#virginiapolitics — Public Fediverse posts

A rural Virginia school board changed its rules to block an LGBTQ+ club. Students are suing in federal court

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/king-george-county-gsa-lawsuit

Weekly output: not-so-independent agencies, location privacy, Virginia’s data-center tax, Blue Origin’s return-to-flight plans, civil supersonic flight, astronomy in VR, Backblaze

The list below would be a lot of published work for a five-workday week, and yet I didn’t write any of those things or deal with edits to them on Friday. The Supreme Court bears much of the responsibility for this pace, the aerospace-industry news cycle did its own part, and then I had two pieces that I’d started weeks before finally get published on the one day that I gave this keyboard a decent rest.

But wait, there was more: I wrote an extra post for Patreon readers Tuesday about the business calculations I’m working through as I decide if going to Berlin for the IFA tech trade show can pencil out for me.

6/29/2026: Supreme Court Gives Trump the Green Light to Fire Heads of FTC, Other Agencies, PCMag

Since I’ve been following President Trump’s attempts to expel the Democratic minority on the Federal Trade Commission, commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, since first writing about this story last March, I felt obliged to cover the Court’s conclusion of this case.

6/30/2026: Supreme Court: Fourth Amendment Protects Your Phone’s Location History, PCMag

I felt just as obliged to cover the Court ruling that Google’s Location History tool incurs Fourth Amendment protections–and to note that the majority opinion describes this as if Google hadn’t since turned Location History into an on-device, end-to-end-encrypted feature that Google can no longer access if presented with a “geofence warrant.”

6/30/2026: The State With the Most Data Centers Will Now Tax Their Energy Use, PCMag

I had been meaning to write about how Virginia has begun to change its approach to the data centers that now sprawl across Loudoun and Prince William counties. But until the General Assembly reached a belated budget compromise in the closing days of June, I didn’t know what sort of change we’d get.

7/1/2026: Blue Origin: Here’s How We’ll Return New Glenn to Flight Faster Than Expected, PCMag

Blue Origin posted an update Tuesday about its plans to resume launches of its New Glenn rocket. But in addition to having my hands full Tuesday, I needed part of Wednesday to take notes from videos of recent discussions–a panel with Blue founder Jeff Bezos and CEO Dave Limp, another panel led by Ars Technica space reporter Eric Berger, and a NASA press conference featuring administrator Jared Isaacman–that yielded some insight into the company’s situation.

7/2/2026: FAA Moves to Allow Civil Supersonic Flights Over Land, If They’re Quiet Enough, PCMag

This was my longest story published this week, because it had to cover not only the Federal Aviation Administration’s opening of a rulemaking process to legalize commercial supersonic flights over land but also the current state of affairs at Boom Supersonic and NASA’s debut of flight tests of its “low-boom” X-59 aircraft. That was a lot of detail to pack in, and I missed one error in my copy until a few hours after the story posted–I had described Boom’s XB-1 testbed aircraft as a single-engine plane when I meant single-seat.

7/3/2026: Visiting the stars (and planets, and telescopes) in VR, Ars Technica

Earlier in June, I spent a fascinating 40 minutes with a computer strapped to my face in a windowless room in downtown D.C., enjoying a VR tour of some of the universe’s more interesting places. I thought that would be a good fit for a site that routinely covers both technology and astronomy, and that’s how I’ve now had two pieces run at Ars this year after going three years since my previous contribution to one of my daily tech-news reads.

7/3/2026: Backblaze: Backup May Be a ‘Declining’ Business, But We’re Not Backing Away

This post was originally going to start with my talking to an exec with this computer-backup and cloud-storage firm at the TechEx North America conference in the middle of May, but my having the appointment on my calendar did not prevent me from completely spacing about it. We then punted to having the conversation over video but next had to reschedule the call multiple times. And now that the piece is finally published, we need to correct a few small items in it.

Weekly output: not-so-independent agencies, location privacy, Virginia’s data-center tax, Blue Origin’s return-to-flight plans, civil supersonic flight, astronomy in VR, Backblaze

The list below would be a lot of published work for a five-workday week, and yet I didn’t write any of those things or deal with edits to them on Friday. The Supreme Court bears much of the responsibility for this pace, the aerospace-industry news cycle did its own part, and then I had two pieces that I’d started weeks before finally get published on the one day that I gave this keyboard a decent rest.

