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State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi leans on legislative experience in lieutenant governor run
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi was an educator and an academic administrator before being elected in 2019 to represent Virginia’s 15th District, which covers much of Chesterfield County. Now, Hashmi is hoping to preside over the Senate as Virginia’s next lieutenant governor. She is the only woman of the six candidates in the June 17 Democratic primary for the statewide position. The winner will face Republican John Reid for the office currently occupied by Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears. VPM News state politics reporter Jahd Khalil recently spoke to Hashmi about her campaign, as part of a series of conversations with all six Democratic candidates for the state’s No. 2 job.
Wallace: Trump’s DEI mandate is a surrogate for white social grievances
On April 3, President Donald Trump issued an executive order requiring elementary through higher education institutions to certify they have no “illegal DEI practices,” defined as whites being subjected to discrimination while non-whites and marginalized groups benefit. Non-compliant institutions have lost federal non-related research contract funding and private universities may lose tax-free status. Sixty colleges have opposed this interference with higher education legal entitlements. Additionally, Trump utilized various retaliatory schemes against law firms, publishing and broadcast companies, major corporations and tech companies which ignored his expectations.
Parties set to pick candidates for Connolly seat on June 28
Democrats and Republicans will choose their candidates for a vacant Northern Virginia seat in Congress by party-run processes on June 28 for a special election in the 11th Congressional District on Sept. 9. Democrats will choose from a growing field that now includes nine candidates in a firehouse primary at multiple locations. Republicans plan a daylong canvass at a single site to pick from four announced candidates. A 14th candidate for the seat — opened by the death of Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-11th, on May 21 — has announced his candidacy as an independent.
Molina Healthcare to close Henrico office, laying off 268 workers
Molina Healthcare, a Fortune 500 company that manages health care services for Medicaid and Medicare recipients, is closing its Henrico County office and laying off 268 workers, it said in a letter notifying the state. According to the Virginia Works website’s WARN notice page, California-based Molina notified the state May 13 that it will close its facility at 3829 Gaskins Road on June 30 and that all of its staffers there will be laid off as of July 14. The company provides managed health care services under Medicaid and Medicare programs and through state insurance marketplaces, and in Virginia, Molina is one of five managed care organizations (MCO), health plans that include providers that accept Medicaid.
Lewis: As Democrats duke it out in Va. primaries, GOP nominees won’t be seen together
In about 10 days, we will know the names of all the candidates who will appear on November’s general election ballot for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in Virginia. What we might not know by then is whether both parties’ tickets are unified. The nominees are set in the Republican Party. So there should have been no need there for the acrimony and infighting that tests the bonds of party cohesiveness in the run-up to primary elections and then the strained, awkward rapprochements that follow. Right? The Democrats still have that bridge to cross with a six-way primary for lieutenant governor and a one-to-one showdown in the attorney general primary.
Yancey: Only 2 of 12 statewide candidates have been to Virginia’s westernmost county
Doug Wilder set a standard that few candidates since him have met. In 1985, he formally launched his campaign for lieutenant governor in the most unlikely place possible: the Cumberland Gap, the westernmost point in Virginia. There was a certain political brilliance in Wilder going as far away from the state capital as he could. Few believed that he could win, that Virginia wasn’t ready for a Black candidate — so Wilder went to the whitest part of the state, Southwest Virginia. That guaranteed lots of free news coverage for a candidate who didn’t have much money, and it helped him make the rhetorical case that he was running to represent all Virginians. It also didn’t hurt that most of Southwest Virginia then was still strongly Democratic territory. Wilder was greeted with a warm reception, lots of free publicity and, that fall, 59.2% of the vote in Lee County.
Wilkins: Cutting solar tax credits will cost Virginia billions
When my company first began installing solar panels in Virginia, I knew I was helping businesses and homeowners save on their energy bills, hedge against utility rate increases, and achieve environmental goals. Now, 12 years later, I’ve witnessed solar energy grow from a promising technology to an engine of economic development, creating thousands of good-paying jobs and attracting billions in private investment.
Manouchehri: A smarter, more efficient defense budget starts in Virginia
Growing up in an Iranian-immigrant household shaped by service and sacrifice, we never took our opportunities for granted. My parents believed in hard work, giving back, and reminded me often: public service requires commitment and sacrifice. Today, I have the privilege of leading MetroStar, a Reston-based, venture-backed AI-enabled services company focused on digital modernization for the federal government — including the Department of Defense and intelligence community. Our work sits at the intersection of national security and innovation. It’s here, in Virginia, where we believe the future of cost-effective, software-defined defense begins.
Republicans will decide 11th Congressional District nominee at lone canvass event
Local Republicans will determine their nominee for the 11th Congressional District special election on the same day as their Democratic counterparts. A singular canvass event will be held on June 28 at Fairfax High School, gathering all voters in one location to select a nominee, Virginia’s 11th Congressional District Republican Committee announced last week. Planned directly by the party, the canvass precedes the Sept. 9 special election set by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin earlier this month. The winner of that election will serve the remaining time in the two-year term of Rep. Gerry Connolly, who died last month.
Fauquier supervisor defends decision to sell family farm for data centers
Daron Culbertson, a Fauquier County supervisor, says economics prompted his decision to sell his family farm on Remington Road to developers of a data center campus. He plans to recuse himself from discussions and decisions on the data center development, according to a statement issued on Monday. Culbertson’s statement comes amid criticism and backlash following news of the impending sale and proposed data center development last week.