ELECTION 2019
Virginia’s May elections might be scrapped. People are still voting in them anyway.
After Gov. Ralph Northam called for municipal elections next month to be postponed, Virginia registrars are still showing up to work to help people cast ballots. They might end up getting trashed. Or they might end up counting. Until the General Assembly gives the official word later this month, no one knows for sure. “I […]
GOP strategist says no regrets on adjourning gun special session after 90 minutes
Was the decision to adjourn a special session called to address gun violence legislation after only 90 minutes a fatal tactical error for state Republicans? Matt Moran, the former chief of staff to outgoing Republican House Speaker Kirk Cox, who won his race, says it’s the most asked question he’s gotten since his party lost […]
What happens after Virginia ratifies the ERA next year? Nobody’s quite sure.
Virginia is almost certain to become the 38th and final state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment when the General Assembly convenes in January. Incoming Democratic leaders, who will hold majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly, have offered repeated and unequivocal promises to pass the measure. What happens after that, however, is unclear […]
A commonwealth divided? Republican rural Virginia loses ground to Democrats’ suburban strongholds
The headline from Tuesday’s election was that Democrats had taken control of both the legislative and executive branches of Virginia government for the first time since 1993. The blue sweep of the House of Delegates and the Senate combined with the party’s owning the offices of governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general were significant because […]
Va. House Democrats choose Eileen Filler-Corn as speaker-designee
Virginia Democrats have selected Eileen Filler-Corn as the next speaker of the House of Delegates, putting the the 55-year-old lawmaker from Northern Virginia in position to become the first woman ever to wield the gavel. At a closed-door meeting Saturday in downtown Richmond, the House Democratic Caucus voted to stick with the minority leader who […]
As Democrats triumph in Virginia, pro-gun groups confront ‘worst scenario’
In a victory speech in Richmond Tuesday night, Shannon Watts, the founder of gun-safety group Moms Demand Action, finished by mentioning a get-out-the-vote tweet from the National Rifle Association. In the video posted a few days before Virginia’s General Assembly elections, a woman in an NRA hat said people who didn’t go vote to protect […]
Northam: How do you like me now?
What a world of a difference nine months and an election make. In February, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam was fighting for his political life, with the blackface revelation and his less-than-inspiring response prompting widespread calls for his resignation from many in his party, which captured control of the General Assembly Tuesday for the first time […]
How will Democrats govern? Race for speaker could be an early test.
At least four Democrats – including two members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus – have said they’re in the running to become the next speaker of the House of Delegates, setting up a debate among the newly empowered majority over who should lead their diverse caucus. After winning what appears to be a 55-seat […]
Virginia’s Legislative Black Caucus swells to 23. ‘We unleashed some of those black votes.’
Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, is still a little giddy. “We all thought it was too good to be true,” the chairman of Virginia’s legislative black caucus said of Tuesday’s election results. “I’m still in pinch-me mode.” Democrats flipped six seats in Virginia’s House of Delegates, according to unofficial results. Four of them were made more […]
Five things Northam says he will (and maybe won’t) do with a Democratic majority
For the first time in 26 years, Democrats will have complete legislative control and an ally in the Executive Mansion. It means the policies and proposals that have floundered under a Republican majority stand a chance, as long as it gets the final approval of Gov. Ralph Northam’s signature. “I think Virginians spoke yesterday,” Northam […]
Virginia Explained: In the wake of a seismic election, here’s how potential recounts will work
Voting may be over and Democrats appear to have captured majorities in the House and Senate, but that doesn’t mean Virginia has official election winners yet. That will be formally declared Nov. 18, when the state Board of Elections certifies all elections. Before that, local elected officials need to count write-in votes and deal with […]
Virginia Democrats win control of General Assembly, sealing Trump-era power shift
Virginia Democrats won enough seats in Tuesday’s elections to take control of the General Assembly next year, ushering in an era of unified Democratic governance for the first time in a quarter-century. Powered by a spike in voter turnout for a legislative election year, Democrats gained at least eight seats, locking in majorities in both […]