Some personal news:
After three years at
@CardinalNewsVA
(I was their first hire), it’s time for me to move on to my next chapter.
I’m happy to report that I will join
@MercuryVirginia
as their new senior politics reporter and deputy editor. My last day at Cardinal is Aug 6.
Politics aside, this is a historic moment:
@DonScott757
is being sworn in as the first Black Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates in the body’s 405-year history
The GOP primary battle in
#VA5
between Sen. John McGuire and Rep. Bob Good heats up.
Trump’s campaign manager Chris LaCivita put the congressman on notice over DeSantis endorsement:
“Bob Good won’t be electable when we get done with him,” he tells me
A grand jury in Campbell County has indicted Del. Matt Fariss on two felony charges and a misdemeanor reckless driving charge in an alleged hit-and-run that injured a woman he was seeing romantically.
A trial date has yet to be set.
Just in:
@GovernorVA
’s approval rating is up by 5 points since November, according to a new Roanoke College poll released today.
The poll says 57% of Virginians approve of the job Youngkin is doing — that’s his highest ranking ever in the survey
#breaking
@GovernorVA
’s approval rating drops in latest Roanoke College poll, from 57 to 51% since February.
This marks the lowest ratings that Youngkin received in this poll during the first 15 months of his four-year term
#breaking
Former GOP delegate Matt Fariss arrested on narcotics and gun charges
The ex-lawmaker is also accused of violating a protective order. He is held without bond at Blue Ridge Regional Jail.
#breaking
Virginia Del. Wren Williams charged with assaulting his primary opponent Del. Marie March at a GOP fundraiser in Wytheville last night.
Williams vehemently denies the allegations, says he accidentally bumped into March and apologized
#breaking
A Senate subcommittee kills several Republican abortion proposals, including
@GovernorVA
’s signature legislation that would have capped the procedure at 15 weeks
Eye-opening piece by
@DwayneYancey
on income disparity in VA:
“The median household income in Loudoun is $142,299 per year. In Dickenson County, the figure is $29,932. No other state has such a vast disparity between its richest and its poorest county.
Top Democrats tell
@GovernorVA
they can’t negotiate while he makes “backwards budget” tour
“What is backwards is your understanding of the budget process,” finance chairs Sen. Lucas and Del. Torian said in a letter to Youngkin obtained by Cardinal News
Republican Jed Arnold wins the special election HD6, a seat vacated by Del. Jeff Campbell, R-Smyth County, who resigned earlier this summer to take a judgeship.
Arnold ran unopposed.
Interview:
@DonScott757
, the first Black speaker of the House of Delegates, takes pride in his rural roots
Scott has already forged an unlikely friendship with a GOP legislator from SWVA. Read the story to find out who ⬇️
After her primary defeat, Marie March lashes out against
@GovernorVA
on Facebook:
“We have the most bought and paid for and OWNED Governor and his crew in the United States. I have always known it when I looked into those black lying eyes. Shark eyes … snake eyes ..”
#breaking
Del. Matt Fariss has filed to run for re-election as an independent after failing to meet the deadline for the GOP nomination in HD51.
Fariss is currently waiting to be arraigned on felony hit-and-run charges
This Virginia map shows which localities are represented in the General Assembly by legislators from a single party — and which ones are represented by legislators from different parties (courtesy of
@DwayneYancey
)
What’s your takeaway?
#breaking
Democrat Tina Wyatt-Younger, a former member of the South Boston Town Council, wins her party’s nomination contest in SD9.
She will face the yet-to-be-determined GOP nominee in a Jan. 9 special election for the seat of Sen. Frank Ruff (R)
#breaking
Will Pace, one of two candidates seeking the GOP nomination in HD48, also happens to be the chair of the local nominating committee
Today, Pace set a mass meeting for Thursday in his hometown Chatham to elect the nominee
I tried to talk to freshman Del.
@WrenWilliamsVA
this morning about his bill that confuses Frederick Douglass with Stephen Douglas (which blew up on Twitter last night).
It didn’t go well. ⬇️
Some Republicans in HD53 still don’t believe that GOP nominee Tim Griffin meets the residency requirements to make the ballot.
They have hired a PI to investigate. ⬇️
Happy and grateful for this opportunity to join the team at
@CardinalPressVa
!
When you get that politics itch, you gotta scratch it!
If you have news tips and story ideas, my DMs are always open (and an email address is coming shortly).
We are proud to announce that
@MSchmidtRVA
will be our political reporter. Based in Richmond, Markus will give us something that news media in Southwest & Southside haven't had in 8 years: A full-time state capitol bureau. More on Markus below:
#breaking
@GovernorVA
rolls out his 230+ amendments to the state’s biennial budget, including an elimination of all tax increases proposed by Democrats.
The budget still includes 3% pay raises for teachers and state employees and funding for public education
#VAGov
If you’re a reporter looking for a new gig,
@CardinalNewsVA
is hiring an experienced journalist to cover Danville and Pittsylvania County!
