Del. VanValkenburg is running for the state Senate
VanValkenburg will be running against Dunnavant
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The rundown
Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico) announced Tuesday that he will be running for the state Senate. He included a video and list of endorsements from Henrico officials.
‘Humility and empathy’ sustain Rep. Spanberger as she looks to her third term in Congress
Rep. Good is vocal during GOP House Caucus meeting and says he will not be supporting McCarthy
Del. VanValkenburg to run for state Senate
Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico) announced Tuesday that he will be running for the state Senate in SD-16. The incumbent in this district is Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant (R-Henrico). VanValkenburg included endorsements from several prominent legislators in his announcement.
VanValkenburg was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2017.
“For the last five years, it has been my honor to represent Henrico in the Virginia House of Delegates,” VanValkenburg said in his announcement. “In the House, I am proud of my work protecting reproductive rights, strengthening our democracy, and ensuring that Virginia remains a leader in public education. But as a parent and Henrico County teacher, I see firsthand the issues facing families in our community and hear how people feel that our leaders in higher office don’t represent our values or are serious about solving the issues most affecting them.”
VanValkenburg talks more about what he wants to bring to the Senate. “I am announcing my run for the state Senate because Henrico needs legislators who will focus on middle-class job growth, making health care more affordable, and improving our school system until it is the best in the nation,” VanValkenburg continued. “We need a state Senator who will stand up for equality and women’s rights - because our Commonwealth is strongest when it works for all of us and we all have a fair shot.”
He announced endorsements from prominent legislators who represent parts of Henrico in the Senate and House. "At a time when reproductive freedom is under a clear threat in Virginia, Schuyler VanValkenburg will protect our right to make our own decisions," said Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond). "Schuyler has proven to be a fierce pro-choice advocate and is prepared to fight back against any threats to our freedom - including dangerous abortion bans. He will ensure that patients and providers make medical decisions, keeping politicians and the government out of the exam room and these most intimate decisions. I’m proud to endorse Schuyler VanValkenburg for the 16th Senate District and look forward to welcoming him as my next Senate colleague.”
Del. Lamont Bagby (D-Henrico) also endorsed VanValkenburg. They were both drawn into the same House district during redistricting last year. “As a parent, teacher, and legislator, Schuyler is a champion for quality public education in Henrico County,” Bagby said. “When it comes to delivering school funding, raising teacher pay, and ensuring parents and students have a voice, Schuyler always gets the job done. I know that he will continue this work in the Senate, and I am thrilled to endorse him.”
"I'm pleased to wholeheartedly endorse my colleague, Schuyler VanValkenburg, for State Senate,” said Del. Rodney Willett (D-Henrico). “As a public school teacher, Schuyler sees and hears firsthand the struggles Virginia families are enduring, squeezed by higher costs on everything from fuel to food. Schuyler will work to build an economy that works for all of us, lowering costs on family necessities from prescription drugs to groceries, while bringing good-paying jobs to Henrico. Schuyler is the trustworthy, honest, and hardworking representative we deserve in the State Senate, and he has my full support."
Dunnavant is currently serving her second term in the state Senate. According to an analysis from VPAP, this district voted for Democrat Terry McAuliffe by six points in 2021.
VanValkenburg announced his campaign with the following videos:
Continued bipartisan strategy will serve Spanberger in third term
By Natalie Barr
Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. -- U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., stayed busy on Election Day, meeting voters at polling locations across Virginia’s 7th District in what was a closely watched race.
Voter Janet Evans certainly did not expect to run into the congresswoman at Lewis and Clark Elementary school in Caroline County. Months earlier she did not even know much about Spanberger, she said, but redistricting had put Evans on the campaign team’s call list.
“I’m going to be 100% honest with you,” Evans said. “I was totally fangirling when I saw her.”
The elementary school where Evans votes is in Ruther Glen, a rural area between Fredericksburg and Richmond, or “a half an hour from everything,” she said.
Spanberger was very friendly, Evans said. She smiled a lot and talked with voters.
“It was very refreshing to see,” Evans said.
Although Spanberger did not win Caroline County, her vigorous outreach and her bipartisan appeal ultimately brought home a victory.
District 7 was the closest congressional race in Virginia, with Spanberger winning by a little over 11,000 votes, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. Republican challenger Yesli Vega won all counties in the district, except for the one with the most voters: Prince William County.
Evans has voted previously for candidates she felt most aligned with, but rarely is she totally aligned with one candidate, she said. Evans felt tightly aligned with most of Spanberger’s policies, she said.
“Her belief on abortion rights,” Evans said. “Education is always a big one for me because I have a young son — and even her stance on police reform.”
