is shameful and wrong.”

Terry McAuliffe’s campaign manager commented on the incident in a tweet. “What happened today in Charlottesville is disgusting and distasteful and the McAuliffe campaign condemns it in the strongest terms. Those involved should immediately apologize,” said Chris Bolling, McAuliffe’s campaign manager.

The Lincoln Project did not apologize for invoking traumatic memories for many people in Virginia. Instead, they dug in on their stunt. “We will continue to hold Glenn Youngkin accountable. If he will denounce Trump’s assertion that the Charlottesville rioters possessed ‘very fine’ qualities, we’ll withdraw the tiki torches. Until then, we’ll be back.”

The campaign manager for McAuliffe’s campaign denounced the act in a tweet. “What happened today in Charlottesville is disgusting and distasteful and the McAuliffe campaign condemns it in the strongest terms. Those involved should immediately apologize.”

This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider supporting non-partisan, independent news by becoming a paid subscriber today.

Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns for Terry McAuliffe

Vice President Kamala Harris and recording artist Pharrell joined Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on the campaign trail in Norfolk as the heated race for governor nears its end.

“Don’t Texas Virginia,” Harris said as she stumped for McAuliffe Friday while also noting that due to the bellwether status of this race in representing America’s response to a Joe Biden presidency, Virginia’s voters will determine “how the country will move,” towards the congressional midterm elections.

She also talked about the new legislation that has been enacted by a Democratic majority across Virginia in recent years.

“Tuesday will determine whether we turn back the clock on move forward,” Harris said about electing McAuliffe, the governor who served as governor from 2014-2018, and then was succeeded by his lieutenant governor Ralph Northam. Virginia Democrats made huge gains during the last two years gaining the majority in the General Assembly which allowed Northam to sign hundreds of pieces of progressive legislation that has been blocked for decades by the Republicans in control of the General Assembly.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin has campaigned on turning back the Democratic overreach that he says has happened during their two years in power.

“The power is in your hands and elections matter,” Harris told the crowd Friday.

Recent polls have shown a dead heat between McAuliffe and Youngkin. The tightening of the race has surprised some who believed Virginia to be a blue state, but Mcauliffe, the former governor who won his first election in 2013 by a slim margin, has said from the start of this campaign that it is a purple state.

Historically, Virginia has always elected a governor from the opposite party of who is controlling the White House at the time. McAuliffe broke that trend in 2013 and now he is trying to do it again this year.

President Joe Biden joined McAuliffe earlier this week in Northern Virginia and Democratic heavyweights Jaime Harrison and Stacey Abrams stumped across the commonwealth for him as well in recent days.

In a state that Biden won by 10 points one year ago, Democrats seem hopeful that they just need to motivate enough of their voters to overcome the apparent wave of enthusiasm behind the Youngkin campaign.

“We have got to do everything in our power to reach out to everyone we see and know and remind them that not only this election matters, but that they matter, that we matter, that Virginia matters,” Harris said Friday night. She talked about Democrats being complacent in 2016 and expecting Hillary to win, a relevant point in a commonwealth that has started to be considered a Democratic stronghold by some because Republicans haven’t won statewide since 2013. “We can take nothing for granted,” she told the crowd.

In addition to electing a new governor, Virginians will be choosing a new lieutenant governor, attorney general, and House of Delegates.

Harris finished the speech Friday night by emphasizing the importance of a governor, something that has become more apparent during the pandemic as governors across the country enacted life-altering restrictions to curb the spread of the COVID-19. “Who is governor, matters,” she said several times. “This election matters.”

Virginians head to the polls on Nov. 2.

Youngkin and McAuliffe release closing ads for their gubernatorial campaigns

More news

Youngkin closes with education 'rallying cry,' push for lower taxes

Trump to headline call-in rally before Election Day for Virginia GOP ticket, former Trump state campaign chair says

McAuliffe attacked by secretive group promoting Princess Blanding

Candidate who campaigned on pro-bono award was required to work for no charge

Democratic women in Virginia frustrated by paid leave flop

Virginia’s choice for lieutenant governor could impact marijuana, abortion, gun control

With all eyes on governor's race, area Democrats, Republicans focus on voter turnout

Henrico state House candidate releases photo of opponent at Capitol insurrection

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Listen to the first episode of Virginia Scope’s new weekly podcast series, In the Scope, at the top of this newsletter.

Hosted by Brandon Jarvis, the show will focus specifically on one aspect of Virginia politics each week. With elections happening in just one week, of course, this episode is based on the final days of campaigning.

Randolph Macon College professor provides specific analysis of the campaigns in the final days; plus Marques Jones, the chair of the Henrico County Democratic Committee, and Andrew Hull, a former Republican Party of Virginia staffer discuss and provide commentary on the race from their perspective.

Subscribe to The Virginia Scope Podcast on your favorite audio app to stay up to date on all of our podcast series and episodes.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

(The audio at the top of this episode is from an interview with HD-27 Democratic candidate Debra Gardner.)

This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider supporting non-partisan, independent news by becoming a paid subscriber today.

A Republican House candidate filed a civil lawsuit against Glenn Youngkin’s gubernatorial campaign

A Republican House candidate who was present on the Capitol steps Jan. 6 has filed a civil lawsuit against Glenn Youngkin’s campaign for allegedly disposing of campaign materials without permission. Philip Hamilton (R-Charlottesville) says that after he expressed support for allowing the third-party gubernatorial candidate Princess Blanding to participate in debates, his campaign literature and signs that he was storing at the Youngkin campaign office in Charlottesville were never returned to him.

Blanding, the Liberation Party nominee, interrupted the second gubernatorial debate last month calling for her inclusion since she qualified for the general election ballot. Hamilton says he made a Facebook post expressing support for allowing Blanding to participate. He was not allowed into the Youngkin campaign office after that, allegedly.

“McAuliffe and Youngkin were quiet as a Black woman running for governor was escorted from the stage,” Hamilton said in an interview, noting he doesn’t just support Republicans but third-party candidates as well.

After entering the office and asking where his materials were, the Youngkin campaign staffer allegedly told him they removed it. “He said, ‘well because of your support of a third party candidate we decided to remove all your campaign literature and other pieces.’”

Hamilton says they told him he was no longer welcome at the office and they would not allow him to inspect the backroom before leaving.

He then contacted the political director who allegedly told him that the materials were actually given to volunteers, but would not provide him with the names of the volunteers who received them.

Hamilton then waited two weeks before filing the lawsuit on Oct. 15 against the Youngkin campaign and his staffer, Sam Long. He is asking for $2,500 with 6% interest.

The Youngkin campaign did not provide comment for this story.

Hamilton is currently running against Sally Hudson, a one-term delegate that took over the blue seat in HD-57 in 2019. So far, Hudson has raised $155,354 for the election compared to the $9,605 from Hamilton.

Hamilton says he wants to make sure that Youngkin knows his party’s base is not a sure bet for him at the polls this year. He used Youngkin’s comments about the recent removal of the Robert E. Lee Statue in Richmond as an example. “Youngkin can’t just assume that he has the vote of his base, including candidates if he alienates them on certain important issues. He never consulted me about removing the monuments. He lost my faith in that regard.”

Hamilton, a historian, says he supports adding more monuments in honor of the union, instead of removing confederate statues.

“I was very disappointed that Youngkin agreed with Northam and McAuliffe,” Hamilton continued.

Youngkin’s comments at the time were not exactly in line with McAuliffe, who fully supported the removal of the Lee statue.

“First and foremost, there’s no place for violence and tearing down statues,” Youngkin said in September. “And in fact, we can’t airbrush away our history. Our history is our history. So, the Supreme Court, in fact, has ruled on this. And the statue is going to come down and I hope they move it to a battlefield or museum, so we don’t lose the fact that we have a history, we all need to know it.”

Hamilton says he didn’t vote for Youngkin this year. He voted for Sergio de la Pena as a protest vote. “One vote is not going to change an election,” Hamilton said in an interview.

Hamilton has faced criticism in the past for photos and videos he has posted online from the Capitol steps during the Jan 6. Riot in D.C. In an interview, Hamilton told Virginia Scope that he was there to film and only went onto the steps of the Capitol, not inside the building.

Election day is Nov. 2.

Gubernatorial links

Youngkin holds early voting rally in Stafford

Glenn Youngkin, Virginia’s ‘political outsider,’ has given more than $1 million to GOP campaigns

In Virginia, a Test of Messages and Candidates Ahead of the Midterms

Will abortion decide the Virginia governor’s race? McAuliffe says yes; Youngkin, not so much.

Big Virginia abortion test: Can it energize Democratic base?

McAuliffe and Youngkin face early voting pressures in Virginia race

Rudy Giuliani Is Scaring The Crap Out Of People With His Bizarre Video Filter

Vice President Kamala Harris stumping for McAuliffe in Dumfries

Campaign Geography

Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin will be participating in a forum with WRIC on Thursday at 8 p.m.

Terry McAuliffe will be touring small businesses in Charlottesville today.

Attorney General Mark Herring, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, and Planned Parenthood Texas Votes are holding a virtual press conference today.

Gubernatorial money

According to data from the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP), Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin has received 59% of donations from Virginians when you remove the $16.5 million he loaned himself.

For Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe, 36% of donations to his campaign came from within Virginia.

Excluding his personal loans, Youngkin has raised a little more than $25 million.

Both candidates raised nearly an identical percentage (27% and 28%) from Washington D.C. residents.

McAuliffe has raised over $42 million for his gubernatorial campaign in total (excluding in-kind donations).

317 votes decided this delegate race in 2017 and 2019 combined. Can the Democrats finally flip it?

The difference in votes between Del. Roxann Robinson (R-HD27) and her Democratic opponent for the last two elections combined is 317 votes. But after losing by 189 votes in 2019, Democrats are hoping that their efforts this year will help them defeat Robinson, the Chesterfield district’s representative in the House since 2010.

Chesterfield has been trending left in recent years with a blue wave in 2017 and 2019 that resulted in 21 House seats flipping from Republican to Democrat. But while momentum was on their side with Donald Trump in office, Democrats were still unable to win in this district. Debra Gardner is the candidate looking to get them over the hump this year, even as strategists fear lower Democratic turnout across the commonwealth.

