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Spanberger expands fundraising advantage over Earle-Sears
Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, has expanded her commanding fundraising advantage over Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in their historic race to become the first woman elected governor in Virginia, with nearly five times more cash to spend in the final five months of the campaign. Spanberger, a Henrico County resident who stepped down this year after three terms in Congress to run for governor, raised $6.5 million in just over two months, compared with $3.5 million for Earle-Sears, whose campaign spent more money than it collected from April 1 to June 5.
Two Roanoke Democrats vie for chance to face Del. McNamara in 40th House District
A race between two Roanoke women with differing experiences on their resumes will determine the Democratic nominee in the 40th state House District. Donna Littlepage is recently retired as the chief financial officer of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. It’s her first run for elected office. Kiesha Preston is an activist, actress, consultant and domestic abuse survivor who has used the difficulties she’s faced to seek change, she said. She ran as an independent for Roanoke City Council in 2020, finishing sixth in an eight-way race for three seats. The winner of next Tuesday’s primary will face Del. Joe McNamara, R-Roanoke County, in the general election Nov. 4. McNamara had held the seat since 2018. It has historically trended Republican.
At Youth for Tomorrow’s Henrico ribbon-cutting, Youngkin touts Virginia’s behavioral health ‘transformation’
Collaboration between public and private agencies, volunteers and other stakeholders has transformed Virginia’s ability to provide immediate behavioral health services to people in need statewide, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Youth for Tomorrow location in Henrico’s West End Tuesday. Bipartisan efforts have resulted in the investment of about $1.5 billion into the system during Youngkin’s time in office, and the implementation of his administration’s “Right Help, Right Now” initiative has paid significant dividends, he told those gathered at the YFT location at 2810 North Parham Road, near Tucker High School.
Chesapeake Bay health grade dips after hottest year on record and extreme rainfall patterns
The health of the Chesapeake Bay declined in an annual report card on the nation’s largest estuary released Tuesday, with scientists noting the effect of extreme rainfall patterns during the hottest year on record. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science gave the bay a C grade in its report card. That compares to a C-plus grade the bay received last year, which was the highest grade it had received since 2002.
Virginia Senate Democrats reject Youngkin’s university board picks
Virginia Senate Democrats rejected eight of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s appointees to public university boards, a move intended to push back on the Republican governor’s drive to give campus culture a conservative makeover. The impact of the vote, at an unusual Monday evening meeting of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, was a matter of dispute. While the senators said they had immediately ousted the eight from boards governing the University of Virginia, Virginia Military Institute and George Mason University, Youngkin’s office contended that any removals could not occur until 30 days into the next General Assembly session, which begins in January.
Virginia appeals court rejects Second Amendment challenge in Richmond machine gun case
The Virginia Court of Appeals has rejected a Richmond man’s challenge to the constitutionality of a state law regulating machine guns. “The Second Amendment,” wrote the court in its June 10 opinion, “does not protect the right to possess dangerous and unusual weapons like machine guns.” The case, which came out of Richmond Circuit Court, stemmed from the July 2023 arrest of Rasheed Fleming on a charge of unlawfully possessing a machine gun for an offensive or aggressive purpose.
Norfolk commonwealth’s attorney race one of most expensive, divisive in city’s history
The race to be the city’s next top prosecutor has been a divisive and expensive one, with both candidates on the attack and raising record amounts of money. And with just two Democrats vying for the position, voters won’t have to wait until November to find out who gets the job. The race will be over next week, when the June 17 Democratic Primary is held. Competing for the seat are incumbent Ramin Fatehi, a longtime Norfolk prosecutor and former public defender who’s seeking a second term, and John Butler, a former federal prosecutor and Navy judge advocate general running for elected office for the first time.
Babur Lateef wants to take his Prince William school successes statewide as lieutenant governor
Babur Lateef wants to take what he says are his successes as the chair of Prince William County’s school board and apply them to state politics. Lateef, an ophthalmologist, has also held board positions on the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors and UVA Health System. Now, Lateef is one of six candidates running to earn the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in the June 17 primary; the winner will face Republican John Reid for the office currently held by Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle Sears.
A short history of long ballots in Virginia
With six candidates on the ballot, the June 17 Democratic contest for lieutenant governor is the second most-crowded statewide primary in modern Virginia history. If history is any guide, a congested primary can generate uncertainty and makes it possible that someone can claim the nomination with considerably less than a majority of votes cast. Here’s a quick review of five statewide primaries since 1997 where the nominee won less than 40%.
Detainees more than double at Farmville Detention Center since October of 2024
The number of people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Farmville Detention Center in Prince Edward County has more than doubled since October of 2024, according to the agency’s data. According to data collected by ICE on May 27, 2025, there were reportedly 542 detainees at the Farmville Detention Center, located in Prince Edward County, which is more than double the number of detainees recorded by ICE on Oct. 7, 2024 — with that figure being 241.