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Davidson: Sen. Kaine wants more career, fewer political-fundraising ambassadors
Have you heard the story about the expensive handbag designer, a member of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, who was his ambassador to South Africa? Although born there, Lana Marks had no previous diplomatic experience. What about Kelly Craft, a Republican donor and Trump’s ambassador to Canada, who reportedly was dubbed an “absent ambassador” because she was so often away from her post? Or the one about the bipartisan political fundraiser and would-be U.S. ambassador to Norway nominated by President Barack Obama?
Democratic primary in Va.’s 10th district is getting expensive. Where is the money coming from?
Virginia’s 10th congressional district is home to one of the most competitive Democratic primaries in the commonwealth this year, with a dozen candidates vying for their party’s nod to run for retiring Rep. Jennifer Wexton’s seat this fall. And with a few weeks left before the June 18th primary date — and early voting already underway — the contest is shaping up to be a costly one, according to the final round of federal campaign filings before Election Day.
Richmond father, son who stormed Capitol are sentenced
A Richmond father and son who pleaded guilty to felony charges in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington were sentenced Friday to 30 months and 50 months in prison, respectively, court records show. Farhad Azari, 63, and his son, Farbod Azari, 32, on Jan. 22 had each pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon and one count of civil disorder.
Virginia still seen as stretch for Trump despite two tied polls with Biden
Two recent polls show President Biden and former president Donald Trump tied in Virginia, a surprising finding for a blue-trending state that Biden won by 10 points in 2020 and that independent analysts still see as a stretch for the presumptive GOP nominee. Trump was deeply unpopular in the Old Dominion while he was in the White House, allowing Democrats to roll up big wins in the state over those four years. But Biden’s popularity tanked after winning the state. A Fox News survey released Thursday has Biden and Trump with 48 percent apiece, and a Roanoke College poll late last month had them both at 42 percent.
Youngkin says Trump could become the first GOP presidential candidate to win Virginia in 20 years
It’s been two decades since a Republican carried Virginia in the race for the White House. You have to go back to then-President George W. Bush, who won the Commonwealth in his 2004 re-election victory. Democrats have carried the state in four straight presidential elections, including President Biden’s 10-point victory over Donald Trump four years ago as he won the White House. But GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin thinks the former president has a very good shot of ending the Republican losing streak in Virginia as Trump faces off this autumn with Biden in a 2024 election rematch.
Gov. Youngkin signs executive order regarding voter list maintenance
On Friday, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order to strengthen Virginia’s voter rolls and ensure better data accuracy. According to a release from the governor’s office, Executive Order 31 builds on the administration’s improvements to list maintenance. This includes establishing one-to-one data-sharing agreements with seven states; conducting two National Change of Address mailings; and streamlining the process for removing voters who have died from the system.
Details emerge about criminal case against Virginia Beach GOP chairwoman
The chairwoman of the Republican Party of Virginia Beach was indicted this week on a felony charge of intercepting wire communications. Laura K. Hughes, an attorney and former Virginia Beach School Board member, was indicted Monday by a Virginia Beach grand jury, according to online court records. The crime carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A court document filed in the case says the charges stem from an incident in February, but did not provide any details. However, a Republican Party member who said he was there during the alleged offense, recounted the incident.
Appalachian Power requests decreased transmission rate for Va. customers
Appalachian Power has filed a request with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) to lower the electric transmission cost for customers. Appalachian Power says this rate, known as the T-RAC, is the part of a customer’s bill that recovers costs for transmission services, fees and new construction. Costs allocated to the company by PJM — an independent regional transmission organization that manages the electric grid in 13 states — have decreased, and they say they’re passing that lower cost to customers.
Chesapeake ponders changing voting system to districts
An effort to change the way City Council and School Board members are elected in Virginia’s second largest city is gaining momentum. Tuesday, a resolution is up for a vote in front of City Council that, if passed, would place an advisory referendum on the November 2024 ballot. Voters would be asked if they would like to change from Chesapeake’s at-large system, in which all members of City Council are voted on by all registered voters, to a system that has the city divided into eight districts, where you only vote for the mayor and the council member that lives in your district.
Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority cuts way to profit amid liquor sales decline
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority is trying to get back on track to profitability and stability after a reckoning with declining liquor sales that dealt a big blow to the profit margins it had promised to the state in this fiscal year and the two-year budget that takes effect on July 1. The General Assembly lowered its expectation for ABC profits by almost $5 million in the current fiscal year and $44 million in the next one, as the state-owned liquor monopoly faced a drop in retail sales of almost $40 million in the first 10 months of the current year, through April 30.