Gardner began her career as a social worker and eventually worked at state agencies serving as a liaison to the General Assembly. “I have spent my 30-year career working to help marginalized communities, advocating for fair and equal rights for everybody and just trying to make the quality of life better for the people in my community,” Gardner said in an interview with Virginia Scope Tuesday.

Her plan for making up the small margin of votes that Democrats have repeatedly lost by is to increase the number of voters participating in the next election. “I started out by trying to bring more voters into the fold because, in all honesty, this is a 50/50 district,” Gardner said. “So what we needed to do in my opinion was expand our voter base.”

She says her campaign has been assisted by the grassroots activists in Liberal Women of Chesterfield County (LWCC), a group that grew to prominence under the leadership of Kim Drew Wright when she began meetings after Trump’s election. LWCC’s membership expanded quickly and mobilized to help both the Democrats in 2017 and Abigail Spanberger in 2018 as she won a historically Republican congressional district. The group is still functioning today, knocking doors and writing postcards for Democrats across the area.

“We have mobilized that contingency of LWCC and got them out knocking doors,” Gardner said. “We have one of the most extensive postcard writing organizations that is out here.”

She also noted that the Texas abortion ban that went into effect last month really helped motivate Democrats and galvanize the grassroots. “Choice is a major issue in this area,” Gardner said of tracking polls from the district.

Republicans are optimistic heading into the November statewide elections after losing the previous two governor races. Additionally, the Democrats have won every Senate race during the same time period, leaving Republicans in a statewide victory drought since 2009. But with two years of complete Democratic control in the state government and a Democratic White House, Republicans hope the enthusiasm on their side can help them make up for the 10 points that Biden defeated Trump by last year.

The GOP ticket has narrowed its focus on education issues in the suburbs. “If this election is about the battle for the suburbs, Chesterfield county is Ground Zero,” said Richard Meagher, associate professor of political science at Randolph Macon College. “This race is really about the broader political environment. If the Republicans have any hope of winning in this state in the future, then this is exactly the kind of race they need to win.”

Gardner hopes that her lived experiences will help her get an edge on Robinson. “My lived experience is much different than hers,” Gardner noted, saying she will focus on community outreach and speaking for the people impacted by the General Assembly’s decisions.

“I want to be a voice for our community, “Gardner said. “This is about the people.”

Robinson did not respond to multiple interview requests for this article.

Biden endorses a slate of House Democrats in Virginia

With all 100 House of Delegate races up for election this November, President Joe Biden announced his endorsement of several Democrats across the commonwealth Tuesday.

“Building back better starts in the states,” said President Biden. “Since flipping the legislature in 2019, Democrats in Virginia have been a model of progress – from helping us vaccinate folks and beat the pandemic, strengthening voting rights and expanding reproductive rights, to creating tuition-free community college and an environment for workers and businesses to thrive. To continue the progress, as we work to elect Terry McAuliffe as Governor, we need to elect Democrats up and down the ballot to keep the Virginia House blue this November.”

More Virginia news

It’s not just McAuliffe vs. Youngkin. The fight is on for control of Virginia’s House.

VanValkenburg, Holmes face off in 72nd District Race

Children now account for more than 20 percent of new COVID-19 cases in Virginia

A police officer charged with murder, a secret hearing and a newspaper’s pitch to Virginia’s Supreme Court

Northam announces $2 billion investment with local, private partners to expand broadband

Virginia Health Department fixes dashboard to publicly track COVID cases in children

RPS to consider revamp to school nutrition program after multiple mishaps

Pinkston continues to lead fundraising among local candidates

RRHA board endorses transfer of Calhoun Center to city; new chairman elected

We are so thankful for the support we have received, but we still need more help. A donation, a paid-subscription upgrade to our newsletter, or a sponsorship purchase provides immediate funding and allows Virginia Scope to continue to grow and cover more stories across Virginia.

National

Christian Schools Boom in a Revolt Against Curriculum and Pandemic Rules

Border arrests reached highest levels since ’86, more than 1.7 million in a year

Dems edge closer to ditching disarray

With Afghanistan’s war over, Taliban faces a new hurdle: Enforcing the law — and protecting Afghans from the Islamic State

Walkouts and strikes hit hospitals in pandemic hot spots

Biden sets new, much lower fiscal target for spending bill

Dems scramble for climate Plan C as Manchin dashes their dreams

Virus killed 65,000 more men than women in U.S. through August, study says

House hopes to defy history in criminal contempt case against Bannon

Cruz puts hold on Biden’s pick for Middle East lead at State

House Jan. 6 committee votes to hold Bannon in contempt

Nebraska GOP Rep. Fortenberry indicted

Biden bets his agenda on the inside game

The accused spy knew stealth was crucial from his work on submarines. He surfaced anyway.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

This is a daily newsletter provided by the independent news source Virginia Scope. All funding for this publication comes from donations and subscribers. Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help us keep the lights on!

There was a bouncy house, food lines, a line of porta-potties, and staffers directing traffic in a farm field where an excited crowd of hundreds of people gathered to see Glenn Youngkin speak in Chesterfield County Friday night.

Alongside his ticket mates Winsome Sears and Jason Miyares, Youngkin fired up the Republican crowd by promising to ban Critical Race Theory, firing the parole board, and talking about the recent polls showing a tight race.

He also talked in a grandiose fashion about topics without going into detail.“Do you want to be forced to join a union or do you want to have the choice to join a union? Do you want your taxes raised or do you want your taxes reduced? Do you want safe communities or do you want dangerous communities? Do you want to fund police or defund police?” Youngkin said to the crowd.

Recognizing the moment in front of him, as often happens with Virginia gubernatorial elections, Youngkin explained how nationalized this race has become to represent a bellwether response to a new Biden White House. “This race has got the full attention of the entire United States of America,” Youngkin said. “American needs Virginia to stand up and speak for her.”

Youngkin is running against the Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe and third-party candidate Princess Blanding.

Polls have shown a tight race between McAuliffe and Youngkin.

Listen to the speech from Youngkin at the top of this email.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

“The biggest point we drove home was that he doesn’t want to own the midterms if we don’t win back the House or Senate,” said one person familiar with the conversations.

The audio at the top of this email is from a Democratic canvas kickoff in Portsmouth on Sunday with former state Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy, Del. Jay Jones, and Nedarius Clark (HD-79).

This is a crowd-funded political newsletter from Virginia Scope. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber today so coverage like this can continue.

Nadarius Clark, at 26, is looking to bring a fresh voice to the General Assembly

Nadarius Clark defeated a three-term incumbent in a Democratic primary earlier this year to set himself up to likely become the youngest member of the General Assembly next year.

Clark upset the current representative for district 79, Del. Steve Heretick, earlier this year. Heretick was supported heavily by Dominion Energy, while Clark was supported nearly entirely by Michael Bills and Sonjia Smith, mega-donors from Charlottesville.

While he has a Republican opponent this year, Clark is the clear favorite as this is the first time the Democrats have faced any challenge for this seat since 2001.

Clark, only 26-years-old, said Sunday that he will be the youngest Democrat elected to the General Assembly in the last 200 years.

“He makes me feel really old I’ll tell you guys that,” said Jay Jones, a 32-year-old, two-term member of the House of Delegates representing Norfolk. “I feel like the old man coming in, but I can’t wait to see the wonderful things that he does.”

Listen to speeches from former delegate and gubernatorial candidate Jennifer Carroll Foy, Del. Jay Jones, and Nadarius Clark at the top of this newsletter.

Listen: Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Terry McAuliffe campaign in Richmond

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe and the Second Gentleman of the United States (Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband) Douglas Emhoff stopped in Richmond to campaign with Democrats Saturday.

'Do your job': McAuliffe watches closely as messy Capitol Hill negotiations threaten Virginia race - CNN

by Dan Merica

There is possibly no Democrat outside of Washington, DC, who is more closely watching the chaotic negotiations playing out on Capitol Hill than Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe.

The messy machinations of Congress rarely play a role in off-year races, but Virginia is the notable exception. Not only are the vote rich Northern Virginia suburbs full of federal workers who are more attuned to the inner workings of Congress, but every four years, this race often becomes a referendum on the party in power -- so Democrats struggling to pass anything through a Congress they control is front-of-mind for McAuliffe.

Democrats on defense as their new House majority faces its first electoral test - Virginia Mercury

by Ned Oliver

Virginia Democrats are playing defense in nearly a dozen competitive House of Delegates districts this year as they defend their new majority against GOP challengers hoping to win back ground lost during Donald Trump’s presidency.

Commentators, observers and strategists across the political spectrum say they would not be shocked if Democrats lost between two and three seats to Republicans, an outcome that would still leave the party with a narrow majority in a chamber where they currently hold a five-seat advantage.

Virginians marched for reproductive rights on Satuday

Hundreds march in Richmond to support abortion rights

Women rally in Roanoke for reproductive rights

Hundreds march for abortion rights in downtown Norfolk

Cuccinelli hits Herring for taking Va. in ‘bad direction’ on crime - Washington Times

By Mica Soellner

Former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli said the choice could not be starker on who should be the state’s next top law enforcement officer.

Mr. Cuccinelli, who served in the position between 2010 and 2014, said crime is a top issue in the race between Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat seeking his third term, and GOP candidate Jason Miyares.

More Virginia Links:

Virginia Democrats rally to roll back Trump’s 2020 gains with Latinos

Virginia Delegate Alex Askew Denounces 'Overtly Racist' GOP Attack Mailer, Demands Apology

Suffolk 10-year-old who died of COVID experienced rare complications, causing her health to quickly spiral

Real estate update: 11 charts that show the state of the housing market in Richmond

Leesburg police officers threaten to quit over vaccine mandate

Delta surge slowly down in Charlottesville area

In the face of frightening statistics, health officials push pregnant women to get vaccine

Ranking Redistricting Plans - VPAP

Just in time for public hearings, VPAP has an online tool that lets the public rank various redistricting plans by seven criteria, including how well they respect locality boundaries and organize Virginia's increasingly diverse population.

