GOVERNMENT + POLITICS
Why voting matters
Most people have no idea how powerful voting actually is. I know because I have spent the last two years helping Virginians register to vote and utilize this opportunity we have to make our values a reality in our communities. I have the honorable but arduous task of convincing people who feel betrayed, silenced and […]
Hoping for a gold rush: Virginia Libertarian Party sees opportunity in Congressional races
Next year, Pete Wells is hoping Virginia will have a gold rush. Not the kind that sends people running to California, but one that will replace blue waves and red waves. Wells, one of four Libertarian candidates running in Virginia congressional races this year, hopes the party will get enough votes and support that it […]
Should terminally ill patients be allowed to choose when they die? The medical-aid-in-dying debate comes to Virginia
The fraught debate over medical aid in dying —or what some opponents refer to as physician-assisted suicide — has landed in Virginia. The state’s Joint Commission on Health Care just completed a report on the issue, at the request of Del. Kaye Kory, D-Fairfax, which is currently up for public comment until Oct. 15. And […]
Northam appoints first cabinet member to focus on coastal protection
A retired Navy admiral will serve as the state’s first special assistant to the governor for coastal adaptation and protection. Ann C. Phillips of Norfolk is tasked with finding a way to address the effects of sea-level rise and land subsidence along Virginia’s coast across state departments. Lawmakers in the eastern part of the state […]
Endless outrage is exhausting
These times are so uncertain There’s a yearning undefined And people filled with rage – Don Henley Reporters have always lived on outrage. They discover, or stumble upon, or hear about some egregious behavior that really gets their blood up and they go after it. Sometimes it’s a government official abusing his position or maybe […]
‘We want to show that we can make it right:’ Elections board member wants to tackle issues in state audit
A member of the Board of Elections called on the department to do a better job maintaining its voter rolls in the board’s first meeting since a state audit found major problems across the department. The study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission found that the Department of Elections’ technology was often unreliable, […]
Can Virginia’s most vulnerable House Republican hang on to her seat?
Both candidates for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District are lawyers. Both are experienced politicians. And both are women, which is one reason why the race has become the most expensive and competitive in the state. U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock, a Republican. is attempting to fend off State Sen. Jennifer Wexton, a Democrat, and represent the Northern Virginia […]
Senate Republicans fume over Medicaid work requirement time frame
Virginia’s Department of Medical Assistance Services has completed a draft of the state’s Medicaid work requirement proposal, which is now open for public comment before it goes to the federal government for approval. But when they were briefed on the work requirement during a meeting Thursday, Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee gnashed their […]
Human rights lawyer announces plan to challenge Sen. Dick Saslaw in a primary
The first Muslim woman elected to the Democratic National Committee will mount a primary challenge to Virginia’s most senior Democratic senator. Yasmine Taeb called herself a “real progressive” in a video announcing her candidacy. She took veiled shots at her opponent, Sen. Dick Saslaw, who has served 42 years in the General Assembly. “Unfortunately right […]
Virginians more supportive of Medicaid expansion than ever before, survey shows
A new statewide survey conducted by the University of Mary Washington shows that more Virginians support Medicaid expansion than ever before. The survey, based on telephone interviews with 801 Virginia adults, found that 76 percent support expansion, 18 percent oppose it and the remaining 6 percent are uncertain. The highest approval ratings were in Northern […]
Will thousands of new Medicaid enrollees inundate an already overloaded social services workforce?
Virginia’s 120 local social services departments are on the front lines when determining eligibility for benefit programs like Medicaid, and they’re trying to prepare for the wave of applicants they’ll likely see once Medicaid expansion hits the state in January. That could be a daunting task, though, as the state’s eligibility workers are already overworked and […]
Opponents take a page from Brat’s 2014 playbook in 7th District race
Editor’s note: Whether Democrats can retake the House of Representatives is the big storyline of this fall’s midterm election cycle. Four competitive Virginia House races for seats currently held by Republicans, profiled this week in a series in the Mercury, could play a key role come Election Day. In a 2014 primary race against an […]