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Yancey: Spanberger has almost 5 times as much campaign cash as Earle-Sears
Virginia Democrats enter the summer with a towering cash advantage over Republicans in many key races. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor, has almost five times as much cash on hand as her Republican opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears. Two of the Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor have four times as much money as Republican nominee John Reid; two others have more than twice as much, although it’s unclear how much money any of those Democrats will still have once next week’s June 17 primary is over.
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.
14 Democrats ask attorney general candidate Shannon Taylor to recuse herself from Dominion cases
A Virginia congressman and 11 current Democratic legislators are calling on attorney general candidate Shannon Taylor to address what they call “serious ethical concerns” over the roughly $650,000 her campaign has received from Dominion Energy. They warn that what they call “unprecedented contributions” from a regulated utility raise potential conflicts of interest and could undermine public trust in the office. All 14 signers of the letter — including a former congressman and a former delegate — have endorsed Taylor’s Democratic opponent, former Del. Jay Jones, D-Norfolk, in the June 17 primary for attorney general.
Virginia Senate Dems refuse to confirm Cuccinelli, other Youngkin board nominees
In a Monday evening vote, Democrats on a Virginia State Senate committee declined to confirm eight of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s appointees for three university boards, including former Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli and former state commerce and trade secretary Caren Merrick. Rejected in an 8-4 vote of the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections were eight Youngkin appointees to the boards of George Mason University, the University of Virginia and Virginia Military Institute.
Virginia Breeze bus routes experienced 25% growth during March
The Virginia Breeze bus service established an all-time record for monthly ridership during March. The service reported a systemwide 25% increase in ridership compared to March 2024, with a total of 8,049 passengers, according to a written statement. March 2025 also marked the highest reported ridership ever for the Valley Flyer route with 4,385 passengers for the month, compared to 3,177 in March 2024, a 40.6% increase. The route is historically the busiest of four routes, linking Blacksburg and Washington, D.C.
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.
VMI will soon have a new superintendent. What lies ahead for the military college?
A few days before graduation at Virginia Military Institute, Superintendent (Ret.) Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins spoke with the class of 2025 for the last time. “We’ve come in together and we will leave out together,” he told them. The class of 2025 was the first to matriculate at VMI under Wins’ leadership. In May, it was the last to graduate before his tenure ends this month. The state-run senior military college in Lexington has undergone many changes since Wins, its first black superintendent, first took on the role nearly five years ago.
Gov. Youngkin reacts to Trump’s actions amid ICE protests: ‘I fully support what he’s done’
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said he "fully supports" President Donald Trump's actions amid protests in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. President Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles on Sunday, later deploying 700 Marines. The Los Angeles Police Department says protesters have thrown objects at officers near the federal courthouse, prompting the use of gas canisters and other munitions. "We can't have cars being burned overnight and people rioting in the streets, tearing down not just business infrastructure and people's personal property, but threatening federal facilities as well," Youngkin said at an event in Richmond on Tuesday.
Army to restore names of seven bases that lost Confederate-linked names in 2023, including three in Va.
Seven Army bases whose names were changed in 2023 because they honored Confederate leaders are all reverting back to their original names, the Army said Tuesday. The announcement came just hours after President Donald Trump previewed the decision, telling troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, that he was changing the names back. Fort Bragg, which was changed to Fort Liberty by the Biden administration, was the first to have its original name restored after the Army found another person with the same last name. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was with Trump at Fort Bragg, signed an order restoring the name in February.