Rank the Most Recent Plans

Drawn by Commission's Democratic Consultant

Drawn by Commission's Republican Consultant

National

Jan. 6 panel braces for collision with Trump

For Democrats and the Biden agenda, it’s becoming a matter of trust

Trump, talked out of announcing a 2024 bid yet, settles on a wink-and-nod unofficial candidacy

No time frame for votes on Biden’s agenda, senior adviser says

Many Asian Republicans blame Trump, not GOP, for discrimination

White House set to blast China for failing to live up to Trump’s trade deal

Trauma and Trump make AAPI voters a more cohesive bloc, new poll reveals

Facebook whistleblower reveals herself, condemns company as dangerous

The Wild West of CBD products could end soon in California

Warning shot from Trump to DeSantis?

Nobel Prize in medicine awarded to two U.S.-based scientists ‘for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch’

U.S. Navy hit by another international bribery scandal

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

The audio at the top of this newsletter is an audio interview with Republican state Delegate Carrie Coyner (R-Chesterfield). She represents the 62 district in the House of Delegates. She was first elected in 2019.

This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider supporting non-partisan, independent news by becoming a paid subscriber today.

Update: McAuliffe files motion to dismiss the GOP lawsuit trying to remove him from ballot

Update: Friday, August 27 at 8:15 p.m.

Terry McAuliffe is filing his own motion with a request for dismissal of the Republican lawsuit aimed at removing him from the general election ballot.

“We haven’t even made it to Election Day and Virginia Republicans are already trying to undermine the election results in court using Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani’s playbook,” said McAuliffe spokesperson, Christina Freundlich in a statement Friday night. “Terry McAuliffe overwhelmingly won the Democratic primary with the support of hundreds of thousands of Virginians – more than any other primary candidate in Virginia history – and this Trumpian attempt to distort the law and the will of the voters will not prevent him from becoming the Commonwealth’s next governor.”

A Republican Party official provided a statement to Virginia Scope Saturday morning. “They must be worried about the apparent fraudulent form or else they wouldn’t bring Marc Elias in to defend it.”

The filings from McAuliffe and the Democratic Party of Virginia can be viewed here and here.

Coyner touts her record as she seeks reelection to a second term in the House of Delegates

Carrie Coyner (R-Chesterfield) was first elected to represent the 62 district in the House of Delegates two years ago. Now she is seeking reelection after having a promising two years of passing legislation as a Republican in a chamber that is ruled by the Democratic majority.

Her district encompasses the southern parts of Chesterfield, all of Hopewell, and part of Prince George.

Before winning her House race in 2019 she served on the Chesterfield school board for eight years. “My first passion is really service involving families and children,” she said in an interview while waiting in line to pick her kids up from school Friday. “My passion and desire to serve in the community really started from my mission work within my own church.”

Coyner credits her time working with low-income families and single mothers and seeing their struggle of needing to work while also being a parent to their child as part of a reason she ran for office. “Seeing how much they loved their kids and wanted the best for them but could not be at work and be at home at the same time really led to me trying to become a voice for so many moms at the school level.”

Then after eight years working in public education, Coyner says she saw there were not enough people with public school knowledge at the state level. So she ran — and she won.

The audio at the top of this newsletter is Virginia Scope’s full interview with Coyner.

Nearly every person evacuated from Afghanistan has tested negative for COVID-19 when arriving in Virginia

In a press call Friday morning, Governor Ralph Northam provided an update on the evacuation mission from Afghanistan and the COVID-19 protocols within the process.

Of the roughly 14,000 Americans and Afghan refugees that have arrived in the United States through Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia, less than 20 of those people have tested positive for COVID-19. “Since the mission began 11 days ago, less than 20 people have tested positive and those individuals are being quarantined,” Northam said Friday morning.

“That is much better than our statewide numbers,” he continued. “If people are saying this mission is bringing COVID to the United States, it just simply is not true.”

Northam said that there are no direct flights from Afghanistan to the United States. The people who have been arriving here have come from Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Germany, Spain, and Bulgaria. He expects that list to expand in the future.

School superintendent calls for a stop to verbal abuse directed at staff - Fauquier Times

By Robin Earl Times

David Jeck, superintendent of Fauquier County Public Schools, posted a video update for parents on Friday night. With COVID-19 case numbers still rising in the county, he addressed the large number of students who have been quarantined after only two weeks of school and how staffing shortages have affected transportation and instruction.

His most heartfelt remarks – about how some parents are treating school employees -- came at the end of the brief address.

Delegate criticizes VB mayor for comment that masks ‘don’t give much protection’ - WAVY

by Stephanie Harris

As the mask debate continues in our communities, one local lawmaker is calling out another on social media.

Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D-Virginia Beach) posted a clip from this week’s Virginia Beach City Council meeting that is causing a bit of a stir.

More Virginia News

Most Virginia colleges say they mandated COVID vaccines, but not all are enforcing their policy

Afghan evacuees left on planes for hours at Dulles International Airport before being cleared for entry

Rent relief funds flow in the region, but some tenants lack protection

UVA athletics proposes $65 million football facility; AD calls current building 'worst' in the ACC

Four years after credit watch, Virginia's brimming reserves may get constitutional 'super' boost

Thousands expected to rally for voting rights, D.C. statehood today in Washington

National

ISIS-K ‘planner’ likely killed in drone strike, U.S. says

A Times correspondent who grew up in Kabul returned before the Taliban’s victory, taking in the start of a fearful era.

Photos and videos reveal crowded checkpoints, chaos at Kabul airport on day of the attack

‘Guidance is to just do it:’ Military expects additional retaliatory strikes on ISIS-K

A newlywed Marine, expecting a baby, among U.S. troops killed in Kabul

‘Nobody is this incompetent’: Rental aid slowdown puts target on governors, mayors

The Old Cliché About Afghanistan That Won’t Die

Afghan evacuees left on planes for hours at Dulles before being allowed entry

A Marine officer posted a video calling out senior leaders in Afghanistan. He was relieved of command.

Taxing companies' overseas profits could be the next rift among Democrats

Florida starts turning on DeSantis

Governor Northam Announces Administration Appointments

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam announced additional appointments to his Administration today.

Secretariat of the Commonwealth

Board Appointments

Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Jacquelin Easter of Amelia, Farmer

James S. Huffard III* of Crockett, Huffard Farms and Duchess Dairy

Donald H. Horsley* of Virginia Beach, Owner and Manager, Land of Promise Farms

Richard Sellers, PAS, Dipl., ACAS* of Burke

Cecil E. Shell* of Kenbridge, Owner and Farmer, Shell’s Farm

Tyler Wegmeyer of Hamilton, Owner, Wegmeyer Farms

Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers

Lacyn Barton of Sandston, Funeral Service Licensee, Woody Funeral Home and Cremation Service

Muhammad Hanif* of Midlothian, Member of the Board of Trustees, Islamic Center of Virginia

Board of Psychology

Aliya Chapman* of Blacksburg, Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Owner, Pathways Psychology, LLC

Dr. Norma Murdoch-Kitt of Richmond, Clinical Psychologist

Board of Social Work

Eboni Bugg of Albemarle, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Central Virginia Clinicians of Color Network

Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin

Paul A. Holland, AICP* of Arlington, Environmental Consultant

Mark Peterson* of Loudoun, Deputy General Manager of Administration, Loudoun Water

Virginia Aviation Board

Donald T. Robertson of Smithfield, Assistant County Administrator, Isle of Wight County

Sophie Chafin Vance of Lebanon, Chief Branch Operations Officer and Senior Vice President, First Bank and Trust Company

Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board (GO Virginia)

Leah Fremouw* of Chesterfield, SVP, Director of Community Innovation, Virginia Community Capital

Todd Stottlemyer* of Oakton, Chief Executive Officer, CNSI

This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider supporting non-partisan, independent news by becoming a paid subscriber today.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

After being elected Commonwealth Attorney of Virginia’s largest locality, Steve Descano is facing a potential recall movement from Republicans who don’t agree with the policies that he implemented after taking office in January of last year.

Descano won in 2019 with 61% of the vote.

The New York Times reported that unknown donors are funding the movement.

“All things in politics have their time, and now is the moment that people who are for law enforcement have woken up,” said Sean D. Kennedy, a Republican operative who is the president of Virginians for Safe Communities. He called the recall efforts in Northern Virginia a “test case to launch nationwide.”

Other targets of the recall movement are Buta Biberaj of Loudoun County and Parisa Dehghani-Tafti of Arlington County.

Listen to Descano explain the process at the top of this newsletter.

Did you miss our newsletter this morning with the latest polling data on the gubernatorial race?

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

The audio at the top of this newsletter is from Thursday night’s event in Prince George County with Republican candidates Glenn Youngkin, Winsome Sears, and Jason Miyares. State Sen. Frank Ruff and Del. Emily Brewer also spoke at the event.

Please make a donation today if you enjoy our coverage of Virginia politics.

Youngkin’s gubernatorial campaign stops in Prince George for a rally

Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin stopped by a farm in Prince George County Thursday night with his ticket mates Winsome Sears and Jason Miyares to talk to a barn full of supporters. Youngkin talked to the crowd of supporters about the core issues of his campaign as well as his disappointment in what has taken place during the General Assembly’s special session.

He first introduced himself to the crowd and described his mindset around the decision to run for governor last year. “Last summer I had this moment come over me, literally like a freight train. I said you know what, there is something else we are supposed to be doing,” Youngkin said to the crowd of roughly 100 supporters. “I remember looking at my wife in July on a Friday night — I said ‘I’m going to quit my job tomorrow and I’m going to go run for governor.’”

Now, over a year later from that conversation with his wife, Youngkin is traveling the Commonwealth every day and talking to potential voters on the campaign trail. Additionally, he has an influence on what the Virginia Republicans are doing while convened at the Capitol.