Evans hopes Spanberger will continue to be a bipartisan member in Congress and work with empathy.
“I hope Spanberger will protect women’s rights to choose in Virginia and that she does not get complacent on that issue,” Evans said. “I hope she continues to support education and police reform.”
The congresswoman’s priorities will continue to be banning members of Congress from trading stocks, working across the aisle and serving as vice chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, according to Spanberger’s communications director Connor Joseph.
Spanberger will have new constituents for her third term, due to redistricting.
Jatia Wrighten, assistant professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, said Spanberger promotes policies for the Democratic base that some Republicans can also support.
“I don’t think there’s any need to change the types of policies she proposes or really much of anything because she has had a successful run to date,” Wrighten said.
Even though Vega did not win, she did well throughout the campaign, Wrighten said.
Former President Donald Trump’s influence helped Vega’s campaign, and she fell in line with many “Trumpian” talking points, Wrighten said. Vega, who was endorsed by Trump, did try to distance herself from him after the Republican primary, according to multiple news reports. Vega received backing from voters who still support the former president, Wrighten said. Vega’s background and focus on crime and justice appealed to many voters, she said.
“I think those three things really made it where she was a very strong candidate and why we saw her do so well against a pretty popular incumbent,” Wrighten said.
Vega was also endorsed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
A few hours after polls closed, Spanberger bounded on to a stage to declare victory as a crowd of supporters chanted her name.
She noted it was a night for celebration and a time to remember the purpose of politics.
“Humility and empathy guided me into politics in 2017, and it has been humility and empathy that has sustained me through these years,” Spanberger said.
The congresswoman thanked Vega and said there is a need to support communities and constituents, regardless of political party alignment.
“I ask that you reflect on how we can serve our communities, how we can bridge divides and how we can show, through our actions, commitment to each other and the future that we want to create for our country,” Spanberger said. “I look forward to serving you all again these next few years.”
Stephen Farnsworth, director of the University of Mary Washington Center for Leadership and Media Studies and a political science professor, said it is tough to beat an incumbent, especially during congressional elections. All Virginia congressional incumbents won except for District 2.
“Incumbents have more name recognition, greater ability to raise money and it creates a very difficult environment for a challenger in the 7th District,” Farnsworth said.
The close results in District 2, 7 and 10 show Virginia is still very much up for grabs, Farnsworth said.
“We may be on the list of purple states in 2024,” he said.
Spanberger faced pressure as a Democrat, Farnsworth said. Voters generally use midterms to express any frustration with the president’s party. President Joe Biden had only a 43% approval rate going into the election, according to a Nov. 7 Reuters poll.
“The headwinds against the Democrats in the midterm cycle weren’t as great as usually is the case,” Farnsworth said. “That created challenges for Republicans in these close races where they fell short.”
The concern over abortion access energized young voters to the polls, Farnsworth said. Spanberger, whose platform included women’s rights, worked in the House to protect the right to contraception and also backed a bill to ensure the right for women to interstate travel for an abortion.
Republicans ran on economic insecurity but did not consider other issues that would bring voters to the polls, Farnsworth said. Democrats seized on the issue of abortion access in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling.
“That was very helpful for Democratic candidates in suburban districts like Virginia [District] 7,” Farnsworth said.
Vega did not issue a concession speech on Election Day. The day after, she posted a statement on Twitter.
“We gave it our all, but came up a little short last night,” Vega stated.
Vega called the loss “heartbreaking,” and stated that she remains committed to serving Prince William County through her work on the county’s Board of Supervisors.
Vega thanked citizens for their support, congratulated Spanberger on a “hard fought win,” and stated she looks forward to working with Spanberger.
Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University's Robertson School of Media and Culture.
Rep. Good is vocal during GOP House Caucus meeting
The Republican House Caucus met on Monday night to hear from candidates for leadership positions in the caucus. Bob Good (R-VA05) was reportedly vocal in his opposition during the meeting. Republicans will have a slim majority in the House making it much more complicated for current House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to keep everyone happy and have enough votes to remain leader and become speaker.
McCarthy allies press moderate Dem to switch parties amid speakership turmoil - Politico
By OLIVIA BEAVERS, SARAH FERRIS and JORDAIN CARNEY
Kevin McCarthy’s allies have attempted to sway at least one moderate Democrat to the GOP side of the aisle in recent days, according to a person with knowledge of the situation — a sign of desperation as he searches for the 218 votes he’ll need to become House speaker next year.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) has received calls from multiple people close to McCarthy, including one current and one former member, as the California Republican attempts to lock down support amid a burgeoning conservative rebellion, the person said. Cuellar repeatedly rejected the idea.
