Another deep dive on Youngkin's time at Carlyle; a fact check on McAuliffe; an update from the General Assembly; and more.
An afternoon update on Virginia politics.
This is an evening update on what is happening in Virginia politics. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter to support independent journalism in Virginia.
Another article was published today providing an in-depth view of Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin’s time as Co-CEO of the global investment firm The Carlyle Group.
Throughout his campaign, Youngkin has described candidacy and desire to help Virginia as the reason for his departure from Carlyle, but this article from Bloomberg News paints his departure in a different light. “People close to the private-equity firm have been chafing over the picture Youngkin paints of his investing acumen and the circumstances of his departure,” the article says. “In his final decade there, he shepherded several bets and strategies that chalked up losses, and some of them are still being unwound.”
The article says that Youngkin lost clout within the firm compared to his Co-CEO. “After Carlyle’s founders gave him a shot at co-running the firm in 2018, he flamed out. In an industry where leadership teams work together for decades, his co-CEO quickly established dominance, diminishing Youngkin’s clout.”
In a statement provided to Virginia Scope about the Bloomberg article, Youngkin’s campaign criticized the factual accuracy of the article and attacked their opponent. “We couldn't possibly spend enough time telling you everything that is wrong with today's Bloomberg column because it has a myriad of factual errors, misrepresentations, and biased characterizations,” said a Youngkin campaign spokesperson. “But what we can tell you is: Terry McAuliffe is a failed businessman and governor, and a self-proclaimed “huckster” that has left in his wake empty factories, unfilled jobs, and unprofitable companies."
ICYMI: The Washington Post also interviewed Youngkin’s former colleagues at Carlyle.
Politifact is fact-checking Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe’s claims about his record spending on public education during his first term.
In a recent ad, McAuliffe touts his first administration spending on education with the words "Under Terry McAuliffe record investment in education,” on the screen.
Politifact says that the raw dollar investment amount was the highest ever, but after adjusting for inflation, McAuliffe’s administration did not invest a record amount of money in education.
Politifact notes that public school spending did increase during McAuliffe’s administration. “When he took office, the raw dollar record for state aid to education was $6.4 billion, set nearly six years earlier during the 2008-09 school year in the last budget before the Great Recession. Democrat Tim Kaine was governor. Virginia finally broke that record in 2016, when McAuliffe signed a budget with $6.5 billion in general funds for K-12 during the school year that began late that summer. In 2017, McAuliffe inked his final budget, authorizing $6.8 billion for K-12 — a high mark, again. In raw dollars, McAuliffe also signed budgets that broke the state record of funding $5,248 per student — also set during the 2008-09 school year. His final budget, in 2017-18, allocated $5,444 per pupil.”
Why they are fact-checking: “We adjusted each of the education budgets this century to 2018 dollars, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ inflation calculator. The high-water mark came in the 2008-09 school year, when the state spent an adjusted $7.5 billion on public education. That figure exceeds the peak $6.8 billion expenditure — in raw dollars — in McAuliffe’s 2017-18 budget. In adjusted dollars, McAuliffe’s peak education budget in 2017-18 falls below the three state budgets that were in effect from July 2006 through June 2009.”
"Every time this fact has been looked into, it has been clear that as Virginia’s 72nd Governor Terry McAuliffe invested more dollars into education than any other governor before him, which is the definition of a record investment," said Renzo Oliveri, McAuliffe’s campaign spokesperson.
Politifact finished by rating McAuliffe’s statement as “Mostly False”.
The House of Delegates and state Senate are convening again today to finish budget moves and approve spending for the $4.3 billion in federal COVID-19 relief money. The Senate actually included a few amendments to the original bill from the governor and is still working through the process, but the House has already the governor’s bill.
“This historic budget will revitalize areas of our Commonwealth impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and will help us build back stronger,” said Speaker of the House Eileen Filler Corn. “Virginians have experienced so much hardship in the last year and a half, and this budget sends a clear message to Virginians: we hear you, we are working for you, and we are building an even stronger Virginia in the process. I want to thank Appropriations Chair Luke Torian, Vice Chair Mark Sickles, and the hardworking Appropriations staff for their time and effort in putting together this budget. I am so proud of the incredible work that we have done to act quickly, responsibly, and decisively when Virginians needed it the most.”
