American democracy is in retreat. Or as Senator Mark Warner told me last week, “There is a shock and awe component to this, as soon as you mount an opposition to one area, they take a shot somewhere else.” He’s not wrong. The examples are becoming too numerous,...
Ralph S. Northam was sworn in as the 73rd governor of Virginia just as the sun broke from an overcast sky on Saturday at the state Capitol. Northam promised to work for all Virginians, invoking the Virginia Way stump speech he used throughout the campaign, and provided a clear rebuke to the divisive Trumpian worldview his GOP opponent Ed...
One of Virginia's most precious assets is its thousands of miles of shoreline, which not only graces the Commonwealth with a diverse ecosystem but also generates a significant portion of the gross domestic product (GDP) that fuels the economy. This is true for all states that rely on their coastal economies for revenue generation. According to...
A tied election for Virginia’s House of Delegates, which has drawn national attention for its significance and unusual process, came a little closer to resolution today after Republican David Yancey's name was selected at random. It seems likely that there will be further challenges to the process from Democrat Shelly Simonds, who seemed to be...
“I wasn’t really prepared to win!” said Jenefer Hughes as she stood on a chair in the middle of a crowded sports bar to thank her supporters and celebrate her triumph. Chesterfield County’s new Commissioner of Revenue captured over 55 percent of the vote to defeat incumbent Republican Timothy McPeters in a special election Nov. 7. While few in...
What can one say about politics in 2017? It was an apex year not only for Virginia, but also for the entire US. This is not just an observation, however, but an indictment on just how tempestuous politics has become. Not only for us as individuals, but for us as groups of individuals trying to navigate the turbulence of a political system that is...
Right now control of the House of Delegates is in limbo. Over in Newport News’ 94th House district, a recount on Tuesday showed Democrat Shelly Simonds ahead of incumbent David Yancey by one single vote. A win for Simonds would evenly divide the House between Democrats and Republicans, 50-50. But not so fast. On Wednesday, Republican lawyers got...
Just in time for Christmas, the "Blue Wave" of electoral victories delivers another gift to Virginia Democrats as a recount ends with a single-vote victory by Shelly Simonds, Democratic House of Delegates candidate Newport News. More important for the party, this ends an 18-year GOP-majority in the House, and sets the stage for Governor-Elect...
Virginia voters stood up to Donald Trump and the Republican Party in November with the Democrats taking a clean sweep of the statewide elections. Alabama, on the other hand, was not looking to follow the same path yesterday. Doug Jones (D) was facing Roy Moore (R) for the United States Senators’ seat left open by now Attorney General Jeff...
After a contentious Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) hearing, the Virginia State Water Control Board voted Tuesday afternoon for a conditional approval of the 401 Certification for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) permit, tentatively stalling the ACP from moving forward with their pipeline construction planning process. The vote was...