Youngkin talked in Prince George about the agenda he announced ahead of the General Assembly’s special session to allocate the $4.3 billion in federal stimulus money. Youngkin called for investments to expand broadband access, investments in law enforcement with retention bonuses for officers, investments to provide school choice options for parents, and fully funding the deficit of the Virginia Unemployment Insurance program. Democrats have actually prioritized most of those same ideas this week during the special session — with the exception of school choice, which they say would divert money away from public schools.

Youngkin and Virginia Republicans wanted to provide more money for law enforcement officers than the Democrats, but it appears the final legislation will still include large bonuses for most of Virginia’s law enforcement personnel. “The path to a successful bright future is built on safe communities, we are going to stand up for law enforcement,” Youngkin said Thursday.

Democratic leadership limited discussion on the budget bill and notified legislators prior to the special session that they would not be accepting amendments in committee. The House stuck to that promise and quickly passed the governor’s legislation without including any Republican amendments. The Democrats in the Senate allowed a few Republican amendments to be included before passing the legislation. The House rejected the Senate’s bill on Thursday afternoon. A conference committee will have to be formed so legislators from both chambers can sort out the differences. The House and Senate have to approve the same exact legislation before it can go to Governor Northam for his signature.

House Finance Chair Del. Luke Torian gave a passionate speech on the floor earlier this week to push back against those claims of excluding Republicans. He said he has never shut them out of any conversations and that they could have reached out to him at any time.

Youngkin expressed displeasure with the entire special session process and conveyed that to the crowd in Prince George. “Of course single-party rule in Richmond doesn’t even listen, [they] shut out any discussion, in fact, put plastic barriers up between everybody,” he said to the crowd. The plastic barriers that Youngkin mentioned were the clear plexiglass dividers placed around every legislator’s desk to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As far as the popular issues for Republicans, Youngkin vowed to protect qualified immunity for police officers, ban critical race theory in schools, and said he would oppose repealing the right-to-work laws in Virginia.

In a different talking point on the trail, he vowed to invest in helping Virginia’s veterans reenter civilian life and stay in the Commonwealth. “Our veterans are the backbone of our communities,” he told the crowd before explaining that he would use resources to invest money in systems to keep veterans in Virginia by fully funding and staffing veteran resource officers.

In all, Youngkin seemed to recognize the moment in front of him and the national pressure that seems to be placed on every Virginia gubernatorial race. “There are only two state elections this year,” he told the crowd. “The eyes are on Virginia. Why? Because something amazing is happening. All of a sudden a state that is thought to be blue, there is a neck and neck race going on for governor.”

Virginia hasn’t elected a Republican to statewide office since 2009 and Terry McAuliffe is the Democrat looking to keep that streak alive. McAuliffe served as governor from 2014-2018 and had to wait to seek a second term this cycle because the law prevents Virginia governor’s from serving two consecutive terms.

The limited polling on this race shows McAuliffe with a slight lead.

Early voting for the Nov. 2 general election begins Sept. 17.

Terry McAuliffe meets with small business owners in Winchester - The Winchester Star

by Josh Janney

He first stopped by Winchester Brew Works, where he met with about 20 small business owners in the area to discuss plans to help Virginia’s economy recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the gathering, many business owners said they would not have survived the pandemic had it not been for the financial aid provided through the American Rescue Plan Act — a stimulus plan passed by Congress. McAuliffe praised the plan’s passage and criticized his opponent for governor — Republican Glenn Youngkin — for calling the plan “unnecessary.” Youngkin has previously criticized the size of the American Rescue Plan, though he later suggested using ARPA funds to finance “school choice” programs.

More Virginia News

How the Virginia Senate’s COVID-19 relief bill is different from the House version

Special prosecutor clears House candidate Mark Earley Jr. in paperwork complaint

Va. superintendent: Schools face 'significant legal pressure' if they don't follow CDC mask guidance

Delta variant’s impact on kids prompts alarm

Virginia House rejects Senate’s changes to $4.3 billion budget, drawing out passage for federal relief funds

National News

Conor Lamb launching Senate bid in Pennsylvania - Politico

Rep. Conor Lamb is launching his long-expected Senate bid in Pennsylvania Friday, joining the crowded Democratic field in a state that is critical for the party as it seeks to protect or expand its narrow Senate majority.

Lamb, 37, a Marine and former prosecutor, rose to prominence when he won a nationally-watched House special election in 2018 months before the party flipped control of the chamber. He won reelection in 2018 and narrowly captured a second full term last year. Lamb, in an interview prior to his official launch, highlighted his string of competitive House victories as a strength in the Senate race, and said he’s running because he’s grown frustrated by House-passed legislation that falls flat in the upper chamber.

All the governor’s men — and women - Politico

By NICK NIEDZWIADEK and ANNA GRONEWOLD

Gov. Andrew Cuomo for years has shrugged off accusations that he oversees an office that runs on fear, threats, insularity and above all, fealty to Cuomo himself. Tough tactics were necessary, Cuomo and his allies said, to get things done in New York.

But the damaging report released this week by the state Attorney General’s office unequivocally said it was that culture — and the people who presided over it — that allowed gender-based harassment and inappropriate conduct to continue unchecked for years.The report said a cult of loyalty in the governor’s office helped to create “an environment” that allowed harassment “to flourish.”

Biden Administration Is Still Struggling to Care for Migrant Children - New York Times

By Eileen Sullivan

At an emergency shelter in the Texas desert, migrant teenagers are housed in long, wide trailers, with little space for recreation and not much to do during the hot summer days, according to lawyers and other advocates for the children who have visited them there.

Some of the children say they can wait more than a month before meeting with someone who can help connect them with a family member or other sponsor inside the United States. Some report episodes of food poisoning and say they have to wash their clothes in a bathroom sink.

A critical ocean system may be heading for collapse due to climate change, study finds - Washington Post

By Sarah Kaplan

Human-caused warming has led to an “almost complete loss of stability” in the system that drives Atlantic Ocean currents, a new study has found — raising the worrying prospect that this critical aquatic “conveyor belt” could be close to collapse.

In recent years, scientists have warned about a weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which transports warm, salty water from the tropics to northern Europe and then sends colder water back south along the ocean floor. Researchers who study ancient climate change have also uncovered evidence that the AMOC can turn off abruptly, causing wild temperature swings and other dramatic shifts in global weather systems.

This is a daily newsletter from Virginia Scope. Consider becoming a paid subscriber today to support independent news.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Colonial Heights, Va – With the retirement of Del. Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) from the House of Delegates, the race to fill his seat is heating up. Either Mike Cherry (R-Colonial Heights) or Katie Sponsler (D-Colonial Heights) will be the next representative for the people of Colonial Heights and part of Chesterfield.

Cherry and Sponsler have similar professional backgrounds. Both served in the Air Force, Cherry works as a chaplain for the local police department and Sponsler was a police officer for the federal government.

After retiring from the Air Force in 2011, Cherry became a full-time pastor and eventually began running a Christian Pre-K-12 school called Christian Life Academy in Chesterfield and Colonial Heights. He was also elected to serve on the Colonial Heights City Council in 2016 and won his re-election bid in 2020. “I have won elections within the district that encompasses the 66,” Cherry said in an interview. “I think I am very qualified and ready to run to take Kirk Cox’s seat and to represent this district well.”

Now a mother with two children on the spectrum, Sponsler first spent her time after the Air Force as a park ranger for the National Park Service before becoming involved with political activism. “I have spent most of my adult life fighting to make sure those values reflected in what I have done for a living are protected in legislation and law,” Sponsler said in an interview. “It was a natural progression for me to start running for office and getting involved with politics.”

Sponsler lost handily against Cox in 2017 when the district boundaries were still gerrymandered. After a court-ordered redraw of the lines made the district much friendlier for Democrats in 2019, Sheila Bynum Coleman was still unable to defeat Cox, who was the Speaker of the House at the time.

But Cox was widely known and liked within his party and had successfully effectively advanced legislation throughout his three-decade career in the General Assembly. Cherry and Sponsler don’t have nearly the same name recognition or powerful friendships that Cox possesses — this leads experts to think that the results in this race will largely hinge on the statewide environment with the gubernatorial race.

“It is a good example of the kinds of challenges that both parties are facing right now,” said Richard Meagher, a professor of political science at Randolph Macon College. “Which is the battle of the suburbs. It really is a testing ground this year in the sense that the Republicans want to crawl back the suburbs.”

Virginia’s suburbs have trended to the left quite drastically during the last four years. Democrats were able to flip enough seats to gain control of both chambers of the General Assembly and their statewide candidates won their races with wide margins since 2018 and 2020. While many consider Trump’s unpopularity in the Commonwealth as the main driving force behind the blue wave, Meagher doesn’t give the former president all of the credit for Virginia’s shift to the left.

“I don’t think it is just Trump. The suburbs have become more Democratic,” Meagher said. “The suburbs have become more like cities, more cosmopolitan, less [about] gun culture — they’re more interested in sort of bread and butter economic issues and less interested in fighting culture war issues.”

Meagher noted that the candidates in HD-66 might be trying to appear more moderate in an attempt to attract the middle-of-the-road voters they need to win. “You have got this conservative pastor who is trying not to play up his conservative pastor-ness too much, you have got a Democrat who is also a veteran trying to play up her veteran history,” Meagher said. “They are trying to appeal to the middle.”

While the candidates might be trying to appear more moderate, they are still far apart on the issues. Cherry did not seem excited about the legalization of marijuana, but he did say he would have preferred the legislature wait until 2024 to make sure that all of the systems would be in place. “They kind of got ahead of themselves with the rush to legalization. But again the cats out of the bag, it is what it is,” Cherry said.

He also noted that he would stand up against ending qualified immunity for police officers and defunding police departments if elected. “I don’t see how you think defunding the police and ending qualified immunity is going to make our communities safer,” Cherry noted.

The first piece of legislation that Cherry would sponsor in the House would be to allow school choice for parents. “I think we need to give parents the option with their tax dollars of where to go,” Cherry said. He currently serves as the head administrator for a private Christain school.

Legislation like this would allow public funding to follow students if they want to explore private school options. Cherry addressed concerns over school choice possibly decreasing the funding to public schools. “But in that caveat, I want to make sure that I say I am not about defunding public schools either. I think there is a balance that we can reach.”

