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Richmond election officials appear not to have enforced finance disclosure mandates
Nearly half of the 16 candidates for Richmond School Board last year missed at least one deadline for campaign finance disclosures, according to a review of reports filed with the state Department of Elections. But it does not appear that the city's Office of Elections took any corrective action. The office issued no citations for late reports, which under state law calls for candidates to be assessed a civil penalty of $100. Shaking up the city’s lackadaisical approach to campaign finance is yet another issue for the city’s three-member Electoral Board to address following the tumultuous three-year tenure of city voting registrar Keith Balmer, who resigned in December. Board chair Starlet Stevens declined to discuss documentation gathered by The Richmonder showing various examples of lax oversight.
Democrats push unity in first day of bus tour
The Democratic statewide ticket held its first joint event Saturday afternoon at Abner Clay Park in Richmond, launching an eight-day bus tour. Gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger, lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi and attorney general nominee Jay Jones emphasized party unity and standing up to President Donald Trump. “Today is a really fun day,” Spanberger said. “We are starting our bus tour across the commonwealth to make sure that everywhere we travel, people get to hear from us about the things that we are for, the policies we wish and will work to pursue.” The ticket was introduced by United States Senator Mark Warner and Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-VA04, who both stressed the importance of standing up to Trump.
Sen. Tim Kaine says President Trump is waging ‘unconstitutional’ war against Iran
Sen. Tim Kaine said Sunday that it was “unconstitutional” for President Trump to launch a military strike against Iran without congressional approval. Mr. Kaine, Virginia Democrat and a member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, said Mr. Trump cannot rely on the 2001 Authorization of Military Force, which was enacted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and he expects Congress to vote on a new AUMF this week. “We will have all members of the Senate have to declare whether or not the U.S. should be at war with Iran,” Mr. Kaine said on “Fox News Sunday.” “It is unconstitutional for a president to initiate a war like this without Congress. Every member of Congress needs to vote on this.”
Youngkin orders assessment of federal sexual assault prevention programs in Virginia National Guard
Hoping to provide oversight for existing federal sexual assault prevention programs in the military, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order Friday that would establish a commonwealth work group. Youngkin said he hoped the order would provide an assessment the Sexual Assault Prevention Response (SAPR,) a federal program introduced in the 2000s to respond to sexual violence claims in all branches of the military, as well as the National Guard.
From VPAP New Episode: The Virginia Press Room Podcast
In the latest episode of the podcast from VaNews and VPM, Michael Pope is joined by Shannon Heckt of the Virginia Mercury, Teo Armus of The Washington Post, and Graham Moomaw of The Richmonder. They discuss the week's top headlines: the results of the Democratic primaries for lieutenant governor and attorney general, Richmond voters turning against former mayor Levar Stoney, and Virginia's patchwork data center regulation policies. Tune in for insights and analysis on Virginia politics. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
The fall of Levar Stoney: How Richmond cost him the race for lieutenant governor
In 2016, the city of Richmond elected a 35-year-old upstart Democrat named Levar Stoney as its mayor. In 2020, the city elected him again. But on Tuesday, Richmond voters summarily rejected him in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. He finished second among six candidates statewide and lost the race to Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield. It was a close but stunning defeat for a candidate who was once a protégé to then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe and remains well-funded and well-connected.
Vital sites in Williamsburg’s Black history take steps forward on Juneteenth
Two important sites in Williamsburg’s Black history took the spotlight on Thursday as the region observed the holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. Dozens of people gathered on Nassau Street on Juneteenth for a groundbreaking ceremony that will kick off the rebuilding of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches. Nearby, visitors were welcomed inside the Bray School, one of the oldest surviving schools for Black children that has been recreated to look as it did in the 18th century.
Same-sex marriage key topic in first stop of Virginia Democrats’ ‘Worst of Winsome Tour’
The battle to become Virginia’s next governor came to Charlottesville on Friday, as part of a statewide tour aimed at criticizing the Republican nominee, current Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. The topic Democrats zeroed in on at Friday’s rally outside City Hall is one with ties to Charlottesville and strong opinions on both sides: same-sex marriage. “It’s fundamental,” Llezelle Dugger, the Clerk of Court for Charlottesville’s Circuit Court, told 29News. “It’s a fundamental right for us.”
Winsome Earle-Sears, John Reid speak to each other for first time in weeks
After not speaking to each other for eight weeks, Republican nominees Winsome Earle-Sears and John Reid have spoken to each other. Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for Virginia’s governor, spoke to John Reid, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, on Wednesday after eight weeks since they last spoke, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Va. leaders react to U.S. bombing three nuclear sites in Iran
Virginia lawmakers on both sides are either showing their concern or their support after President Donald Trump announced the United States had bombed three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday, entering war. “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump posted on Truth Social. This news comes just two days after the White House said Trump would decide whether to get involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel “in the next two weeks” to give a window for negotiations.