Search
Virginia takes steps to bring advanced nuclear reactor to Wise County
As Virginia wrestles with high energy demands and deadlines to switch to zero-carbon emission energy production, Gov. Glenn Youngkin last week announced funding to take the first steps towards building an advanced nuclear reactor in the southwest region of the state. Wise County is the focus of a combined grant of $197,500 to search for private investment and federal funding to prepare the area for an advanced nuclear reactor. The area will be studied to find what kind of advanced nuclear reactor would best serve the region, how it would be funded, and if it could be used for research and power at the University of Virginia Wise.
Elections agency stays mum on campaign finance audit
No one involved in Virginia’s first campaign finance audit, released earlier this month, has yet to declare the process a success. Some of the seven local candidates included in the audit say they were not given the courtesy to review any deficiencies before the report was released to the public. The law’s patron is reserving judgment until he learns more from the Department of Elections, which paid $122,000 to a Maryland-based consulting firm hired to conduct the audits.
State Supreme Court Upholds Denial of Dulles Greenway Rate Hikes
The Supreme Court of Virginia today upheld the State Corporation Commission’s denial of rate increases sought by the owners of the Dulles Greenway last year. The company applied to raise tolls on two-axle vehicles on the highway to $8.10 during rush hour and $6.40 in off-peak hours. Currently, the toll is $5.80 in peak hours and $5.25 in off-peak hours. The SCC in September denied the request, finding that the higher rates would “materially discourage use of the Greenway” and were “contrary to the public interest” in violation of a state law enacted by the General Assembly.
$2.2M Spent By Democrats In 11th District Congressional Primary
Democratic Party candidates who ran in the June 28 firehouse primary in the 11th District congressional race reported spending more than $2.2 million on their campaigns. That's about $339,000 more than they raised in political donations, according to the latest financial filings with the Federal Election Commission. Nine Democratic candidates reported receiving a combined $1,949,763.60 in donations for the primary, but spent a total of $2,288,768.21.
Va. GOP House incumbent Kim Taylor outraised opponent in reporting period
The latest campaign finance reports show Republican House of Delegates incumbent Kim Taylor raised more money in the most recent recording period than Democratic challenger Kimberly Pope Adams, but Pope Adams’ cash-on-hand amount remains almost three times that of Taylor’s. ... Taylor and Pope Adams are vying for the 82nd House District seat that stretches from eastern Dinwiddie County to Surry County, and includes all of the city of Petersburg. It is a rerun of the tightly fought 2023 race that saw Taylor win re-election by a whisker-thin 53 votes over Pope Adams after a recount.
Sears, Spanberger offer their take on Virginia’s data center-driven future
Data centers, the massive, power-hungry facilities that make the internet and AI work, continue to pop up across the Commonwealth. They bring billions in revenue for Virginia and its localities, but they can also bring neighborhood complaints, development concerns and drains on natural resources. The current landscape leaves open lots of options for how Virginia’s candidates for governor say they’d shape the data center future.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley talks about Va. elections
With Election Day a little more than 100 days away, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said the GOP is committed to ensuring Winsome Earle-Sears is the next governor of Virginia. Whatley said a lot of the RNC’s resources in Virginia will be used on a get-out-the-vote campaign. “When you think about grassroots and you think about the victory teams that are gonna be on the ground, where we’re recruiting and training volunteers to make phone calls, knocking on doors, and getting out literature,” Whatley told 8News in an exclusive interview.
Virginia Dels. Surovell, Webert to lead new energy subcommittee
Virginia House Majority Leader Scott Surovell, a Democrat representing eastern Fairfax County, has been tapped to chair a newly formed General Assembly subcommittee dubbed “Promoting New Advanced Energy Sources in Virginia: Advanced Nuclear, Geothermal, and Energy Storage.” State Del. Michael Webert, a Fauquier Republican, has been named vice chair. The subcommittee is one of the “few truly bipartisan efforts within the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation,” states a news release from Webert’s office.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin says he supports Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who's seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, said the Democratic Party made a "massive mistake" in booting Iowa from the leadoff spot on the presidential nominating calendar after the error-riddled 2020 caucuses. Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann asked Youngkin during the Republican Party of Iowa's annual Lincoln Dinner Thursday, July 17, if he supports the presidential nominating process with Iowa at the forefront, and the Virginia governor said "absolutely."
Youngkin speaks in Iowa on education, 2021 election win
Though Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has not said whether he is planning a run for president in 2028, he said during the Iowa GOP Lincoln Dinner on Thursday that he supports keeping the Iowa caucuses first in the nation. Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann asked Youngkin during a “fireside chat” at the fundraiser if he likes the current presidential nominating system that starts with the Iowa Republican caucuses — and Youngkin responded he “absolutely” supports the current system.