The Democrats have passed hundreds of pieces of legislation during their two years in control of the government, but Sponsler believes work can still be done — specifically on criminal justice reform. “From someone who has been on the ground as a law enforcement officer, that is a unique perspective in that conversation about reform,” she said.

Sponsler noted that this is one way she believes she and Cherry differ. “We both know how to operate a firearm, but I know what it is like to be at the opposite end of it. I know what it is like to both hold it and draw it on another human being and have it drawn on me,” she said when discussing the differences between her and Cherry. “There is an incredibly important aspect in that perspective because it creates this idea that maybe the world isn’t the way I thought it is. Maybe I need to expand what I have seen and look around.”

Sponsler also noted that she believes the legislature could do more for environmental protections like protecting clean water and air for residents below the poverty level, fully funding the education system in Virginia equitably, and protecting children with disabilities. “JLARC has said that we are failing our disabled students so we have it in the stats, it’s not just the personal testaments that so many parents and disabled children have been giving for years,” Sponsler said. “I think we can do a lot more to protect our children with disabilities.”

A lot of attention will be on this race as Republicans look to try and gain back some of the seats that they lost during the last five years and Democrats look for more opportunities to gain.

Cherry and Sponsler face-off Nov 2.

For more on this race between Cherry and Sponsler, listen to the latest Virginia Scope podcast at the top of this article.

Subscribe for daily updates on Virginia politics.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

(The audio at the top of this newsletter is from a press conference with the minority leader in the House of Delegates, Todd Gilbert (R), and other leaders from his caucus.)

This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics. Please consider supporting independent journalism today by becoming a paid subscriber today to Virginia Scope!

Democratic leadership says no amendments allowed in money committees during upcoming special session

Del. Luke Torian (D), the Chair of the Appropriations Committee in the House of Delegates, sent a memo to the House members recently notifying them that the House and Senate finance committees would not be allowing member amendments for budget bills that the governor proposes during the upcoming special session.

“I write to share with you that because of the unique circumstances and limited nature of the 2021 Special Session II, neither the House Appropriations Committee nor the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee will be accepting any member amendment request to the Governor’s introduced bill,” Torian wrote in the memo to delegates. “It simply would be impossible to thoroughly evaluate those items in what is expected to be a short and expeditious Special Session.”

The legislators are convening next week to allocate the $4.3 billion in funds that Virginia received from the American Relief Plan. Governor Northam already pledged $250 million towards helping localities update the ventilation systems in their schools, $350 million for small business and tourism, and $700 million to expand access to broadband. More announcements from Democratic leaders are expected throughout the week for how they wish to use the funding during what the governor’s office dubbed ‘Investment Week.’

Republicans are in a position to potentially slow down the Democratic efforts from easily passing the governor’s budget, but they lack the numbers in either chamber to actually prevent bills from passing. Additionally, these proposals will benefit a lot of their constituents — opposing these measures could backfire on the Republican candidates only a few months before they try and chip into the Democratic majority in the House of Delegates with all 100 seats up for election Nov. 2.

Del. Terry Kilgore (R-Scott) said he hopes that this money can be used to help Southwest Virginia students gain access to broadband internet. “This is the commonwealth’s chance to finally address this critical infrastructure issue facing our students, an issue the SWVA delegation has advocated for years,” Kilgore said in a press release.

Legislators convene Aug. 2 for the second special session of 2021.

(Listen to comments from Republican leaders at the top of this newsletter.)

Glenn Youngkin releases two new TV ads for gubernatorial campaign

The Republican nominee for governor Glenn Youngkin is launching two new television advertisements Tuesday. Titled “Honest Work” and “Focus,” the ads are polar opposites and highlight different aspects of this election cycle.

“Honest Work” is centered around Youngkin’s history in business and how he believes he will build up Virginia’s workforce as governor.

“In my 30-year business career, I helped create tens of thousands of jobs, but it was my job back in college, working the graveyard shift loading trucks that taught me the power of hard work,” Youngkin says in the ad. “As governor, I’ll prioritize manufacturing things right here in Virginia.”

In “Focus” Youngkin pokes fun at and condemns the attacks from his opponent Terry McAuliffe and other Democrats have thrown his way during the campaign. Strikingly similar to the ad that Raphael Warnock ran during the Georgia special elections, the Youngkin ad begins with spooky music saying “Glenn once left dirty dishes in the..” before trailing off.

“Terry McAuliffe is going to try and scare you with lies about me because he doesn’t want to talk about his own extreme views,” Youngkin says in the ad. “What’s next, I hate dogs?”

McAuliffe’s campaign believes that Youngkin’s views are not mainstream in Virginia and that these ads will not be able to mask that. “No amount of spending of his personal fortune will paper over the fact that Glenn Youngkin’s agenda is completely out of touch with Virginians: he wants to ban abortion, defund Planned Parenthood, and his budget plan would lead to devastating cuts to education and public safety,” said Renzo Olivari, a spokesperson for McAuliffe. “Glenn Youngkin, who is Donald Trump’s hand picked candidate, has gone so far as to say Trump ‘represents so much of why he’s running. That’s the real Glenn, and he is insulting Virginians if he thinks he can fool them otherwise.”

McAuliffe and Ayala call on their Republican opponents to drop out of election integrity rally

The GOP committee from Virginia’s fifth congressional district recently announced that they are holding an election integrity rally next month. Keynote speakers for the event include Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin, lieutenant governor candidate Winsome Sears, and attorney general candidate Jason Miyares.

The flyer for the event lays out a schedule of events like “Understanding 2020 and cleaning up voter data” and other election process training programs. The schedule appears to make the event look like a training program for Republican activists and volunteers. But the title goes along with the theme being pushed by former President Donald Trump in an effort to cast doubt on the 2020 presidential results.

Democratic statewide candidates are now calling for the Republican nominees to drop out of that event.

Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee released a statement Tuesday morning calling on Youngkin to drop out of the event. “Next week, Glenn Youngkin will headline a rally inspired by Donald Trump's conspiracy theory that led to a deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol,” McAuliffe said in the statement. “Glenn Youngkin has focused his entire candidacy on divisive conspiracy theories, peddling Donald Trump's lies, and trying to hide his out-of-touch views from Virginians. He launched his campaign on his ‘election integrity’ plan, calling it ‘the most important issue.’ He spent months denying that Joe Biden was duly elected president. He has repeatedly praised Donald Trump, saying Trump ‘represents so much of why’ he's running. This is who Glenn Youngkin really is."

Matt Wolking, the communications director for Youngkin’s campaign provided a response to Virginia Scope. “Terry McAuliffe opposes requiring a photo ID to vote, which undermines the integrity of our elections and makes it easier to cheat. Glenn Youngkin will restore Virginia’s photo ID law and make sure it is easy for every eligible person to vote and harder to cheat.”

Del. Hala Ayala, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor is also calling on Sears to drop out from attending the event. “Anyone who attempts to undermine faith in our democracy has no absolutely place leading it. It’s hard to think of anything as irresponsible as using fear and misinformation around our elections as a fundraising opportunity,” Ayala said in a statement. “I’m disappointed and disturbed to see my opponent continuing to peddle such a dangerous myth that has cost Americans their lives. I’m calling on her to drop out of this event and finally disavow this conspiracy theory.”

The two-day event is scheduled to begin Aug. 6.

Political opponents, yes, but Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates share a taste for pricey Zip codes - Washington Post

By Paul Schwartzman

Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin, the Democrat and Republican running for governor in Virginia, are easy to distinguish from each other in their widely divergent political views.

But their taste in real estate? Downright neighborly.

Critics: Arlington government improperly promoted Biden-McAuliffe appearance - Inside NOVA

by SCOTT McCAFFREY

Did the Arlington government cross a line and, instead of merely informing the public about the impacts of the July 23 visit of President Biden, go further and actively support Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe?

That’s the contention of the Arlington County Republican Committee, accusing the county government of “misusing taxpayer resources and county bandwidth to actively promote a partisan campaign rally.”

Local Democrat Challenges Rep. Don Beyer in 8th District Primary - Arlington Now

by Vernon Miles

Arlingtonian Victoria Virasingh has thrown her hat into the ring to challenge Rep. Don Beyer for the 8th District Democratic primary next year.

Beyer has held onto the 8th District, which includes parts of Arlington and Alexandria, since he won a crowded primary for former Congressman Jim Moran’s seat in 2014 and the general election later that year.

More News

McAuliffe calls on Youngkin to drop out of 'election integrity' rally

Democratic leaders’ limits on special session debate draw GOP pushback

New report shows racial disparities in police use of force in Prince William County

Loudoun School Board Recall Effort Nears Signature Thresholds

Washington County school board member to resign, citing ‘political climate’ in county

Federal review recommends leaving cancelled Atlantic Coast Pipeline pipe, felled trees in place

Hydroponics industry seeing growth in popularity with cannabis legalized for adult use in Virginia

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics. Please consider supporting independent journalism and Virginia Scope by becoming a paid subscriber today!

Fresh out of college, Blakely Lockhart is challenging her state delegate Del. John McGuire for the 56 House of Delegates seat. (Parts of Henrico, Louisa, Spotsylvania, and Goochland)

In this interview, Marques Jones (Henrico County Democratic Committee Chair) and Brandon Jarvis (journalist) talk to Lockhart about her candidacy and why she believes she will serve the district better than McGuire.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Today is the one-year anniversary of Virginia Scope’s existence. In the past year, hundreds of people have subscribed and donated to help Virginia Scope and this newsletter specifically grow to reach thousands of readers each day. But with these statewide campaigns and the 100 House of Delegate seats up for election, we need to continue to raise funds in order to provide as much coverage as possible. Can you chip in with a donation, or a paid subscription to this newsletter today to help us out?

In today’s newsletter, we have an audio recording from an education-focused press call with Democratic Party of Virginia Chairwoman Susan Swecker, Henrico Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg, and Loudoun County School Board Vice-Chair Atoosa Reaser. Listen to what they said at the top of this newsletter.