The vote in the House Wednesday morning was bipartisan.
As the Democrats continue to advance the governor’s spending bill in the special session, Governor Ralph Northam, Senate Finance Committee Chair Janet Howell, and House Finance Chair Luke Torian say they want a work-group to study the compensation structure for correctional officers within the Department of Corrections, deputy sheriffs, and regional jail officers.
“This work group will include staff from the Department of Human Resource Management, the State Compensation Board, the Department of Corrections and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission and will deliver recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly no later than October 15, 2021,” Northam, Howell, and Torian said in their joint announcement. “We are committed to recruiting and retaining highly-qualified officers and ensuring the safety of families and communities across the Commonwealth.”
Earlier in the day, the House of Delegates passed the governor’s budget bill that includes $20 million to provide $5,000 bonuses to Virginia State Police officers and salary adjustments. $21 million is allocated for hazard bonuses for staff in prisons, jails and sheriff’s departments.
Read more on the governor’s budget proposals that already passed in the House of Delegates.
With the inclusion of amendments to the legislation in the Senate, the House will have to vote again to approve the Senate’s legislation whenever that is passed.
The Senate is set to meet again at 6:30 p.m. tonight.
State Del. Jay Jones (D-Norfolk) announced the formation of “Meet Our Moment,” a project aimed at recruiting and training minority Democratic candidates to run for state and local offices in the Commonwealth.
“State and local offices have an outsized impact on our daily lives and it is critical that our public officials reflect the ever-increasing diversity of this state as we enter this new decade,” Jones said in the announcement Wednesday morning.
The Advisory Board of Meet Our Moment includes Del. Lashrecse Aird (D-Petersburg), Del. Jeff Bourne (D-Richmond), Vice Mayor Jennifer Bowles (D-Martinsville), Del. Josh Cole (D-Fredericksburg), Del. Marcia Price (D-Newport News), and former Fairfax NAACP President Sean Perryman (D-Fairfax).
The announcement says that “Meet Our Moment” is organized as a state PAC that will power this effort through the election cycles in 2022, 2023, and beyond.
“It’s time for us to meet our moment and create the change we seek by rolling up our sleeves and growing the bench of diverse candidates to run for and win offices around Virginia,” Jones said. “I’m committed to providing all the tools necessary for people to get off the sidelines and into the political arena, because our future depends on it.”
Mayor Stoney announced Wednesday that the City of Richmond will require all city employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 1.
“We take this step not only to ensure the health and safety of our employees and their families, but also to safeguard the comfort and well-being of residents, customers, visitors and the public at large,” said Mayor Stoney. “The vaccine is our greatest tool to save lives and truly beat this pandemic.”
According to the announcement, city employees who are already vaccinated will be asked to prove their vaccination status through the Virginia Department of Health. Those who are not currently vaccinated are required to begin the vaccination process so that they are fully vaccinated by October 1.
When appropriate, medical and religious exemptions will be granted. Medical exemption requests must be signed by a licensed medical provider, and religious exemption requests must be notarized. The press release says that all unvaccinated employees will be required to adhere to appropriate precautionary measures, in accordance with guidance from the Virginia Department of Health.
The policy will apply to all city employees, including those who telework. Those who do not comply will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the Department of Human Resources guidelines.
Virginia Democrats meet in private to choose finalists for eight Court of Appeals appointments - Virginia Mercury
by Ned Oliver
Democrats in the Virginia House and Senate met privately Wednesday to choose finalists for eight open positions on the Virginia Court of Appeals, prompting GOP lawmakers to accuse the party of breaking tradition by holding secret group interviews.
“I can’t think of a single instance in which we’ve had a judicial candidate come and appear before our caucus to be interviewed and make a pitch,” said Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, who chaired the Senate Courts committee before Democrats won the majority in 2019.
Did you miss the newsletter this morning? Editorial pieces critique Youngkin; two L’s on the ballot; VA Beach Republican gets caught red-handed saying one thing and doing the opposite, and more from Virginia politics.
