Javascript is required to run this page
VaNews

Search


Stoney concedes to Hashmi in lieutenant governor primary

By SABRINA MORENO, Axios

Former Richmond mayor Levar Stoney conceded the lieutenant governor race to State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi Wednesday morning. Both the GOP and Democratic ballots in November are now set to be among the most historically diverse tickets in Virginia history. The AP called the race for Hashmi Wednesday morning after Stoney's concession. "I'm incredibly proud of the campaign we ran and the many Virginians who supported our efforts to fight for a fair shot for all Virginians," Stoney said in a statement. "Unfortunately, in this primary we came up a little short."

VaNews June 19, 2025


Winsome Earle-Sears outlines pathway to GOP victory in Virginia that will defy the odds

By MABINTY QUARSHIE, Washington Examiner

Four years after winning statewide office in Virginia, Winsome Earle-Sears is back in the political arena. But this time around, the lieutenant governor hopes to succeed her boss, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), as the Old Dominion’s chief executive. It won’t be easy. Youngkin and Earle-Sears flipped Virginia red in 2021 by running a campaign built on backlash toward former President Joe Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

VaNews June 19, 2025


Earle-Sears focuses on message in tough race to keep swing-state ‘red’

By CHARLES CREITZ, Fox News

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears was officially named the Republican Party’s gubernatorial nominee on Tuesday evening, and during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, she described herself as "not a very conventional candidate." She said her goal is to reach voters across the political spectrum while working to keep Virginia’s historic state capitol – America’s oldest – under Republican leadership.

VaNews June 19, 2025


In Virginia and New Jersey governor’s races, Democrats reprise a 2018 roadmap for opposing Trump 2.0

By BILL BARROW, OLIVIA DIAZ AND MIKE CATALINI, Associated Press

Abigail Spanberger opened her general election bid for Virginia governor Wednesday using her high school alma mater near Richmond. “I grew up walking the halls of Tucker High School,” the former congresswoman says as she walks past a bank of lockers in her first ad since securing the Democratic nomination. Later, she notes her experience as a CIA case officer, then in the halls of Congress as a tough-minded, get-things-done lawmaker. The same kind of message is echoing in New Jersey from Rep. Mikie Sherrill, as she also makes a bid for governor. Both women are selling themselves as Democrats who can rise above the rancor of Donald Trump’s Washington.

VaNews June 19, 2025


Democrats hoping for anti-Trump backlash in Virginia’s race to elect first female governor

By SETH MCLAUGHLIN, Washington Times

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, faces an uphill climb against former Rep. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, according to analysts and party insiders who say the state’s political landscape favors Democrats. Republicans, though, insist Democrats face a serious challenge convincing voters who have been relatively happy with Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s leadership that it is time for an ideological shake-up. “The Democrats will represent a dramatic change from the direction the state has been in for the last four years,” said Jeff Ryer, chairman of the 1st Congressional District Republican Party. “I am not sure Virginians are ready for a change that would align this state with California, Illinois and New York.”

VaNews June 19, 2025


Sparks fly and Trump talk heats up after Virginia primary

By HEATHER HUNTER, Washington Examiner

Political fireworks erupted across the state after Virginia’s high-stakes Tuesday primaries, with top candidates wasting no time going on offense slamming their opponents, invoking President Donald Trump, and setting the tone for what’s expected to be a bruising general election. Democratic nominee for Attorney General Jay Jones lit the match Tuesday night, telling supporters that Trump is still pulling strings in Virginia politics.

VaNews June 19, 2025


Youngkin advocates ‘commonsense’ in November following Virginia primaries

By ASHER NOTHEIS, Washington Examiner

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) highlighted the impending elections across Virginia, urging voters to support “our Commonsense Team” this November. Virginia’s primary election day on Tuesday saw the Democratic Party select its candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general. Following the Republican Party’s surprise victory in the 2021 elections, Youngkin said that “the teams are now set” before Election Day on Nov. 4, stressing that “the future of Virginia is on the line.”

VaNews June 19, 2025


Early findings from state studies reveal growing pharmacy and transportation challenges in Virginia

By EMILY SCHABACKER, Cardinal News

Pharmacy closures and transportation barriers are making it harder for Virginians, especially those in rural communities, to access health care. On Wednesday, staff with the Joint Commission on Health Care presented preliminary findings from two studies that could shape policy discussions in next year’s General Assembly session. The studies focused on pharmacy deserts and the challenges Virginians face getting to medical appointments. Researchers drew on state data as well as on insights from interviews with pharmacists and community leaders.

VaNews June 19, 2025


Rozell: Drubbing in RVA doomed Levar Stoney

By MARK J. ROZELL, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)

This can’t be the outcome former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney expected from his amply funded lieutenant governor bid in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, finishing just 3,816 votes, or 0.8 of a percentage point, behind state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, the complete but unofficial returns show. It is stunning because Stoney lost the city he had governed for two terms — eight years — by 10,509 votes, or 37 percentage points, to Hashmi, whose district includes portions of Richmond and Chesterfield County.

Rozell is the dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University where he holds the Ruth D. and John T. Hazel Chair in Public Policy.

VaNews June 19, 2025


On Juneteenth, Williamsburg Schoolhouse to Find New Life

By AUDRA D. S. BURCH, New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)

The building with a forgotten past sat on the campus of William & Mary for nearly a century. It served as the home of the military science department at the college in Williamsburg, Va., and before that, a women’s dormitory. But its story is even older. In 2020, researchers discovered that it was not just a facet of the historic campus, but a rare artifact in the history of Black life in colonial America. About 250 years ago, the unassuming structure housed the Williamsburg Bray School, making it the oldest known building where enslaved and free Black children were formally educated. Since the discovery, the Bray School has been fully restored. It will open to the public on Thursday — Juneteenth — in Colonial Williamsburg ...

VaNews June 19, 2025