But wait, there was more: I wrote an extra post for Patreon readers Tuesday about the business calculations I’m working through as I decide if going to Berlin for the IFA tech trade show can pencil out for me.

6/29/2026: Supreme Court Gives Trump the Green Light to Fire Heads of FTC, Other Agencies, PCMag

Since I’ve been following President Trump’s attempts to expel the Democratic minority on the Federal Trade Commission, commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, since first writing about this story last March, I felt obliged to cover the Court’s conclusion of this case.

6/30/2026: Supreme Court: Fourth Amendment Protects Your Phone’s Location History, PCMag

I felt just as obliged to cover the Court ruling that Google’s Location History tool incurs Fourth Amendment protections–and to note that the majority opinion describes this as if Google hadn’t since turned Location History into an on-device, end-to-end-encrypted feature that Google can no longer access if presented with a “geofence warrant.”

6/30/2026: The State With the Most Data Centers Will Now Tax Their Energy Use, PCMag

I had been meaning to write about how Virginia has begun to change its approach to the data centers that now sprawl across Loudoun and Prince William counties. But until the General Assembly reached a belated budget compromise in the closing days of June, I didn’t know what sort of change we’d get.

7/1/2026: Blue Origin: Here’s How We’ll Return New Glenn to Flight Faster Than Expected, PCMag

Blue Origin posted an update Tuesday about its plans to resume launches of its New Glenn rocket. But in addition to having my hands full Tuesday, I needed part of Wednesday to take notes from videos of recent discussions–a panel with Blue founder Jeff Bezos and CEO Dave Limp, another panel led by Ars Technica space reporter Eric Berger, and a NASA press conference featuring administrator Jared Isaacman–that yielded some insight into the company’s situation.

7/2/2026: FAA Moves to Allow Civil Supersonic Flights Over Land, If They’re Quiet Enough, PCMag

This was my longest story published this week, because it had to cover not only the Federal Aviation Administration’s opening of a rulemaking process to legalize commercial supersonic flights over land but also the current state of affairs at Boom Supersonic and NASA’s debut of flight tests of its “low-boom” X-59 aircraft. That was a lot of detail to pack in, and I missed one error in my copy until a few hours after the story posted–I had described Boom’s XB-1 testbed aircraft as a single-engine plane when I meant single-seat.

7/3/2026: Visiting the stars (and planets, and telescopes) in VR, Ars Technica

Earlier in June, I spent a fascinating 40 minutes with a computer strapped to my face in a windowless room in downtown D.C., enjoying a VR tour of some of the universe’s more interesting places. I thought that would be a good fit for a site that routinely covers both technology and astronomy, and that’s how I’ve now had two pieces run at Ars this year after going three years since my previous contribution to one of my daily tech-news reads.

7/3/2026: Backblaze: Backup May Be a ‘Declining’ Business, But We’re Not Backing Away

This post was originally going to start with my talking to an exec with this computer-backup and cloud-storage firm at the TechEx North America conference in the middle of May, but my having the appointment on my calendar did not prevent me from completely spacing about it. We then punted to having the conversation over video but next had to reschedule the call multiple times. And now that the piece is finally published, we need to correct a few small items in it.

Why the right is losing it over Virginia governor’s pick for state’s LGBTQ+ advisory board

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/abigail-spanberger-lgbtq-advisory-board

RE: https://mastodon.social/@AARS/116446091035834548

For the folks who missed it the first time. Playing games with #democracy is a losing battle. #RedistrictingMap #redistricting #VirginiaPolitics #virginia

RE: https://mastodon.social/@AARS/116446091035834548

For the folks who missed it the first time. Playing games with #democracy is a losing battle. #RedistrictingMap #redistricting #VirginiaPolitics #virginia

VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT THROWS OUT DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL MAP

Virginia Supreme Court nullifies voter-approved congressional map. This cancels the vote of 1.3 million Virginians and boosts Republican chances before midterm elections.

#VirginiaPolitics, #Redistricting, #SupremeCourt, #MidtermElections, #ElectionNews

https://newsletter.tf/virginia-supreme-court-cancels-congressional-map/

The Virginia Supreme Court has thrown out a new congressional map. This decision cancels the vote of 1.3 million Virginians and changes election chances for Republicans.