Politifact retracts fact-check on McAuliffe

Correction, June 30: When PolitiFact Virginia initially published this report on June 29, we failed to include comments Youngkin made outside of an U.S. Export-Import Bank conference that were on similar topics, because in our reporting process, we failed to reach out to the McAuliffe campaign. This goes against our reporting standards, which require us to contact political campaigns that we write about. We’ve corrected that omission in this report and apologize for the error.

McAuliffe fact-check retraction leaves state buzzing - Potomac Local

By Uriah Kiser

Virginia public radio station WCVE in Richmond retracted a column posted to its website today — a fact check piece about former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

The piece, which was also shared by statewide news aggregator Va News from the Virginia Public Access Project, called out McAuliffe for falsely claiming his Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin, praised him during a panel discussion the Youngkin hosted in 2018, on which McAuliffe was a panelist.

AAPI Victory Fund and AAPI Coalition Partners Endorse Terry McAuliffe

The AAPI Victory Fund and partner Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations - Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia, They See Blue and South Asians for America (SAFA) - endorsed Terry McAuliffe for governor this morning.

“We’re thrilled to throw our support behind candidates Terry McAuliffe, Hala Ayala and Mark Herring for Virginia’s 2021 legislative races. As Virginia’s rising electorate necessitates swift legislative change, AAPI Victory Fund has full confidence that our endorsed candidates will rise to the occasion and keep the best interest of every constituent—especially that of our AAPI community—in mind,” said AAPI Victory Fund President Varun Nikore. “Throughout their tenure in public office, McAuliffe, Ayala and Herring have made clear their dedication to inclusion and diversity, and we at AAPI Victory Fund are proud to endorse three outstanding candidates who are on the cutting-edge of racial, cultural and socioeconomic equity. We will spare no expense in ensuring that Virginia remains solidly blue. This is the most important election in Virginia history. AAPI voters were 10% of the electorate in 2019 in the commonwealth. We will once again be the margin that carries our Democratic champions across the finish line today.”

Facing GOP opposition in fall, Del. Hope kicks off re-election campaign - Inside NOVA

by SCOTT McCAFFREY

He’ll be facing his first general-election opposition in six years, but Del. Patrick Hope also is focused on doing his part helping Virginia Democrats keep their statewide majority intact.

“This is the most important election in your life,” Hope said, acknowledging after chuckles from the audience that’s what politicians say every year, during a June 27 ice-cream social that served as an informal campaign kickoff.

Did you miss our newsletter from this morning with the latest updates on Virginia politics including a multi-state ad purchase from the DNC?

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

(The audio at the top of this newsletter is the speech that Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin gave on Monday to a crowd of more than 300 people at the Dominion Country Club in Henrico County.)

This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics with a special focus on the gubernatorial race. Please consider supporting independent journalism and Virginia Scope by becoming a paid subscriber today!

The Republican statewide ticket was together again Monday morning to try and bring back some of the suburban voters they lost in recent years while Trump was president. A big theme of the day was helping the statewide ticket and down-ballot candidates win to try and reverse some of the progressive policies that Democrats have passed in the last two years.

“This is not about one race,” said Glenn Youngkin, the Republican nominee for governor when speaking to a crowd of more than 300 people at the Dominion Country Club in Western Henrico. “We are all going to stand up and say no more. We are going to elect new leaders and we are going to get Virginia moving again.”

The energy in the ballroom was high throughout the event as the candidates spoke in front of the crowd. Youngkin said that campaign events have been similar to this one all across Virginia. “There is something special going on. It is real, it is tangible, you can cut it with a knife,” Youngkin said. “Everywhere we go people are showing up in droves.”

Youngkin, lieutenant governor nominee Winsome Sears, and attorney general nominee Jason Miyares spoke mostly to the core issues that they have been pushing in recent weeks. Opposition to Critical Race Theory (CRT) drew the biggest applause from the crowd of mostly women by far, however. “Hear me right now very clearly, we will not teach Critical Race Theory in Virginia schools,” Youngkin said to loud applause.

CRT is an academic approach that is centered around the idea that the United States was built on systemic racism. In general, CRT aims to show that racism is the result of complex, changing, and often subtle social and institutional dynamics, instead of explicit and intentional prejudices. Youngkin says he opposes this theory because it could cause children to view other children through a racial lens. “As opposed to working together towards common opportunity, they actually come up with excuses for why they can’t achieve their dreams,” he said Monday.

There have been no school districts in Virginia that have claimed to be teaching CRT in their system.

While Youngkin’s policy rollouts have been slow, giving him less to talk about in his stump speech, he makes up for it by taking that time to talk about his opponent, Terry McAuliffe. McAuliffe served as governor from 2014-2018 and is seeking re-election this cycle with the full backing of the current governor, Ralph Northam.

Youngkin is tying McAuliffe to everything that has happened in Virginia the last eight years — often saying McAuliffe and Northam have driven Virginia into a ditch. “I will tell you the best jobs program we have in Virginia will be one where Terry McAuliffe doesn’t have a job,” Youngkin said Monday.

McAuliffe is currently favored in the only poll released, but Youngkin is within striking distance — a feat that provides Republicans hope only one year after Trump lost the state by ten points. Youngkin is also drastically outspending McAuliffe in advertising. NBC News is reporting that Youngkin has outspent McAuliffe 40-to-1 in the first three weeks of the general election.

But still, even with momentum, over a decade straight of statewide Democratic wins shows that Virginia’s electorate leans left — making it an uphill climb for even the best Republican candidates to win. If Youngkin is able to pull this off, it would be the Republican Party’s first statewide win since 2009 when Bob McDonnell was elected governor.

Early voting begins Sept. 15 for the Nov. 2 election.

More News:

Former Scott Taylor political consultant indicted on several counts of false statements, election fraud

Police union in Virginia blasts McAuliffe, Dem candidates for snubbing invitation

Governance via Zoom is coming to an end in Virginia. Should it?

'Real break-through' - Virginia to launch Medicaid dental benefit for adults

Even after pot legalization, employers can insist on drug-free workplace

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

At the link above, listen to Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin address supporters in Chester on Saturday.

Republican statewide candidates campaign in Chester

Republican candidates stopped in Chester Saturday to rally supporters ahead of a long summer on the campaign trail. They used this as an opportunity to rail against Democratic control and rally their supporters in what they hope will be a competitive race for the Executive Mansion.

“How many of yall are ready for a new governor,” Youngkin said to the crowd after taking the stage to ‘Start Me Up’ by The Rolling Stones. “Republicans have come together like never before to recognize that we absolutely must and will win this fall. Today is all about recognizing that yes we have work to do and we can do it.”

Youngkin was joined by Republican lieutenant governor candidate Winsome Sears and attorney general candidate Jason Miyares.

Del. Carrie Coyner (HD-62) emceed the opening of the event and urged people to leave the shade on the borders of the field under a few trees and stand in the middle on the hot, cloudless day. She then introduced state Sen. Amanda Chase and former Speaker of the House Kirk Cox to address the crowd.

Both Chase and Cox competed against Youngkin for the Republican nomination before losing at the convention in early May. Both spoke favorably of Youngkin at the event and urged everyone to rally around his campaign to take on Terry McAuliffe this November.

Cox talked to the crowd about how impressed he was by the political newcomer during the course of the campaign. ”He deserved to win because he’s got the energy and the passion to take back this state.”

Youngkin touted the law enforcement support and crime statistics along with his opposition to Critical Race Theory as he has been doing recently in his campaign stump, but Saturday he leaned more into education policies that he would try to enact if elected.

“Ladies and gentlemen I think the most important thing we’ll do for our schools after we ban Critical Race Theory will be to introduce school choice — charter schools, education savings accounts, this is how we will reform K-12 education,” Youngkin said to cheers from the crowd of Republican supporters. “I believe that we must in fact press forward with a real academic curriculum, yes, teaching history, the good and the bad, we press forward and teach our children accelerated math even before the 11th grade — we must press forward and reward advanced diplomas and we must prepare Virginia’s children to compete and excel.”

Related: No, Virginia is not moving to eliminate advanced high school math classes

The theme that remained present the entire time was opposing eight years of Democratic governance, including the last two years that Democrats have had control of both chambers in the General Assembly. The Democrats made sweeping changes to state code during the last two years and Republicans are hoping that there will be a backlash in combination with those new laws and a Democratic White House helping them this November.

“Terry is still peddling tired old policies of the past he has been carrying around in his briefcase for the last four years looking for a job,” Youngkins said Saturday. “His policies didn’t work as governor and they will not work again.”

McAuliffe has often touted the policies that he passed as governor like restoring the rights to vote for over 170,000 people with felonies, but he has also rolled out several new policy plans while Youngkin hasn’t announced any specific plan other than an election integrity task force. He received cheers from the crowd Saturday when he said that he would require every voter to show photo identification before they are allowed to vote.

While Youngkin’s specific policy plans remain minimal, his messaging is more generalized towards an ambitious goal of a better future in a Virginia that he believes the Democrats have ruined. “We have a vision for Virginia where our communities are so safe that no parent worries about their child going outside to play and every one of our parents and grandparents goes for a walk in the evening and the only thing on their mind is what a great day it was,” Youngkin said. “The consequences for Virginia these last eight years has been crushing.”

Related: Defying early expectations, Virginia is coming out of the pandemic flush with cash

The only public poll released shows McAuliffe with a four-point lead in the race. Joe Biden won the state by ten points, but Virginia has historically voted against the party in control of the White House. This has many insiders from both parties believing that this race will be much more competitive for the Republicans that lost by 9 points in 2017.

Youngkin is hoping that his candidacy in this race will help Republicans build momentum across the country. “We are going to send a shockwave across this country that says no Democratic seat in this country is safe. Not a single one.”

In-person early voting for Virginia elections begins Sept. 16.

In Virginia governor's race, the Washington Football Team is an early winner as it continues stadium hunt - Richmond Times-Dispatch

by Michael Phillips

Near the end of his term as governor, in 2017, Terry McAuliffe gave Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder a state flag that had flown over the Capitol building in Richmond.

