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‘It’s going to be tough’: Virginia Republicans brace for a grim November
Virginia Republicans are bracing for November with a growing sense of doom. The GOP already faced a tough climate in this year’s elections thanks to tech billionaire Elon Musk’s war on the state’s robust federal workforce. Then came a bitter, intraparty feud over Republicans’ lieutenant governor candidate. Now, some Republicans are privately expressing concerns about the viability of their gubernatorial nominee, Winsome Earle-Sears. “With the demographics of Richmond, in an off year with the Republican White House, it’s going to be tough,” said longtime Virginia Republican strategist Jimmy Keady. “To be a Republican to win in Virginia, you have to run a very good campaign. You’ve got to have [tailwinds] and the Democratic candidate’s got to make a mistake.”
Virginia’s budget surplus grows as revenues beat expectations despite national slowdown
Virginia’s general fund revenues rose sharply in April, bucking signs of a national economic cooldown as the state continues to post steady long-time job growth and rake in more tax dollars than projected. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday that general fund revenues are up 6.3% — nearly $1.5 billion — compared to the same 10-month period last fiscal year. April alone brought in $322.4 million more than the same month in 2024, marking an 8.8% jump.
Lewis: Va. statewide GOP nominees refuse to buck Trump in a state where he’s a proven albatross
This is primary season and candidates have to double down on what the truest of your party’s true believers truly believe. The common logic is that you steer as far as you can to the right (for Republicans) or left (among Democrats) to rouse their base voters until they’re ready to chew barbed wire and spit out roofing nails. Then, after the preseason scrimmage is over, it’s time to tack back toward the center — where the dispositive mass of Virginia’s electorate has repeatedly proved it resides — and, if you still can, appear less the wild-eyed zealot and more the measured, moderate and sane candidate of November. But something weird is happening this year ...
Despite federal backlash, Albemarle County teaching students ‘whole truth history’
“Remember, your listeners are from Mars,” teacher Susan Greenwood told one of her fifth graders at Brownsville Elementary. “They know nothing about slavery, they know nothing about the Civil War.” Greenwood was circulating the classroom on February 4, giving pointed feedback on students’ writing for an assignment in her Virginia Studies class. The goal was to develop arguments to answer the core question in this unit on the Civil War: Was violence justified to resist slavery? Educators in Albemarle County, such as Greenwood, are practicing a new approach to teaching social studies that requires students to think critically and understand key events from a range of perspectives, including those whose voices are often omitted from standard accounts.
Yancey: 5 new factors that are shaping the governor’s race
We’re expecting a new Roanoke College poll before the month ends, and that will give us some numerical sense of where Virginia’s governor’s race stands. However, we don’t need polls to tell us about some of the forces that are shaping the contest that will put a woman in the governor’s office for the first time in Virginia history. Some things we knew all along: how voters feel about President Donald Trump, how they feel about Governor Glenn Youngkin, how they feel about lots of other things. Here are five new factors: 1. Spanberger tries to take ‘right-to-work’ off the table, but Earle-Sears presses the attack anyway.
State Sen. Barbara Favola receiving treatment for uterine cancer
State Sen. Barbara Favola, who represents the majority of Arlington County, is undergoing treatment for uterine cancer. In a social media post today (Monday), the 69-year-old said she successfully underwent a hysterectomy on Friday at Virginia Hospital Center. “A series of chemotherapy treatments are likely to follow, but I expect to continue my Senate duties between these sessions,” Favola said.
Prince William supervisors approve training facility agreement with ICE in controversial vote
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors has renewed a contract with federal immigration officials to let federal officers continue using the county’s weapons training facility. During the board’s May 13 meeting, supervisors narrowly voted to extend a contract that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to use the county’s Mike Pennington Scenario-Based Training Center at 7751 Doane Drive, Manassas.
Henrico delays vote on data centers' expansion
The Henrico Board of Supervisors has extended the deadline for its vote to restrict data centers in the county. In the interim, the board has asked for county staff to redraw the plan, making it more restrictive than initially planned. Henrico has been a hot spot for data centers over the past few years. The county has been courting these massive tax-generating properties since 2017. Most large-scale data centers have gone into Varina’s White Oak Technology Park.
Virginia lawmakers react to proposed federal moratorium on AI regulation
Congress is considering a bill that could leave Virginia, and every other state, powerless to regulate artificial intelligence. You probably know the plot of the 1984 movie The Terminator – a cyborg hitman from the future arrives in the present, sent because of a future war between humans and A-I powered machines. Virginia might be encountering its own unwanted plot twist says State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, if Congress approves a 10-year moratorium on state regulation of artificial intelligence.
Fairfax planning commissioner announces congressional run to replace Connolly
A Fairfax County planning commissioner is the latest candidate seeking to replace retiring Rep. Gerry Connolly. Candice Bennett, who has served on the commission since 2020, announced Thursday (May 15) that she will campaign for the Democratic nomination for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, which includes most of Fairfax County. ... Bennett is the third declared Democrat running for the seat. Connolly, a ninth-term incumbent, will not run for reelection, citing a reemergence of esophageal cancer.