#VirginiaPolitics, #Redistricting, #SupremeCourt, #MidtermElections, #ElectionNews
https://newsletter.tf/virginia-supreme-court-cancels-congressional-map/

And the Virginia Supreme Court just struck down the redistricting referendum.

Love playing by 2 sets of rules.

Fucking hell.

#USpolitics #VirginiaPolitics

And the Virginia Supreme Court just struck down the redistricting referendum.

Love playing by 2 sets of rules.

Fucking hell.

#USpolitics #VirginiaPolitics

FBI Raid Targets Virginia Senator, Shines Light on Political Entanglements

FBI agents raided Virginia State Sen. Louise Lucas's office and The Cannabis Outlet in Portsmouth on Wednesday. Investigation is about corruption and illegal sales.

#LouiseLucas, #FBI, #Portsmouth, #VirginiaPolitics, #CannabisInvestigation

https://newsletter.tf/fbi-raids-virginia-senator-lucas-office-cannabis/

FBI agents raided Virginia State Sen. Louise Lucas's office and a cannabis business in Portsmouth on Wednesday. The investigation is reportedly focused on corruption and illegal marijuana sales.

#LouiseLucas, #FBI, #Portsmouth, #VirginiaPolitics, #CannabisInvestigation
https://newsletter.tf/fbi-raids-virginia-senator-lucas-office-cannabis/

Virginia Redistricting Vote Blocked Amid 'Rigged' Claims

Virginia judge stops new congressional map approved April 21st after claims of a rigged vote. Who is affected and what happens next?

#VirginiaRedistricting, #ElectionIntegrity, #VoterRights, #VirginiaPolitics, #TrumpClaims

https://newsletter.tf/virginia-redistricting-vote-blocked-rigged-claims/

A Virginia judge has blocked the new congressional map approved by voters on April 21st. This map could have given Democrats a 10-1 advantage.

#VirginiaRedistricting, #ElectionIntegrity, #VoterRights, #VirginiaPolitics, #TrumpClaims
https://newsletter.tf/virginia-redistricting-vote-blocked-rigged-claims/

Mamdani Stands Firm on Democratic Socialism as Capitalism’s Failures Mount

Mamdani refuses to retreat on Democratic Socialism. I expose how capitalism’s structure—not scarcity—drives inequality and rising costs.

Mamdani Stands Firm on Democratic Socialism as Capitalism’s Failures Mount

Mamdani refuses to retreat on Democratic Socialism. I expose how capitalism’s structure—not scarcity—drives inequality and rising costs.

Purity Politics vs Power: How One Democrat’s Stand Risks Strengthening MAGA

A Virginia Democrat rejects counter-gerrymandering on principle—but this stance may hand power to GOP manipulation. Strategy, not purity, decides political outcomes.

Purity Politics vs Power: How One Democrat’s Stand Risks Strengthening MAGA

A Virginia Democrat rejects counter-gerrymandering on principle—but this stance may hand power to GOP manipulation. Strategy, not purity, decides political outcomes.

VIRGINIA VOTERS APPROVE NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP, FAVORING DEMOCRATS

Virginia voters approved a new congressional map favoring Democrats, potentially giving them 10 out of 11 seats in the next election. Legal challenges are expected.

#VirginiaMap, #Election2026, #DemocraticGains, #Redistricting, #VirginiaPolitics

https://newsletter.tf/virginia-new-map-democrats-gain-seats/

Virginia's new congressional map could give Democrats 10 out of 11 seats, a big change from the current 7-4 split. This is a major shift after voters approved the new map.

#VirginiaMap, #Election2026, #DemocraticGains, #Redistricting, #VirginiaPolitics
https://newsletter.tf/virginia-new-map-democrats-gain-seats/

VIRGINIA VOTERS APPROVE REDISTRICTING SHIFT AMID PARTY CONTROL DISPUTE

Virginia voters approved a measure on April 21, 2026, giving the legislature power to draw congressional maps. This could increase Democratic seats.

