Democrats continue to attack Youngkin over The Carlyle Group; new endorsement for McAuliffe; national GOP star comes to campaign in Va; Youngkin releases a new plan; and more
The latest in Virginia politics.
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Democrats continue to attack Youngkin over The Carlyle Group business dealings
Democratic Party of Virginia Chairwoman Susan Swecker and lieutenant governor nominee Del. Hala Ayala held a press conference on Thursday alongside the AFL-CIO, the largest union in the United States, to discuss the recent reports about the Republican nominee for governor Glenn Youngkin and his time with The Carlyle Group.
Youngkin is still dealing with these attacks from Democrats after a recent report from the Associated Press showed that while he was involved with The Carlyle Group, the investment firm would purchase private businesses and then sometimes outsource the jobs or lay off employees to help investors increase their profit.
Youngkin eventually rose to the title of co-CEO at The Carlyle Group before resigning ahead of this gubernatorial run.
“There’s no two-ways about it: Glenn Youngkin’s so-called leadership led to American jobs being shipped overseas,” said Virginia AFL-CIO President Doris Crouse-Mays at a press conference this week. “Today I want to be unequivocally clear: anyone who has spent their entire career gutting American jobs is the wrong choice to lead our commonwealth.”
Youngkin amassed a large personal wealth in his time with The Carlyle Group and is issuing that wealth to invest in this race. He has loaned his campaign $12 million so far.
Youngkin’s campaign touted his work to help The Carlyle Group become wildly successful when they responded to the Associated Press.
“As a young man, Glenn joined a small company and over the next 25 years worked his way up to the top of the company, helping to grow it into a hugely successful enterprise that turned good businesses into great businesses, created tens of thousands of jobs, and funded the retirement pensions of police officers, firefighters, and teachers,” Youngkin spokesman Macaulay Porter said to the Associated Press. “Under Glenn’s leadership, The Carlyle Group employed nearly 2,000 people and managed assets totaling nearly four times the size of Virginia’s yearly budget.”
None of the actions reported about The Carlyle Group while Youngkin was with the firm are illegal. The business practices just bring into question Youngkin’s motto of creating more jobs and better businesses for Virginians.
“It is more important than ever that we fight to elect Terry McAuliffe and defeat Glenn Youngkin’s extreme hardline agenda,” said Chairwoman Swecker.
Youngkin’s campaign also pushed back on the narrative Thursday by pointing out that McAuliffe has previously invested with The Carlyle Group. They even paid to have a billboard truck ask how much McAuliffe invested with the firm.
Youngkin is facing Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe, and Independent candidate Princess Blanding in the general election that takes place Nov. 2. Watch the video from the Democratic press conference below.
Former Ambassador, Governor Nikki Haley to Campaign With Glenn Youngkin in Virginia
The Republican gubernatorial nominee for governor is bringing in a big Republican name from South Carolina as the former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley will stump alongside him in Virginia next week.
Haley was the first female governor of South Carolina and served that post from 2011 to 2017. She then served as an ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump for the first half of his term.
"Glenn Youngkin has what it takes to get Virginia moving again,” Ambassador Haley said through a press release Thursday. “He’s an experienced businessman and problem solver who will create jobs and opportunity, improve schools, and deliver results for the people of Virginia.”
Haley is expected to join Youngkin at campaign stops and fundraisers in Central and Northern Virginia on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“It’s an honor to have Ambassador Haley join me on the campaign trail,” Youngkin said through a press release. “Her visit shows that Virginia really is ground zero this year – we have to get our economy moving again, fix our schools, support law enforcement, and take care of our veterans. When voting starts in September we have a huge opportunity to bring a brighter day to our Commonwealth!”
Glenn Youngkin unveils a veteran support plan
At an event in Virginia Beach Thursday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin revealed a plan that he says will help care for veterans, champion their concerns, connect them with resources, get them the proper care, and reduce barriers on their capital and employment opportunities.
“Today I’m releasing a series of policy proposals to honor the sacrifice of our military veterans, and to make this Commonwealth the best place for our military heroes to pursue the next chapter of their lives,” Youngkin said. “These policies are rooted in my commitment to compete with neighboring states when it comes to veterans benefits and tax treatment, to connect veterans more seamlessly to the many services that they have access to, to create paths for careers worthy of their skills in all fields, but especially in those fields like law enforcement, teaching, and healthcare, where their leadership and training can benefit so many Virginians including our children. So, we must take certain steps to compete. We have to compete in order to keep our great veterans here, to stay and work and retire in Virginia."
Key points from Youngkin’s plan:
COMPETE
As governor, Glenn will accelerate processing by waiving administrative fees for permits and applications for small business start-ups for qualifying veterans. This will reduce barriers to entrepreneurship and allow more to enter the marketplace.
We will eliminate tax on military retirement pay.
We will expand the existing Child Care Subsidy Program, this will allow active-duty primary caregivers to apply for the program prior to separation and ensure there is no gap in childcare coverage in the first 90 days after transition.
CARE
We will ensure veterans are receiving the benefits they’ve earned by increasing the number of Veteran Service Officers (VSOs).
Virginia will develop a gold-standard digital hub to streamline access and foster collaboration across agencies, sectors, and businesses.
