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In Virginia’s 100th House District, Democrats choose their fighter
Democrats in part of Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore were preparing for a firehouse primary this month to select a nominee to challenge Del. Rob Bloxom in November. But now, one candidate says he’s dropping out of the House District 100 race and endorsing the other, eliminating the need for the planned caucus vote on May 31. Rocco DeBellis, a New York native who serves as personal chef to Judge Judy, announced Tuesday he was stepping down from the race. If no other Democrats throw a hat in the ring by 5 p.m. Saturday, that would make Liz Richardson, of the Eastern Shore, the Democratic nominee.
Candidates for lieutenant governor, AG speak at Nelson Democrat forum
Five of the six Democratic candidates vying to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor and the party’s two contenders running for attorney general addressed Nelson County voters at a May 12 forum in Lovingston. Babur Lateef, Victor Salgado, Ghazala Hashmi, Alex Bastani and Levar Stoney, all running for lieutenant governor, each spoke during the Nelson Democratic Forum at the Nelson Center. Candidate Aaron Rouse did not attend.
Spanberger: Time to crack down on insurer practices that keep drug costs up
Democratic candidate for governor Abigail Spanberger wants to crack down on a range of insurer practices she says are keeping drug costs up, and hitting Virginians with abusive billing practices and scam coverage. Stopping Wednesday at a community pharmacy in Mechanicsville, Spanberger said holding down the cost of medication is a priority but she stopped short of backing the a prescription drug board to cap drug prices. Democratic legislators have pushed the concept for two years and Gov. Glenn Youngkin has vetoed the measures.
Spanberger faces opposition, open minds while pitching healthcare cost plans
Near the Hanover County line sits the locally owned Mechanicsville Drug Store. It’s the kind of place that still has a breakfast counter alongside greeting cards, a pharmacy and other odds-and-ends. And Wednesday morning, in between its narrow aisles, it hosted Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger. The former congresswoman was there to talk about her plans to address healthcare costs. But she touched on why she first ran for Congress back in 2017, specifically when then-Congressman Dave Brat, who she later unseated, voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
More access, less cost: Spanberger lays out health care plans if she wins Virginia governorship
While Abigail Spanberger’s former congressional colleagues stayed up late Tuesday night debating proposed cuts to Medicaid in a jumbo GOP bill to reduce federal spending, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee outlined her health care-focused plans if she becomes Virginia’s next governor Wednesday morning at a local independent pharmacy in Mechanicsville. Standing in Mechanicsville Drug Store, a family-owned business that’s nearly 70 years old, Spanberger drove home her legislative priorities to lower prescription drug costs and close rural health care gaps in the state.
Spanberger holds 4-point lead over Earle-Sears in Virginia FREE poll
Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, holds a four-percentage-point lead over Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the race for governor in a new poll commissioned by Virginia FREE, a statewide business advocacy organization. Spanberger, who stepped down in January after three terms representing a formerly Republican swing district in Congress, holds a 52-48% lead over Earle-Sears, according to a poll of 1,000 likely Virginia voters that two firms, Pantheon Insight and HarrisX, conducted for Virginia FREE. The margin of error in the poll is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
‘All hands on deck moment’ as Virginia faces federal challenges
Virginia budget leaders delivered a blunt challenge to Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday about the economic threats that residents of Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads face as President Donald Trump slashes the government workforce and spending. Meantime, Youngkin joined 19 other Republican governors in a letter to Trump, endorsing his package of big tax cuts and spending cuts, which the president is urging congressional Republicans to pass.
Virginia renters make modest gains from lawmakers in the General Assembly
As rental housing costs continue to rise, Virginia lawmakers passed a few modest measures this year to reduce fees, offer tenants more protections and boost housing for Navy sailors. More ambitious proposals, including potential rent controls, failed to win broad approval. Several members expressed frustration about the state’s inability to address what is typically a tenant’s largest monthly expense: rent. “We are at a point where, if we do not make significant changes, it will get exponentially worse, and I don’t think everyone is clued in on that enough,” said Del. Marcia Price, D-Newport News.
Miyares wants U.S. agencies to intervene in Va. magnet school’s admissions
The admissions process at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology was challenged again this week as Virginia’s attorney general and an activist group aimed to revive a debate over whether the policy unfairly discriminates against Asian American students. Attorney General Jason S. Miyares (R) on Wednesday said that his office had completed a two-year investigation into the admissions process at Thomas Jefferson, the prestigious Northern Virginia magnet school locally known as TJ. He said the probe found that the Fairfax County district’s decision to switch to a more holistic admissions policy violated the Virginia Human Rights Act and the federal Civil Rights Act.
‘It was not an accident’: Va. AG says Thomas Jefferson High School’s admissions policy violates civil rights laws
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said he’s found proof of racial discrimination tied to Fairfax County Public Schools’ admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School, even though the admissions policy was litigated all the way to the Supreme Court and ruled constitutional. Miyares announced the findings of his investigation Wednesday at the Korean Community Center in Annandale, not far away from the high school.