#VirginiaRedistricting, #ElectionResults, #CongressionalMaps, #VirginiaPolitics, #VADems

https://newsletter.tf/virginia-voters-approve-legislature-drawing-congressional-maps/

Virginia voters have given the state legislature the power to draw new congressional maps. This change could lead to Democrats gaining up to 4 more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

#VirginiaRedistricting, #ElectionResults, #CongressionalMaps, #VirginiaPolitics, #VADems
https://newsletter.tf/virginia-voters-approve-legislature-drawing-congressional-maps/

Obama Pushes Redistricting Vote Amidst Virginia Squabble

Former President Obama asks Virginians to vote 'Yes' on redistricting. The vote could change 4 congressional seats. See what it means for you.

#VirginiaRedistricting, #Obama, #Election2026, #VirginiaPolitics, #Midterms

https://newsletter.tf/obama-urges-virginia-redistricting-vote/

Obama Pushes Redistricting Vote Amidst Virginia Squabble

Former President Obama asks Virginians to vote 'Yes' on redistricting. The vote could change 4 congressional seats. See what it means for you.

#VirginiaRedistricting, #Obama, #Election2026, #VirginiaPolitics, #Midterms

https://newsletter.tf/obama-urges-virginia-redistricting-vote/

Former President Obama is pushing for a 'Yes' vote on Virginia's redistricting referendum. This could change 4 congressional seats, unlike the current map drawn by the court.

#VirginiaRedistricting, #Obama, #Election2026, #VirginiaPolitics, #Midterms
https://newsletter.tf/obama-urges-virginia-redistricting-vote/

Former President Obama is pushing for a 'Yes' vote on Virginia's redistricting referendum. This could change 4 congressional seats, unlike the current map drawn by the court.

#VirginiaRedistricting, #Obama, #Election2026, #VirginiaPolitics, #Midterms
https://newsletter.tf/obama-urges-virginia-redistricting-vote/

Virginia Governor's Popularity Dips Sharply Amid Redistricting Controversy

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger's approval rating falls to 47% due to controversy over a new redistricting plan. Learn how this affects voters and future elections.

#VirginiaPolitics, #AbigailSpanberger, #Redistricting, #ApprovalRating, #VirginiaNews

https://newsletter.tf/virginia-governor-spanberger-popularity-dips-redistricting/

Governor Spanberger's approval rating is now 47%, a sharp drop from earlier in her term. This is lower than previous governors like Glenn Youngkin and Ralph Northam at the same point.

#VirginiaPolitics, #AbigailSpanberger, #Redistricting, #ApprovalRating, #VirginiaNews
https://newsletter.tf/virginia-governor-spanberger-popularity-dips-redistricting/

State Sen. Aaron Rouse of Virginia Beach sues NFL, says he’s ‘totally impaired’ from injuries – The Virginian-Pilot https://www.rawchili.com/nfl/812164/ #Football #LatestHeadlines #LocalNews #news #NFL #Politics #virginia #VirginiaBeach #VirginiaPolitics

Virginia Redistricting Debate Intensifies as Democrat Enters Congressional Race

Virginia Supreme Court allows a vote on a new redistricting plan. See how this affects the 2026 elections and representation in Congress.

#VirginiaRedistricting, #Election2026, #VirginiaPolitics, #Gerrymandering, #USHouse

https://newsletter.tf/virginia-redistricting-plan-vote-allowed-supreme-court-2026-elections/

Virginia's Supreme Court has allowed a vote on a new congressional map. This plan could change the state's representation from 6 Democrats and 5 Republicans to 10 Democrats and 1 Republican.

#VirginiaRedistricting, #Election2026, #VirginiaPolitics, #Gerrymandering, #USHouse

https://newsletter.tf/virginia-redistricting-plan-vote-allowed-supreme-court-2026-elections/

Corporation Relocation from Virginia Amidst Governor Spanberger's Early Actions

A company left Virginia within 30 days of Governor Spanberger taking office. Find out why and what it means for the state's economy.

#VirginiaEconomy, #GovernorSpanberger, #BusinessRelocation, #EconomicImpact, #VirginiaPolitics

https://newsletter.tf/virginia-corporation-relocation-after-governor-spanberger-inauguration/

A company has moved out of Virginia just 30 days after Governor Spanberger started her job. This is a big change for the state's economy.

