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With Trump’s support, Navy vet targets Tim Kaine in uphill battle for U.S. Senate seat
Political observers have already placed bets on Tim Kaine, predicting the Democrat will glide into a third term as the junior U.S. Senator of Virginia, a state that hasn’t elected a Republican to the upper chamber since 2002. But Republicans vying for a chance to unseat the former vice presidential candidate say they see an opening with President Joe Biden at the top of November’s ticket. While Biden won Virginia by 10 percentage points in 2020, GOP primary candidates say the calculus has changed with heightened food prices, illegal border crossings and crime in American cities.
Sen. Rand Paul stumps for 7th District GOP hopeful Hamilton in Spotsylvania
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul has a word he uses to describe most incumbent members of Congress: furniture. “They’re inorganic, they’re lifeless, and you can put them over here or you can put them over here, but they make no difference,” the Kentucky lawmaker said Monday afternoon during an appearance at Gourmeltz restaurant in Spotsylvania County. “They believe in nothing, they are inert, they are worthless, and they are many of them Republican.” Why would the politico publicly impugn the integrity of his peers, many of them in his own party? Because he said that House of Representatives candidate Cameron Hamilton is different.
Virginia primaries: Why this year’s races hold national implications
Washington’s neighbor to the south is preparing for federal primaries that could provide a window into how elections will shake out in November. Virginians will vote on June 18 to choose the primary candidates for the Commonwealth’s 11 House seats and one Senate seat. Democrat Tim Kaine, who has served in the Senate since 2013, faces a field of five Republicans hoping to be the state’s first GOP senator since John Warner retired in 2009. Kaine was tapped as Hillary Clinton’s running mate in the 2016 presidential election and has held various important posts, including governor from 2006 to 2010.
Richmond joins other Va. school systems with new policy requiring clear backpacks
Richmond Public Schools will require see-through backpacks for students starting July 1. RPS is the latest district to take the step as a safety measure that’s been a nationwide response to school shootings for decades. At least two students brought loaded guns to school this year — one at Maymont Preschool and another at Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary. The Monday night decision from the Richmond School Board includes having RPS provide clear bags to students who need them.
Fariss waives preliminary hearing on drug, gun charges, sending case to grand jury
Former Del. Matt Fariss waived his right to a preliminary hearing on felony drug and firearm charges on Tuesday, sending his case to a Campbell County grand jury. Fariss was arrested March 23 during a traffic stop in Campbell County. Deputies found a hunting rifle in his pickup truck and ammunition and a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine in his pocket. He was charged with felony counts of drug possession and possession of a firearm, as well as a misdemeanor charge of violating a protective order.
Thousands of convicted felons would benefit from Youngkin’s mercy
Hours after a Manhattan jury found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts for falsifying business records before the 2016 election, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin wanted to talk about justice and voting. “The American people see this for what it is: a politically motivated prosecution orchestrated by those who want to ‘get’ President Trump,” the governor tweeted. “On November 5th, Americans will render their verdict on Joe Biden’s failed leadership based on the issues that affect them everyday.” Youngkin echoed the thoughts of many Republican officials, in Washington and Virginia, who dutifully lined up behind Trump following the Thursday verdict. Their disparagement of the 12 New Yorkers who rendered their judgment against the former president shows their commitment to “law and order” is hollow.
Portsmouth, Hampton councils to consider giving themselves raises after state law increases pay scale
Mayors and city council members in Hampton and Portsmouth this month will consider whether to nearly double their annual salaries after state law was changed this year to allow cities to increase the elected officials’ pay. Legislation passed by the General Assembly in April amended the maximum amounts that Virginia mayors and council members can earn. The legislation creates new salary caps based on population, and nearly doubles the maximum amount local elected officials can earn if cities vote to increase pay. So far, two Hampton Roads cities are moving forward to discuss and consider the change.
Richmond deputy registrar charged almost $80K to city credit card
Deputy Registrar Jerry Richardson charged nearly $80,000 to her city-issued purchasing card last year, according to records obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The revelation comes as both Richardson and General Registrar Keith Balmer, who lead Richmond’s Office of Elections, are under investigation by the Richmond Inspector General’s Office for claims of financial improprieties and nepotism. The 2023 charges to Richardson’s card include around $7,800 at hardware stores, over $5,000 on hotels and lodging, a roughly $1,200 charge at a shoe store and over $1,000 at Southern Police Equipment — which sells guns, ammunition, body armor and other tactical gear.
Christiansburg site back in discussion for NRV passenger rail hub
Discussions are ongoing to potentially use a former Cambria option to extend passenger rail service to the New River Valley. The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority announced Tuesday that it is in preliminary discussions with Norfolk Southern Corp. to pursue that option to return passenger rail to the NRV on the Norfolk Southern main line (N-Line). The authority also is seeking to purchase the Manassas Line in Northern Virginia.
Marjorie Taylor Greene and John McGuire plan 5th District event in Albemarle
Charlottesville’s city government was caught off guard Monday afternoon when it first learned that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and fellow Republican and congressional candidate Virginia state Sen. John McGuire were planning to visit City Hall. So too was Albemarle County when, hours later, the McGuire campaign suddenly decided to move its planned “Early Vote Rally to Save America” from City Hall to a county polling location.