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These centrist women on a group chat are leading Democrats in 2025
They jumped into politics in President Donald Trump’s first term. They ascended to Congress with similar resumes. They text all the time in a group chat. Now Abigail Spanberger, Mikie Sherrill and Elissa Slotkin are all playing leading roles for the Democratic Party — a trio of centrist women with national security backgrounds who helped retake the House in 2018 and this year hope to steer their beleaguered party back toward winning. Spanberger, 45, had already clinched the Democratic nomination for governor of Virginia heading into Tuesday’s primaries. She and 53-year-old Sherrill, the nominee in New Jersey, will lead Democrats on the ballot in the marquee races of 2025, testing the party’s ability to rebuild in Trump’s second term.
Loudoun County supervisor says 25 people have been taken from Sterling Immigration Court in past month
Loudoun County Supervisor Juli Briskman sharply criticized the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office for working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a press release as tensions rise nationwide. While 10 people were detained and arrested at Sterling Immigration Court last week, Briskman alleged that ICE agents confronted two more people who were watching. One person was "manhandled" outside of the building by plain clothes officers, according to a press release. The officers also pushed away the other person's phone, she wrote.
Child care costs squeeze Virginia families
The cost of child care in Virginia and around the nation is skyrocketing, with a new report finding that it's outpacing overall inflation. Rising child care costs put a huge financial strain on families, Axios' Emily Peck reports. They can force some parents — typically women — to either ratchet back their working hours or leave the labor force entirely. For single parents, the calculus can be even more painful. The average annual cost of daycare tuition in Virginia for two children — one toddler and one infant — rose to $30,680 last year, according to data from Child Care Aware, an advocacy group.
From VPAP Extra! Extra! Special Election Edition of The Virginia Press Room!
In this special primary episode of the podcast from VaNews and VPM, Michael Pope is joined by Sam Shirazi of the Federal Fallout podcast. They discuss the close contests for the Democratic statewide ticket and results of Republican and Democratic primaries for the House of Delegates as well as some interesting local elections. Tune in for insights and analysis on Virginia politics. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s race: Fatehi holds off strong challenge from Butler
Incumbent Ramin Fatehi held off a spirited and well-backed challenge from former federal prosecutor John Butler to win a second term as the city’s top prosecutor. Late Tuesday night, Fatehi had a decisive lead over Butler, with 52% of the vote in the Democratic Primary. Butler called Fatehi shortly before 10 p.m. to concede. Because there are no Republicans, Independents or other party members in the race, the winner of Tuesday’s primary became the city’s next commonwealth’s attorney.
Loudoun County sheriff slams Democratic lawmaker over ‘false’ claims about helping ICE
Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman on Tuesday accused a Democratic county supervisor of making “false” claims about deputies helping federal immigration authorities round up illegal immigrants. “Supervisor [Juli] Briskman’s false reporting is a shameful attempt to divide our strong community and undermine law enforcement in one of the safest major counties in the nation,” Sheriff Chapman said. He was responding to Ms. Briskman’s claim that deputies had detained someone for Immigration and Customs Enforcement after the person called police for assistance following a car crash.
With federal funding uncertain, Va. faces $8 million gap for attendance, teacher retention programs
Virginia could be on the hook for $8 million to cover two initiatives to address student attendance and teacher retention if the federal government denies the commonwealth’s appeals, House lawmakers learned on Monday. The Virginia Department of Education, along with 14 school divisions and the Department of Juvenile Justice, filed appeals after being informed that the deadline for spending all allocated funds was abruptly moved to March 28 of this year. The original deadline had been set for March 2026. VDOE’s two appeals focused on the state’s Attendance Data Dashboard, designed to combat chronic absenteeism, and Grow Your Own, a program to support teacher apprenticeship pipelines.
5 takeaways from Virginia’s primary election results
The political spotlight this year is on Virginia, which kicked off its statewide election cycle on Tuesday as voters around the state cast their ballots in primary races that determine this fall’s closely-watched battle for the top posts in Richmond. ... “The old saying that all politics is local doesn't really apply in Virginia in 2025,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. “Even though Donald Trump's name is not on the ballot, the president will be at the center of these conversations.” He added that the primary appeared to be largely determined by suburban women and Black voters in the Hampton Roads region ...
In Virginia Democratic primary, Jay Jones wins AG nod, lieutenant governor race too close to call
Statewide races for lieutenant governor and attorney general in the Virginia Democratic primary were very tight, with just a few thousand votes separating the candidates. According to unofficial results, former Del. Jerrauld “Jay” Jones narrowly clinched the party’s nomination for lieutenant governor, with a 1% lead over Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor. The Associated Press called the race just before 10 p.m. with an estimated 95% of the vote counted.
Can AI identify safety threats in schools? Loudoun County wants to try.
Loudoun County schools will use an artificial intelligence system to help identity fights, bullying or other potential safety threats on campuses. The system, from local tech company VOLT AI, will use AI to monitor video footage from the school district’s existing security cameras to spot incidents that might require staff intervention, such as the presence of weapons or other safety threats or medical emergencies. The cameras are used only in common areas, not bathrooms or locker rooms.