#VirginiaEconomy, #GovernorSpanberger, #BusinessRelocation, #EconomicImpact, #VirginiaPolitics

https://newsletter.tf/virginia-corporation-relocation-after-governor-spanberger-inauguration/

Virginia Court Lets Redistricting Vote Proceed Amid Legal Challenge

https://newsletter.tf/virginia-redistricting-vote-april-21/

Virginia voters will vote on a new congressional map on April 21, while the state's top court reviews its legality.

#VirginiaRedistricting, #ElectionLaw, #VoterRights, #VirginiaPolitics, #CourtDecision

The Virginia Supreme Court has decided that people in Virginia can vote on a new plan for congressional districts. This vote will happen on April 21. The court will look at the plan's rules later to see if it is okay.
https://newsletter.tf/virginia-redistricting-vote-april-21/
#VirginiaRedistricting, #ElectionLaw, #VoterRights, #VirginiaPolitics, #CourtDecision

Abigail Spanberger's Public Appearances Under Scrutiny

https://newsletter.tf/spanberger-public-events-virginia/

Abigail Spanberger's recent public events and debate performance are drawing public comment and media attention.

#AbigailSpanberger, #VirginiaPolitics, #CampaignTrail, #PublicImage, #PoliticalNews

This transfer of power in Virginia matters more than others I’ve seen

For the first time in my life, I watched a new Virginia governor take the oath of office–not only because my schedule was mercifully free and allowed me to camp out on the couch at noon Saturday, but because the stakes for my state’s leadership are much higher now.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) begins her term as Virginia’s 75th governor at a much different time for the commonwealth and the nation than the last time a Democrat was sworn in as governor in front of the Capitol designed by Virginia’s second governor, Thomas Jefferson.

Gov. Ralph Northam (D) had to deal with the lies, cruelty, bigotry, and incompetence of Trump 1.0, but Spanberger faces even more of that–compounded by Trump’s newfound enthusiasm for trying to punish particular states he deems disloyal.

At its lightest, this takes the form of clumsy, oafish attempts to yank federal funding, threaten federal investigations or undo federal approvals of projects. In Virginia, we’ve seen such examples as the unsuccessful attempt to intimidate George Mason University president Gregory Washington out of office and the groundless bid to stop construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project that a federal judge turned aside Friday.

At its worst, the entire country has witnessed the murderous thuggishness of ICE agents in Minneapolis who seem to take tactical inspiration from the secret police of Third World dictatorships.

And over the last year, the two elected officials in Virginia best positioned to contest these abuses of power, former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and former Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), either did nothing or cheered them along. Youngkin in particular appeared to think that his heel turn from maintaining a measured distance from Trump to embracing so much of a MAGA agenda would set him up well in future elections; the choices of Virginia voters in November suggest that is a delusional hope.

Hours into her term, Spanberger put some distance between herself and Youngkin’s smiling mediocrity: One of the first 10 executive orders she signed rescinds the EO of her predecessor that had directed state law-enforcement agencies to divert their time and resources to assist ICE operations.

That is a good start, and I expect more from the first Democratic governor I’ve seen take office with a Democratic majority in both houses of the General Assembly. These elected representatives have a great deal of work ahead, starting with unfinished business from the last four years in Richmond and now including finding ways to repair the damage that Trump has inflicted on our state.

#AbigailSpanberger #GlennYoungkin #GovernorSpanberger #ice #OldDominion #Richmond #Trump20 #Virginia #VirginiaDems #VirginiaGeneralAssembly #VirginiaPolitics

Gay Couple’s Virginia Farm Targeted With Medical Waste https://www.allforgardening.com/1506597/gay-couples-virginia-farm-targeted-with-medical-waste/ #discrimination #ELECTION #garden #gardening #GardeningGaysFarm #GayCouple #HateCrime #homophobia #Investigation #KingGeorgeCounty #LawEnforcement #LGBTQ #LGBTQNews #MedicalWaste #MetroWeekly #RuralCommunities #TheAdvocate #ticker #vandalism #virginia #VirginiaPolitics

Virginia is not for Trump lovers

Smashing a 249-year-old glass ceiling was the least remarkable thing that Virginia voters did Tuesday. Once the Democratic and Republican parties had other candidates drop out and leave former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and current lieutenant governor Winsome Earle-Sears as unchallenged candidates, it was assured that the Old Dominion would get its first female governor.