Critical positions will be filled at the Virginia Department of Veterans Services while unnecessary positions will be eliminated to free-up dollars and resources.
CONNECT
The Youngkin Administration will eliminate bureaucracy and successfully migrate qualified veterans to opportunities in law enforcement, teaching, and healthcare careers by reducing bureaucratic burden and creating bridge programs.
We will establish an equivalence of Training for military police and law enforcement, build on the existing Military Medics and Corpsman (MMAC) Program, and develop an approved RN program that allows military medics to enter the program as second semester students.
We will foster private-public partnerships with organizations that prioritize and provide peer and mentorship-related programs for transitioning veterans.
"We can reimagine the way we provide services so that they are easier to access,” Youngkin said Thursday. “And we can eliminate bureaucratic impediments to careers, that fit your skillset and make the transition to civilian life so much easier. And we will do all of this to make Virginia the best place for service personnel looking to write the next chapter of their lives."
Democratic Party of Virginia says Youngkin is gaining ground in a fundraising email
The Democratic Party of Virginia sent out a fundraising email to supporters Thursday stressing that Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin is gaining ground on the Democratic nominee, former-Governor Terry McAuliffe.
“The Cook Political Report just updated their ratings for the Virginia gubernatorial election, and it looks like our job just got harder. The race went from ‘Likely Democrat’ in their view to ‘Lean Democrat.’ Now that the primary is over, analysts believe that this campaign is becoming a whole lot more competitive,” DPVA wrote in the email.”It’s clear that Glenn Youngkin’s multi-million dollar ad buys are starting to have a real impact on this race. For weeks, polls have shown Youngkin and the VA GOP to be within the margin of error, and that’s bad news.”
Fundraising emails are often over-the-top and dramatic as finance experts try to find the right message and balance of fear/excitement to garner more donations for their candidate. But the Democrats have been consistently been messaging in recent weeks that they believe Youngkin is highly competitive, especially when there is very little ground to gain (about four points) before a tie would be reached.
But even with the very limited polling showing a slight lead for McAuliffe, Democrats are sticking to the fundraising message that Youngkin could win this race. “Glenn Youngkin’s recent media spending spree is only the beginning -- he’s pledged an eye-popping $75 million of his own wealth to ensure that he and his pals in the GOP win their races up and down the ballot,” the Democrats wrote in the fundraising email. “Make no mistake, folks: Glenn Youngkin is trying to buy this election using any means necessary, and we need to fight back.”
Youngkin, McAuliffe, and Independent candidate Princess Blanding face off on Nov 2. Early voting begins mid-September.
Anti-CRT group targets Virginia independents with mass texts about McAuliffe's 'conspiracy' comment - Fox News
by Sam Dorman
An organization that opposes critical race theory (CRT) is mass texting northern Virginia independents on Thursday in an attempt to amplify the issue before November's gubernatorial election. The roughly 155,000 texts will highlight how Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe disparaged concerns about CRT, describing them as a "right-wing conspiracy."
"Loudoun County has become ground zero in the fight over Critical Race Theory-inspired curriculum in K-12 schools," reads the text from 1776 Action. "Terry McAuliffe says this is all a made-up conspiracy, but these moms & dads have a very different take."
Virginia LCV endorses McAuliffe for Governor
Today, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters officially announced its endorsement of Terry McAuliffe for Governor.
“Over the past four years, we’ve made unprecedented gains for Virginia’s environment, passing some of the strongest climate action measures in the country, and we are proud to endorse a candidate in Terry McAuliffe who is committed to building on this progress and going even further,” said Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. “During his first term, Governor McAuliffe laid important groundwork in addressing climate change, fighting to advance climate action and clean energy even as a hostile legislature worked to block these efforts at every turn. We look forward to protecting Virginia’s Conservation Majority in 2021 and working with the McAuliffe Administration to continue to advance measures that protect clean air, clean water, and a safe, clean and accessible environment for all Virginians.”
Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated Virginians account for virtually all new COVID-19 cases since December, data shows - Virginia Mercury
by Kate Masters
Since late December, virtually all of Virginia’s new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been among residents who are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health.
The statistics parallel trends in neighboring states, including Maryland, which announced that unvaccinated residents made up all of its coronavirus deaths in June, The Washington Post reported. And experts say the data dramatically underlines how crucial vaccines are, even as officials scramble to convince more people to receive the shots.
'It feels sneaky': Virginia lawmakers allocated $6.5 million to adult special education students - but disability advocates say there's a loophole - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Kenya Hunter
Virtual school was tough for T.Q. Jackson, an autistic 21-year-old from Prince Edward County, about an hour southwest of Richmond. He normally attends school at the Faison Center in Richmond, which specializes in working with students with autism to get an education better suited for their needs than public school can provide. His grandmother, Catherine Smith, says he basically lost an entire year of learning during the pandemic.
“It was hard because he won’t get on the computer, he don’t like that. He don’t do all that,” she said of virtual school. But school officials at Faison, she said, were most helpful in keeping Jackson engaged. “They called him and talked to him every day on the phone.”
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Second child younger than 9 has died of COVID-19 in Virginia
Williams: Harry Byrd's statue is gone. But his legacy lives on.
School equity debates relatively calm in Prince William, Manassas