Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi is projected to make history Tuesday night as the first Muslim woman ever elected to statewide office in the United States, according to Decision Desk HQ. Hashmi campaigned to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor in a competitive race against Republican John Reid, a former conservative …
Read More »Spanberger Defeats Earle-Sears to Flip Virginia Governorship, Making History as First Woman Governor
Democrat Abigail Spanberger has defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to become Virginia’s first female governor, NBC News projected Tuesday night, flipping control of the state’s top office and giving Democrats a morale boost as they seek to regroup nationally under President Donald Trump’s second term. Spanberger, 47, a former CIA officer …
Read More »On Election Day in Virginia, Control of State Government is Up for Grabs
Virginians are heading to the polls on Tuesday, in what has become a high-stakes, drama-laced election cycle with nearly everything on the line — from the governor’s mansion to each of the 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates. With polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., anyone …
Read More »High-Stakes Races in New York, New Jersey, Virginia Test Political Winds Ahead of 2026 Midterms
Voters in several states will cast ballots Tuesday in a handful of closely watched races that could signal where the political winds are blowing ahead of next year’s midterm elections — from a dramatic three-way fight for New York City mayor to a red-hot governor’s race in New Jersey and …
Read More »Virginia U.S. Attorney Fires Two Top Prosecutors Who Opposed Charging New York AG Letitia James
Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, has fired two senior prosecutors who opposed her push to bring charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to ABC News. Elizabeth Yusi, the chief criminal prosecutor in the …
Read More »Supreme Court Revives Virginia’s Voter Removal Program Just Before Election
Jimmy Williams The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday to permit Virginia to revive a plan targeting the removal of noncitizens from voter rolls, a decision that reinstates a program previously halted by a federal judge just days before Election Day. In a brief order, the court’s six conservative justices approved the …
Read More »DOJ Sues Virginia Over Voter Roll Purge Ahead of Election
Jimmy Williams The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday that it has filed a lawsuit against Virginia, alleging that the state violated federal voting laws by purging its voter rolls within 90 days of an election. The lawsuit challenges Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s executive order, which required daily updates …
Read More »Virginia Republicans Embraced A 15-week Abortion Ban — And Then Lost
Mel Leonor Barclay, Shefali Luthra Originally published by The 19th Virginia Republicans bet their fate on a strategy that they hoped would neutralize abortion rights and warnings from Democrats: Embrace a 15-week abortion ban with some exceptions and convince voters such a measure is a “common sense,” consensus limit. Republicans …
Read More »How Abortion Factors Into Five Major Elections On Tuesday
Elisha Brown, Michigan Advance It’s Election Day. Results could serve as a barometer for key issues ahead of 2024’s presidential race. Abortion is directly on the ballot on Tuesday in Ohio and underscoring contests in several states. Here’s a primer: Ohio Issue 1 asks voters whether to guarantee state constitutional rights …
Read More »What Virginia’s Elections Could Mean For LGBTQ+ People
Orion Rummler, Mel Leonor Barclay Originally published by The 19th Even as Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has worked to restrict the rights of trans youth, Virginia remains the sole state in the South with more protections for LGBTQ+ people than discriminatory policies — a status that could change after this …
Read More »Jennifer McClellan To Be First Black Woman To Represent Virginia in Congress
Graham Moomaw, Virginia Mercury State Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, defeated Republican pastor Leon Benjamin in Tuesday’s special election for a Richmond-centered seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, a victory that will make her Virginia’s first Black congresswoman. McClellan, a corporate attorney who has championed progressive causes like abortion access …
Read More »Virginia Governor Opposes Shielding Menstrual App Data From Search Warrants
Graham Moomaw, Virginia Mercury A proposal to put menstrual data stored on period-tracking apps beyond the reach of Virginia authorities failed in the state House of Delegates Monday after Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration expressed opposition to the idea for the first time. The legislation, which had passed the Democratic-controlled Senate …
Read More »Biden Visits Virginia To Tout Economic Progress
President Joe Biden spoke at a union hall in northern Virginia Thursday afternoon, attempting to cast himself as a defender of the middle class by leaning into his economic accomplishments and contrasting them with the Republican proposals he says would be catastrophic for Americans’ pocketbooks. “We’re moving in the right …
Read More »Yet Another Mass Shooting in US as Gunman Kills at Least 6 in Virginia Walmart
A gunman opened fire inside a Chesapeake, Virginia Walmart late Tuesday, killing at least six people and wounding others in the latest mass shooting in the United States, which has seen more than 600 this year alone. Reuters reported that local police “have so far not provided any details about …
Read More »After Chesapeake, UVA Shootings, Virginia Gov. Youngkin To Propose Mental Health Agenda
Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury Following the second mass shooting in Virginia in as many weeks that left 7 dead as of midday Wednesday, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said his administration plans to propose legislation to the General Assembly this winter to bolster mental health resources. While offering few details to …
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