Which is still noteworthy, considering that the line of Virginia governors starts with Patrick Henry and then Thomas Jefferson, and yet also a tad regrettable considering that we took this long and that this happened 32 years after the commonwealth’s only other election with a woman running for governor.

But Spanberger didn’t just win but ran away with the election by more than 14 points, including support from a non-trivial fraction of 2024 Trump voters who found something to vote for her in her message of reducing the cost of living and standing up for the state against Trump’s chaos. Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones won by smaller margins that still outpaced many forecasts.

Yes, even AG nominee Jones, who had to grovel for forgiveness after the revelation of grotesque text messages from 2022 in which he imagined the execution of Todd Gilbert, then Republican majority leader of the House of Delegates, and the deaths by shooting of his kids.

(At least Jones apologized profusely, which is not something President Trump has ever done for any of his own deranged statements, much less the unforgiveable offense against democracy of trying to overturn the 2020 election.)

The ninth election that I’ve served as an Arlington County election officer, also the first I’d worked with the state’s top three offices on the ballot, saw equally sweeping victories for Virginia Dems in the House of Delegates.

With all 100 seats up for election, voters chose Democratic candidates in 13 previously Republican districts, turning a thin 51-seat majority into a 64-seat lock in the oldest continuous legislative assembly in the Americas–which has a great deal of unfinished business from previous sessions.

Being in the party of Trump, whose chaotic and cruel firings of government workers have left more of a dent in Virginia than in other states, seems to be political poison in far more of the commonwealth than many people expected. Especially if you try to pass off those layoffs as no big deal, as both Earle-Sears and current Republican governor Glenn Youngkin did.

These results–along with the Democratic demolition of Republican hopes in my birth state of New Jersey–should now have a lot of GOP officeholders elsewhere in the commonwealth and the country feeling nervous about their own job security. And that seems more than fair when so many voters already feel the same anxiety.

#2025Election #AbigailSpanberger #GlennYoungkin #HouseOfDelegates #OldDominion #Virginia #VirginiaGeneralAssembly #VirginiaGovernor #VirginiaPolitics #WinsomeEarleSears

Still waiting on Jones-Miyares for AG from someone other than Decision Desk, but a good night.

A solid fascist whomping here in Virginia.

Legislature has the opportunity to do so much good and they NEED to so so much good that in 2 years, everyone will say, "Why the fuck would we change horses now?"

We can't squander this.

#VirginiaPolitics

Jeebus, the last ditch vileness. #VirginiaPolitics

Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) faces a pivotal moment after casting a crucial vote for H.R. 1, Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," passing the House 215-214. Representing a district reliant on renewable energy credits, her decision raises stakes for her re-election, risking local economic stability. As Democrats eye Virginia's 2nd Congressional District, her support for the bill could lead to significant backlash. Discover the full implications of her choice. https://www.alternet.org/swing-district-gop-trump/ #JenKiggans #H1 #Trump #VirginiaPolitics #CleanEnergy #MidtermElections #Democrats #GOP #Congress

Kudos to Bloomberg for the insightful analysis!

Some pointers for Virginia Democratic primary voters

Virginia has a primary election happening next Tuesday with contested races for two statewide slots on the Democratic Party ballot, but you might not know it from the coverage of the dominant newspaper in Northern Virginia. And especially not if you read the Washington Post looking to find out what sets apart the candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general.

Unless my reading and Google searches have missed something, since early voting began May 2 the Post has run only two pieces that rate as voter-guide material: a basic election overview published May 2, then brief bios of the six LG candidates published May 26. That’s not a knock on the skills or work ethic of Post journalists like my former editor Greg Schneider; they have a lot of work to do, and their bosses seem to have their own coverage priorities.

But whatever the cause, I’ve had to turn elsewhere to research my choices. For attorney general, it’s a one-or-the-other pick between former state Del. Jay Jones (Norfolk) and Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, but for lieutenant governor there are six candidates: lawyer and union leader Alex Bastani, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (Richmond), Prince William County school board chair Babur Lateef, state Sen. Aaron Rouse (Virginia Beach), former federal prosecutor Victor Salgado, and former Richmond mayor Levar Stoney.

