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Connolly tweets from beyond the grave to boost former chief of staff in Virginia election
The social media account of former Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, who died in office last month, called on voters in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District to support his former chief of staff, James Walkinshaw, in the special election primary. According to his website, Connolly endorsed Walkinshaw before his death. The post received some backlash online.
Deceased lawmaker’s social media urges support for former aide in Virginia special election
Social media accounts for the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) urged Democrats to vote for his former chief of staff James Walkinshaw in the party’s upcoming special election, in posts Tuesday. “Early voting starts TODAY in VA-11! This is our first chance to stand up for our workers, our schools, our democracy, and everything Gerry fought for. Before his passing, Gerry endorsed James Walkinshaw to carry on that legacy because he knew James would never stop fighting for us. Make your plan and vote early and bring a friend. Every vote matters,” the post on Connolly’s Facebook page reads.
Some, but not all, 11th District GOP candidates condemn ‘theatrics’ of DOGE cuts
Roughly half of the Republicans seeking to represent Virginia’s 11th Congressional District condemned the process — but not the result — used by the Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash the federal workforce. Speaking to voters at a forum on Sunday (June 22), three of the candidates expressed a distaste for the way in which tens of thousands of federal government workers have been fired since President Donald Trump took office in January, allegedly to reduce spending.
Spanberger talks car tax, Job Corps program cuts on campaign stop in Lynchburg
The Democratic nominee for governor, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, held a rally in Lynchburg on Tuesday afternoon as part of her “Span Virginia,” an eight-day bus tour with 40 stops across the state. Spanberger arrived on her campaign bus around 1:30 p.m. and entered Three Roads Brewing in downtown to a cheering crowd. In her speech, Spanberger said, “I’ve got a lot of fuel in the tank” as she looked ahead to the months on the campaign trail until the general election in November.
Tysons Casino Backer Donates $105K To Earle-Sears
The Republican candidate running to be Virginia's next governor received $105,000 from the company seeking to build a casino in Tysons, according to the latest state financial filings. Building a Remarkable Virginia, one of two political action committees funded by casino developer Comstock Holding Companies, made the donations to Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears' campaign in two installments — $55,000 on June 2 and $50,000 on June 3, according to state financial filings reported by the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project. The company's other PAC is Comstock Hospitality Holdings.
Virginia’s GOP ticket to hold first united rally since controversy
Virginia’s statewide GOP ticket appears to be making amends and will appear together at a rally in Northern Virginia next week. The Republican nominees for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general are holding a joint rally July 1 – marking the first time the ticket will appear together since nominees were finalized in April and for the first time since Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin asked the party’s lieutenant governor nominee to drop out of the race.
Federal cuts hit coastal flooding, dam projects in Virginia
As Virginia’s various government agencies wait to hear how the federal budget will affect their funding, some departments have already seen significant cuts that are putting a hold on important hazard mitigation projects and emergency management support. In an effort to understand the full scope of federal cuts on the commonwealth, state House members have been hosting committee meetings in communities across Virginia. In a Friday meeting in Norfolk, which increasingly faces rising sea levels and coastal land loss, officials shared projects and goals that will not move forward.
Yancey: Why Google’s data center project in Botetourt gets applause while others don’t
When Prince William County approved three rezonings for the Prince William Digital Gateway complex of data centers, neighbors went to court. When a developer proposed a data center complex near Chatham, it sparked six months of controversy before the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted down the project. When Botetourt County announced Tuesday that Google — yes, that Google — has bought 312 acres in the county’s business park for what was described as the first hyperscale data center project in the western part of the state, a room full of people cheered.
The Republican statewide ticket announces plans to appear together for the first time
Republicans locked down their ticket back in April, although the three statewide candidates have yet to appear with each other on a stage. The GOP is planning to change that. Earlier this week, Republicans were grabbing headlines with news that their statewide candidates were actually talking to each other after a protracted silence. Late Tuesday night, they announced a rally for July 1st in Vienna.
Virginia Democrats ask judge to bar some Youngkin picks from college boards
A group of Virginia Senate Democrats sued the leaders of the governing boards at three public universities, an unusual step that escalated their effort to remove several of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s board appointees amid a fight over how to govern the state’s colleges. The lawsuit alleges that the Youngkin administration — namely Youngkin, Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares and Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera — are trying to usurp legislators’ authority by ignoring a recent vote by a Senate committee to reject some appointees to the boards of the University of Virginia, George Mason University and Virginia Military Institute.