He said Snyder could keep it until he's ready to fly it over a new stadium built in Virginia. Four years later, there is still jockeying to see which locality - Virginia, D.C. or Maryland - will get to house a palatial new stadium for the Football Team.

Chesterfield School Board joins growing backlash to critical race theory, denounces framework a year after condemning racism - Richmond Times-Dispatch

by Jessica Nocera

The Chesterfield County School Board condemned racism last June and affirmed the school system’s commitment to an inclusive school environment amid a national reckoning on race. A conversation series followed.

The board recognized Pride Month for the first time and shortened the school year by a day to observe Juneteenth.

How Democrats are ‘unilaterally disarming’ in the redistricting wars - Politico

by Ally Mutnick

In a surprise that left Democrats from Salem to Washington baffled and angry, the state House speaker handed the GOP an effective veto over the districts in exchange for a pledge to stop stymieing her legislative agenda with delay tactics. The reaction from some of Oregon's Democratic House delegation was unsparing: “That was like shooting yourself in the head,” Rep. Kurt Schrader told POLITICO. Rep. Peter DeFazio seethed: “It was just an abysmally stupid move on her part.”

Yet what happened this spring in Oregon is just one example, though perhaps the most extreme one, of a larger trend vexing Democratic strategists and lawmakers focused on maximizing the party’s gains in redistricting. In key states over the past decade, Democrats have gained control of state legislatures and governorships that have long been in charge of drawing new maps — only to cede that authority, often to independent commissions tasked with drawing political boundaries free of partisan interference.

‘Italygate’ election conspiracy theory was pushed by two firms led by woman who also falsely claimed $30 million mansion was hers - Washington Post

By Jon Swaine and Emma Brown

Late last December, as President Donald Trump pressed senior officials to find proof of election fraud, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows emailed acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen a letter detailing an outlandish theory of how an Italian defense contractor had conspired with U.S. intelligence to rig the 2020 presidential contest.

The letter, which was among records released by Congress this past week, was printed under the letterhead of USAerospace Partners, a little-known Virginia aviation company. In early January, a second Virginia firm, the Institute for Good Governance, and a partner organization released a statement from an Italian attorney who claimed that a hacker had admitted involvement in the supposed conspiracy.

Virginia marijuana legalization timetable has many confused - Associated Press

By Denise Lavoie

Virginia’s road to legalizing simple possession of marijuana has had some twists and turns, so it’s not surprising that advocacy groups have been flooded with calls from people trying to understand exactly what will be allowed under state law as of July 1.

Legislators initially voted in February to legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for adult recreational use, but not until 2024, when retail sales would begin. An outcry ensued over the three-year wait before ending pot possession penalties, so in April they voted to move up legalization to this July 1.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Del. Elizabeth Guzman D-Prince William is facing a primary challenge in the 31 House of Delegates district from Rod Hall. In this episode, we talk to both of them about the race.

Democratic voters are choosing the nominee in a primary on Tuesday, June 8.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Also thank you so much to all of the incredible people that have already subscribed or donated! It means the world and keeps this project moving forward.

Adams and Elliott face off for the Democratic nomination in House District 68

(Listen to an audio interview with Elliott at the top of this newsletter!)

In 2017, Del. Dawn Adams flipped the seat in the 68th district of the House of Delegates when she defeated the Republican incumbent Manoli Loupassi by less than 400 votes. She won reelection in 2019 by a much larger margin, but now the two-term delegate is facing a primary challenger who has concerns over her voting record and treatment of staff.

“Del. Adams and I probably share a number of similarities because we are both Democrats — because we do both share a vision of the Democratic party but I think I am more progressive in a number of areas where I think her votes and her legislative actions have kind of demonstrated why we need better leadership in the 68,” said Kyle Ellott, the man challenging Adams for the Democratic nomination.

HD-68 encompasses parts of Chesterfield, Henrico, and Richmond. Before losing to Adams in 2017, Loupassi held the seat for 10 years with little competition. Adams’ upset victory took place in a year when Democrats flipped 15 seats across the Commonwealth.

With Trump out of office, Democrats are worried about keeping this seat along with a few others in November. Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn has made helping Adams in this primary race a priority for the caucus. In addition to the Speaker’s full support, other party leaders like Governor Ralph Northam and Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw are supporting Adams as they attempt to keep the House caucus intact.

But even with the support of the party of the establishment at her back being an endorsement of her job as a Democrat, Elliott believes that Adams has let her constituents down while in office.

First, he discussed Adams being one of only two Democrats during the 2020 session that voted against a bill that made it a civil penalty to not report a lost or stolen firearm. “That is a commonsense gun safety legislation bill that keeps guns out of the hands of people who should not have them,” Elliott said.

The bill still was able to pass even though Adams voted against it.

Elliott then talked about the time in 2019 when Adams withdrew her support for a bill that would have eased restrictions on abortion if the mother’s life was in jeopardy.

The Republicans used this bill to attack Democrats for weeks, eventually resulting in death threats for the bill’s chief-sponsor, Kathy Tran. After heavy backlash from Republicans, Adams sent a letter to her constituents apologizing for sponsoring the bill and said she did not properly read the legislation before agreeing to sign on.

“That to me is problematic,” Elliott said. “This is going to be a quintessential fight here in Virginia in the upcoming session. We need to make sure we are doing everything we can here in Virginia to make sure we are enshrining protections in the Virginia code as well as the constitution. That is another key difference from Del. Adams and I — I will not back down from the radical right.”

Adams also confidentially settled a lawsuit with a former staffer in 2020 after she was accused of hacking into that staffer’s personal email to delete files related to work. The delegate denied the accusations at the time and released the following statement after the lawsuit was settled. “I agreed that concluding the matter was in the best interests of my family, constituents and the parties most directly involved. I continue to believe I have always acted in the best interest of those I have served in any capacity. I look forward to continuing doing the legislative work I was elected to do and wish Ms. Hains the best.”

Elliott referenced that situation when noting that he wants to bring ethical leadership to the district. “That is problematic to me, the way you treat your staff with dignity and respect is important to me.”

Adams did not respond to an interview request for this article.

As for what drove him to jump into this race against an incumbent, Ellott says the social justice movement that took place across the country last year encouraged him to use his voice and help reform the criminal justice system.

“I think like a lot of people, I was really moved to action by the events of 2020 — the murders of Geroge Floyd and Breonna Taylor really inspired a lot of us to want to fix what I think is an acute problem in criminal justice and policing,” Elliott said in an interview. “I was really proud to lend my voice to this movement.”

Adams outraised Elliott in the recent filing by $28,000, but the donor lists for the candidates in this race are a window into the current state of politics across Virginia. With the Speaker and the Democratic establishment supporting Adams in the primary, Clean Virginia was still her largest donor in the latest filing with a $20,000 donation at the end of May. Clean Virginia is funded by Michael Bills, who is married to Sonjia Smith, who is the largest donor to Elliott’s campaign after giving him $79,000 in the latest quarterly filing. Either way, Smith or Bills will have been the largest donor to the winner in this primary.

Democratic voters in HD-68 will be choosing which of the two will be their nominee on Tuesday, June 8.

Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Rich Anderson comments on Hala Ayala and her Clean Virginia pledge reversal

Del. Hala Ayala (D) is facing backlash from Democrats in the final days of her primary campaign for lieutenant governor for reversing on a pledge and accepting $100K in money from Dominion Energy. Now the chairman for the Republican Party of Virginia, Rich Anderson, is speaking out as well.

Anderson is currently a constituent of Ayala and was the delegate for the district before losing to her in 2017 amid the blue wave. Now he is issuing a sharp rebuke of Ayala and the job she has done as a representative. (This was first reported by Blue Virginia.)

Read an excerpt from what Anderson had to say below:

Time to speak truth to power. Residing in the district that Hala Ayala “represents,” Ayala’s exposed lie in this RTD story is no surprise to thousands of PWC citizens. Here’s why:

• She falsely misled her constituents about representing them in the Virginia House and has now jettisoned them for higher office partway through her 2nd term as a Delegate.

• She falsely pledged to carry meaningful legislation. But her record is shallow, often signing on as a patron to someone else’s bill, rather than carrying consequential bills of her own.

• She falsely pledged to be responsive to constituents, but I regularly receive calls from district residents who ask for my help as a former Delegate in the face of her unreturned calls and unfulfilled constituent requests.

McAuliffe, Lopez, and Filler-Corn Talk Small Business at Columbia Pike Pie Shop - ARL Now

by Matt Blitz

Less than a week before the primary, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe, Del. Alfonso Lopez, and Virginia Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn paid a visit to Acme Pie Company on Columbia Pike.

All three Democrats are running for office in the upcoming primary, set for Tuesday, June 8 — with early voting happening now. (Filler-Corn is unopposed in the primary.)

With 17 Va. House incumbents being challenged, Tuesday could be a wild primary night - Virginia Mercury

by Graham Moomaw and Ned Oliver

Del. Ibraheem Samirah, D-Fairfax, pitches himself as one of the most progressive members of the House of Delegates, but in this year’s primary, he’s fending off a challenge from a fellow progressive who says the district could do better.

“He has seemed to be an incompetent and ineffective legislator, and I think that is not a unique vantage point that I have,” says Irene Shin, who directs a Democratic civic organization and is making her first run for public office.

Youngkin Aims to Float Above GOP Infighting in Virginia - Wall Street Journal

by Joshua Jamerson

Glenn Youngkin, the private-equity boss-turned-Republican nominee for Virginia governor, is so new to politics that many Virginia GOP activists had never heard of him.

“He was a virtual unknown,” said Rich Anderson, a longtime GOP activist in Virginia and head of the state Republican Party. Mr. Anderson described Mr. Youngkin’s best asset as being a “blank page” with no government record, making it potentially harder for Democrats to define him and easier for GOP voters of all stripes to see themselves in him. “I’ve been amazed that he’s been able to appeal broadly to the entire Republican spectrum,” said Mr. Anderson, adding that he didn’t know anything about Mr. Youngkin until he reached out last year to indicate he was considering a gubernatorial bid.