(For non-Virginians who haven’t followed these races: Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger is the sole Democratic candidate for governor, and current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is the only Republican candidate for that office. And with talk-radio host John Reid and current Attorney General Jason Miyares unchallenged for the GOP nominations for LG and AG, there’s no statewide Republican primary this year.)

• The most useful non-paywalled voter reference I’ve found for the contested Democratic races comes from Cardinal News, a nonprofit newsroom covering Southwest and Southside Virginia. For their voter guide, they asked candidates for each office the same set of questions, and you should find their answers on such issues as gun regulation and the environmental footprint of data centers illuminating.
• WAMU put together similar resources for the two AG candidates and the six LG candidates, asking a few different questions of these job applicants. I found the answers of the would-be lieutenant governors to the Washington public-radio station’s query on housing costs to be particularly informative.
• Another public broadcaster, Richmond-based VPM, posted interviews of LG candidates Hashmi, Lateef and Stoney as well as AG candidates Jones and Taylor that are worth reading.
• For an electability assessment from a student of campaigns with a remarkable record of predicting General Assembly elections, see the evaluation by up-and-coming political analyst Chaz Nuttycombe of what the three leading LG candidates–Hashmi, Rouse and Stoney–could bring to a statewide ticket alongside Spanberger.
• Since Virginia allows unlimited direct donations by companies to candidates, you should check their top donors to see if the names and sums listed there suggest undue leverage for any one firm–or person or interest group. The Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit, maintains a database that you can easily browse through, with pages covering the candidates for attorney general and lieutenant governor.

I hope the above resources help you come to your own choices–or at least that this post reminded you that there’s an election happening next week.

#AbigalSpanberger #OldDominion #Virginia #VirginiaAttorneyGeneral #VirginiaDemocraticParty #VirginiaDems #VirginiaGovernor #VirginiaLieutenantGovernor #VirginiaPolitics #VirginiaPrimary #WinsomeEarleSears

Virginia Tech rant:

Did you know that Virginia Tech has one of the highest average annual salaries per management position? President Tim Sands makes a whopping $840,546 annually, which is an increase from his original $600,000 annual income.

Did you also know that the president of the United States of America is paid $400,000.

Why does Tim Sands make more than 2 times the US president's salary?

#education #educational #EducationForAll #virginiatech #VT #uspol #Virginia #VirginiaPolitics

Virginia legislature passed resolutions for state constitution amendments on abortion rights, voting rights, and marriage equality.

It's a convoluted 3 step process, they have to pass it again, then we vote on it, but it's a first step and I'm thrilled to see it.

#VirginiaPolitics

https://apnews.com/article/abortion-voting-rights-marriage-equality-democrat-majority-8f2e8f96a6cb071b26acda3a285a8749

Virginia Democrats seek full control of statehouse in 2024 bellwether

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4292435-virginia-democrats-seek-full-control-of-statehouse-in-2024-bellwether/

#VirginiaDemocrats #StatehouseControl #2024Bellwether #VirginiaPolitics #FullControl #Election2024 #Politics #News

Youngkin didn’t get big tax cuts as Va. lawmakers pass budget compromise

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/09/06/virginia-youngkin-assembly-taxes-budget-session/

The Virginia General Assembly passed a budget compromise Wednesday with enough tax breaks and spending increases for both Republicans and Democrats to claim victory. #VirginiaBudget #VirginiaPolitics

‘Trump in heels’ Amanda Chase loses GOP state Senate primary in Virginia

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4059665-trump-in-heels-amanda-chase-loses-gop-state-senate-primary-in-virginia/amp/

#TheHillNews #AmandaChaseLoss #GOPPrimaryElections #VirginiaPolitics #TrumpInHeels #ConservativePolitics #Politics #News

NPR uncovered secret execution tapes from Virginia. More remain hidden

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/19/1149547193/secret-execution-tapes-virginia

#uspolitics
#BlackMastodon
#VirginiaPolitics

Virginia Rejects $3.5-Billion Ford Plant Over Fears of Communist Chinese Control

https://jalopnik.com/va-gov-youngkin-rejects-ford-battery-plant-over-china-1850000540

#uspolitics
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