If you want to come work for a non-partisan, non-profit news organization, come join our growing team! ⬇️
NEW: Former Del. Matt Fariss had methamphetamine in his pocket at his arrest, records show.
Fariss has remained behind bars in Amherst County but is due to appear in court for a bond hearing Tuesday
Lawmakers say that the failure to extend Virginia’s popular sales tax holiday for back-to-school supplies was accidental.
“I don’t think any of us recognized it wasn’t done, and after that it was too late.”
JUST IN: The 1887 time capsule from the pedestal of the Robert E. Les monument will be opened by a historic preservation team tomorrow.
A rare photo of Lincoln in his coffin is rumored to be inside, among other artifacts. We shall find out tomorrow.
NEW: House Democrats use Del. Griffin bill to force floor vote on abortion for next week
In a deliberate political maneuver, the 12 Democrats on the Rules Committee sent HB404 to the floor as a way to get Republicans on record
#breaking
Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg County will retire from the state Senate after 23 years due to a recent cancer diagnosis.
Democrat Trudy Berry, who failed to make the ballot in SD9 in November because of an email error, will run for the seat
VA political reporters 📝:
The
@VCCAofficial
will host our Session Wrap Shindig at the GAB Pressroom two hours after the General Assembly adjourns this Saturday!
Lawmakers, lobbyists and staff who are down with us are welcome to stop by!
We’ll have pizza and drinks! 🍕🍺🥃
Gilbert:
“It is my hope and intention that we will engage in spirited debate on this floor, and we will return to the inherently deliberative nature of this body; that we will argue our cases zealously but with mutual respect and proper order.“
Also Gilbert:
Ralph Northam is leaving office as his own lost cause, condescendingly lecturing us all from some assumed moral high ground because he read the book “Roots” and then went on a non-stop reconciliation tour. Saturday can’t come fast enough.
Visiting a recycling plant in Chester today,
@GovernorVA
goes green and signs an executive order formally recognizing the importance of recycling while pushing to make Virginia home to new clean technologies and stop food waste.
“I’m a conservationist, “ he tells reporters.
NEW: Despite low approval rating, President Biden leads Trump by four points among Virginia voters, Roanoke College poll says
Poll shows Haley would beat Biden. About 53% of Virginians approve of the way
@GovernorVA
is handling his job.
Just in:
@GovernorVA
’s approval rating up by almost 10% since February, new
@WasonCenter
poll finds.
But in general, only 42% believe Virginia is headed in the right direction, while 40% don’t agree, mostly along partisan lines.
In his statement on the death of Queen Elizabeth II,
@GovernorVA
lists her visits to Virginia over the years — including 1957, 1976, 1991 and 2007.
“As governor, the Queen's consistent tenderness for the Commonwealth and Virginians will never be forgotten,” he says
This morning in the General Assembly:
A House panel will consider a bill by
@Sam_Rasoul
that would transform Catawba Hospital into a state-of-the-art substance use disorder treatment center.
JUST IN:
Gov.-elect
@GlennYoungkin
announces his Transition Steering Committee. Of its 12 members, 3 are from SW Virginia:
• Dr. Nancy Dye of Roanoke
• Sheriff Hank Parton, Montgomery
• Amanda Pillion, Town Council member in Abingdon
Sen. Edwards squashes rumors that he was considering to retire his seat and join the
@GlennYoungkin
administration:
„No, absolutely not, I can’t imagine they’d want me.“
#breaking
Eric Phillips wins GOP nomination in House District 48.
The days leading up to the mass meeting were contentious, as Phillips accused his opponent, Will Pace, of orchestrating the time, place and method of the nomination to his own advantage
Update in Fariss case: Trial date has been for Jan. 19th at 9am.
If Fariss gets re-elected as an independent, he’ll miss at least one day of the 2023 legislative session
NEW: Democrats to hold firehouse primary Tuesday to pick candidate for Sen. Frank Ruff’s seat in SD9
So far,
@berry4virginia
is the only Democrat who has formally announced her candidacy for the Jan. 9 special election
Just in:
@SpeakerGilbert
endorses Del. Wren Williams in the newly created 47th district nomination battle.
Williams faces Republican firebrand Del. Marie March after both were drawn into the same district
VA politics reporters, lawmakers & lobbyists:
The Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association has finally brought our website into the 21st century and tickets for the annual VCCA Dinner on Feb. 15 are now available!
Also follow us here:
@VCCAofficial
Looks like
@RepJenKiggans
is backing
@JohnMcGuire4VA
in the GOP primary in
#VA5
.
Noteworthy because it’s unusual for an incumbent member of Congress to take sides in a primary election
#scoop
The chairman of the SD17 GOP committee alleges in a lawsuit filed against the VA Department of Elections that
@GovernorVA
strong-armed the agency into changing the district’s nomination method from a primary to a convention
It’s Election Day in Virginia — at least in the overlapping SD9 and HD48 in Southside, where voters will pick new replacements for two retiring lawmakers to send to Richmond for the 2024 General Assembly session tomorrow