Virginia NAACP Demand State Leaders to Make Immediate Changes at VMI

The Virginia NAACP responded to the investigative report released this week regarding the years-long culture of racism and sexism at the Virginia Military Institute VMI.

Virginia NAACP Education Chair Dr. Amy Tillerson-Brown said: “This report tells us what Black people and women have known for years: Racism and sexism have been allowed to thrive on the campus of VMI. The absence of policy to protect students and faculty from racism and sexism renders VMI complicit in upholding the racist and sexist culture documented in the investigation.”

Virginia NAACP Political Action Chair Gaylene Kanoyton said: “No publicly-funded institution should be allowed to operate with such blatant disregard for civil and human rights. The Virginia NAACP firmly believes that absent immediate changes, all funding from the Commonwealth to VMI should be revoked.”

Virginia NAACP President Robert Barnette said: “The Virginia NAACP demands that state legislators return to Richmond this summer to implement the report’s recommendations and set a swift timetable for implementation.”

The Virginia Supreme Court will hear arguments next Tuesday on whether Gov. Ralph S. Northam has the authority to remove the Monument Avenue statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee - Richmond Free Press

by Jeremy Lazarus

The fate of the giant statue of slavery-defending Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has loomed over Monument Avenue for more than 130 years now rests with the seven justices of the Virginia Supreme Court.

The court has scheduled arguments for next Tuesday, June 8, on lawsuits questioning the authority of the state to remove the symbol of white supremacy from property owned by the state. The cases involve two sets of litigants seeking to block Gov. Ralph S. Northam from getting rid of the monument.

Democratic super PAC launches seven-figure ad buy in Virginia ahead of governors race - The Hill

by Julia Manchester

Democratic super PAC American Bridge launched a seven-figure ad buy in Virginia on Thursday, highlighting President Biden's American Rescue Plan ahead of the commonwealth's gubernatorial election in November.

The Virginia buy is a part of the PAC's planned $100 million campaign in key swing states — including Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona — before next year's midterm elections.

More election news:

Dominion Energy and anti-Dominion group spend big in race for Portsmouth state House seat

Montgomery rakes in cash, pulling ahead of incumbent King in HD2 Democratic Primary race

General Assembly candidate in Richmond convicted of criminal misdemeanors in 2018 and 2019

Two women compete for 82nd District’s Republican nomination

Turnout expected to be about 3% for Tuesday's Democratic primary in Dan River Region

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Tom Barbour Jr. is a Democrat running for the commonwealth attorney position in Richmond. Barbour previously served in the military in Iraq and as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney under Mike Herring. Colette McEachin is the incumbent and she is seeking reelection after first winning in a 2019 special election when Herring resigned.

In this episode, Barbour talks about how he would work differently from McEachin if elected, how he would walk the line of enforcing the law and holding the police accountable when needed — and more about himself. Listen at the link on the top of this page.

Subscribe to this newsletter to receive the latest news in Virginia politics each day.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Virginia Democrats have six candidates vying for the lieutenant governor nomination this cycle. Only four of those candidates have put together a statewide campaign that could be considered competitive in the June 8 primary election, however.

State Del. Sam Rasoul, Del. Hala Ayala, Sean Perryman, and Norfolk City Councilor Andria McClellan have built their own coalition and raised enough money that they all have a potential chance at winning the nomination.

Rasoul has raised the most money; Ayala has garnered the most support from Democratic leaders in the General Assembly; Perryman has racked up local endorsements across the Commonwealth; and McClellan has raised the second most funds and has picked up a few big endorsements as well, like Congresswoman Elaine Luria, for example.

But the only polling on the race has shown Rasoul with a 10 point lead over any of the other candidates, though 64% of the respondents were still unsure as to who they would vote for in the June 8 primary.

Those poll numbers were released prior to Ayala receiving Governor Northam and Speaker Filler-Corn’s endorsement. She will likely gain some ground on Rasoul, but it is unclear as to what the impact of those endorsements, or Rasoul’s money, can have on a race that could net a below-average turnout.

Perryman, a former president of the Fairfax NAACP has found support among community leaders across the commonwealth and McClellan represents the most constituents out of anyone in the race, but neither one of them have legislated at the state level, an asset in a race with name ID on the ballot being relatively low.

This is an off-year election due to Virginia’s election schedule, potentially hampering turnout in June and November. Additionally, Donald Trump, a key driving force in Democratic turnout over the last four years will have been out of office for nearly six months by the day of the primary.

Turnout expectations from staffers and party strategists are not high.

Candidates in this race will need to get in front of voters and convince them to go and vote, something that is especially tricky during the pandemic when in-person events have been few-and-far-between.

The winner will be the candidate that receives the most voters — there is no specific threshold that needs to be met. This potentially leads to a situation where the presence of four competitive candidates on the ballot resulting in a nominee receiving around 30% of the primary vote.

Republicans have already nominated Winsome Sears, a former state delegate that pushes the far-right boundary of the ideological spectrum. Sears won in a nomination convention defeating former Del. Tim Hugo and Del. Glenn Davis quite handily. Hugo closed the gap in the final round but was unable to catch up to Sears.

Democratic candidates have less than 3 weeks to campaign and convince their party faithful that they are the best nominee to face Sears in November.

Chase says she supports Youngkin; does not plan to run as independent - Richmond Times-Dispatch

by Patrick Wilson

Unsuccessful GOP gubernatorial contender Amanda Chase is mostly ending questions about whether she plans to run for governor as an independent, saying Tuesday she supports GOP nominee Glenn Youngkin.

Chase, a state senator from Chesterfield County, said she congratulated Youngkin last week. She finished third in the GOP convention balloting for governor behind Youngkin and investor Pete Snyder.

Spanberger encourages Central Virginians to seek $50 internet discount - The Central Virginian

U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger called on eligible Central Virginians to enroll in the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit program.

The EBB provides families with a discount of $50 off the monthly cost of home internet service. In some cases, the program also provides an additional subsidy for a computer for qualifying households. Last week, the FCC launched open enrollment in the program.

Part two of today’s newsletter will hit your inbox later today. I wanted to make sure that you had the opportunity to listen to our latest podcast episode this morning.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

The Republican nominee for lieutenant governor Winsome Sears talked to Brandon Jarvis and Marques Jones about her campaign for lieutenant governor. Listen at the link above.

More News:

NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Endorses Jennifer McClellan for Governor

“NARAL Virginia is thrilled to throw our support behind a proven reproductive freedom champion and partner - Senator Jennifer McClellan. She is a champion among a crowded field of champions. But what sets her apart is her deep commitment and narrow focus to ensuring reproductive freedom is a true reality for each and every Virginian. Senator McClellan is the right person to meet this important moment in our Commonwealth’s and nation’s history and we look forward to helping her win the Democratic nomination for governor,”said NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Executive Director Tarina Keene.

WATCH: NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Endorsement Announcement with McClellan

Senator Louise Lucas Endorses Delegate Hala Ayala for Lieutenant Governor

“I am pleased to endorse Delegate Hala Ayala for Lieutenant Governor,” said Senator Luise Lucas. “Delegate Ayala has been a voice for justice and equity in the House of Delegates and she has worked hard to build relationships with her Black Caucus members in the Senate to make real change in our Commonwealth. I know she will bring these traits to the Lieutenant Governor role and I hope you will join me in supporting her.”

Filler-Corn announces that the House of Delegates will begin meeting in-person again

The House of Delegates has only met in-person one time since the start of the pandemic, spending two special sessions and one regular session legislating virtually. That will happen no more, however, as Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn announced Monday that any upcoming meetings will take place in person.

"Over the past year Virginians have shown commitment and resolve to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus and protect one another. Containing the virus required sacrifice that touched every part of daily life. Among those things that changed was how we governed. As many Virginians took to remote work, so did the House, and while that transition presented challenges, I am proud to say that the House of Delegates met the moment during this public health and economic crisis,” Filler-Corn said in her statement. "Now, with infection rates falling and our Commonwealth's vaccination rollout program among the best in the country, it is time our body returns where it belongs, in the Capitol, in the People's Chamber. There is still much work to be done as we continue to get additional Virginians vaccinated, but this step is another milestone in our return to normal. Virginia is turning the corner on this pandemic and toward a brighter future."

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Virginia’s Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin discusses how he will work to bring back moderate voters to the Republican Party; defining himself as a Republican, not Trump; investing in down-ballot races; how he believes the Democrats have overplayed their hand in Richmond; and what his first priority as governor would be.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

State Senator Amanda Chase discusses the upcoming Republican convention after a recent poll showed her with a slight lead among Republicans in the state. The nomination convention takes place Saturday, May 8.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Shaun Kenney was once the executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia and served on the Fluvanna Board of Supervisors as its chair. He has also been a conservative blogger writing about Virginia politics for years.

He joined the podcast to discuss the upcoming Republican nominating convention where they will be choosing nominees for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Rich Anderson, the chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia provides a brief explanation of how the May 8 unassembled convention to select Republican statewide nominees will take place.

Republicans across Virginia will be choosing their nominees for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

David Ramadan joined the ‘We Hate Politics’ podcast from Virginia Scope to discuss the Republican gubernatorial race. Ramadan served as a Republican in the House of Delegates from 2012-2016 representing parts of Loudoun and Prince William counties.

He now works in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

State Senator and GOP gubernatorial hopeful Amanda Chase provided an update on the status of her Facebook page that was removed after the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington D.C.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Delegate Carrie Coyner (R-Chesterfield) talked to Virginia Scope on Wednesday about the legislation that she is pushing during the 2021 legislative session.

You can view the bills that Coyner is the Chief-Patron on here.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico) checked in with Virginia Scope to talk about his bills that will be heard in the General Assembly's Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday.

These are the VanValkenburg bills being heard today:

HB 1810: Voter registration; failure of online voter registration system, deadline extension.

HB 1888: Absentee voting; procedural and process reforms; availability and accessibility reforms; penalty.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vagovernor.substack.com/subscribe

Virginia Political Newsletter: Recent Episodes

Brandon Jarvis