Democrats have a large slate of LG candidates, Lee Carter pushes back against rumors and an update on gubernatorial facebook ad spending
The latest in Virginia politics
Democrats are proud, not afraid of their long list of lieutenant governor candidates
The Democrats have eight candidates seeking the nomination to run for lieutenant governor this year — meaning the eventual nominee could end up receiving only 25% of the primary vote, which would be a historically low percentage of the vote for the winner. But even with the potential for such a small coalition of support for the Democratic nominee, experts and members of the party feel confident that the troops will rally behind the Democratic ticket either way.
The last time a Democratic lieutenant governor candidate received less than 49% of the primary vote to become the nominee was in 2005 when Leslie Byrne earned the nomination with 33% of the primary vote. Byrne eventually lost to Bill Bolling by one point in the general election, underperforming the Democratic gubernatorial candidate and winner at the top of the ticket, Tim Kaine. Four years prior to that, Kaine won the lieutenant governor primary with 39.5% of the vote in a three-way race and then went on to win the general election by two points, underperforming Mark Warner at the top of the ticket by two points.
Virginia’s political landscape is much different now, however, with Democrats making huge gains in recent years. Democrats have not faced a close statewide election since 2013, in which they still won. They are no longer the underdogs, or even on an even playing field. Until voters prove otherwise, these statewide seats are the Democrat’s races to lose.
A clear front-runner is not present in the lieutenant governor’s race — though Delegate Sam Rasoul, a southwest Democrat from Roanoke has a substantial amount of money according to sources — potentially providing an edge for him over the rest of the field.
The next filing deadline for candidates to report fundraising totals is Wednesday.
Money is of the utmost importance in a race where none of the candidates have statewide name recognition. “Unlike the Democratic contest for governor, the lieutenant governor competition has no clear favorite,” said Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science at Mary Washington University. “The challenge for all of the candidates running is the need to become better known across Virginia.”
This is a common problem in this race — especially for the state delegates, which represents four of the eight candidates. But even though they are serving in the General Assembly, a delegate represents roughly only one percent of Virginia.
Plus, in the age of COVID-19 restrictions, it is not possible to attend campaign events and gauge support on the ground for each candidate. It also makes individual voter outreach for the campaigns more difficult — there are no significant field operations or meet-and-greets and fundraisers at large houses. Instead, those things exist in virtual-form, in the format of a Facebook live announcement; or a Zoom call with different Democratic committees across Virginia. “Traditional metrics may not apply,” Farnsworth said. “Running for office during COVID-times is much more complicated than before.”
But, with more on the line at the top of the ticket, voters are likely to be much more engaged in that decision. Farnsworth believes that it is safe to think the voters will follow suit down-ballot. “The bad news for lieutenant governor candidates is they’re not well known, the good news is that they are probably going to go in or out with the tide,” said Farnsworth, implying that the down-ballot races will follow the lead of the gubernatorial race. “If Democrats win the governor’s race, it is not likely they will lose the lieutenant governor’s race. I don’t think anyone could possibly handicap the lieutenant governor’s race.”
One Democratic operative involved with a lieutenant governor candidate described competing with so many primary opponents as “playing on a snowy football field,” saying the conditions are bad but everyone has to play through it. Several candidates announcing their candidacy early with no clear front runner likely contributed to the field reaching such a high number. “Part of the reason the field is so big is it is really anybody’s race,” Farnsworth said.
The candidates span the spectrum of ideology but in recent Democratic primary elections, ideology has lost to electability. “I think [Virginia] Democrats have lost so many elections over the last 30 years that they are still not used to winning the way they have in the last ten,” Farnsworth said Tuesday when discussing how Democrats often choose the most electable candidate in the nomination processes, while Republicans often vote by ideology. “There is a great willingness on the Democratic side to look for a more electable candidate rather than an ideological soulmate. Republicans tend to take the opposite conclusion, focusing on an ideological soulmate, rather than a candidate with the best chance of winning.”
An operative from the Democratic Party that is not associated with any of the lieutenant governor campaigns does not think that a low-percentage primary winner will have any negative impact on the general election. They also noted that the nominee, no matter who that might be, would receive the same help and resources once they become the official candidate with a ‘D’ next to their name on the ballot.
The Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) says the huge slate of candidates is a reflection of how strong their party has grown. For context, since 2017, Democrats have flipped both the House of Delegates and state Senate along with three congressional seats. “Having a record number of candidates step up to run for lieutenant governor is a sign of how strong our party has become,” said Grant Fox, communications director for DPVA. “Hundreds of thousands of Virginians are going to vote in the Democratic primary, while on the other side GOP insiders are rigging a chaotic convention process as the candidates try to out-Trump each other. Whoever wins our primary will be more than ready to beat the right-wing extremists Republicans nominate.”
The full Democratic field includes Del. Hala Ayala, Paul Goldman, Del. Elizabeth Guzman, Del. Mark Levine, Andria McClellan, Sean Perryman, Del. Sam Rasoul and Xavier Warren.
Any Virginia registered voter can participate in the primary election that takes place on June 8.
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Lee Carter pushes back at rumors he made an error on ballot-petition signatures
A rumor was circulating Monday that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lee Carter made an error on the forms for voters to sign the petition in order for him to be on the June 8 primary ballot. That turned out to not be true at all.
The rumor was that Carter used a P.O. Box address instead of his own address on the signature petition form, which is not typically allowed. The form in question is the one used to collect the 2,000 required signatures to be on the gubernatorial ballot. But due to past threats of assassination, Carter is registered as a protected voter with the Department of Elections keeping his address private.
A spokesperson for the Carter campaign says they have already received an email from the Democratic Party of Virginia notifying them that he will be on the ballot. They also said an official from the state party reached out early in the signature-collection process to inquire about the P.O. Box and after being provided with an explanation, the party never said anything else about it.
Multiple sources reported hearing the rumor to Virginia Scope Monday night and Carter says that he believes it was a political move by one of his primary opponents in the gubernatorial race. “Whichever campaign it is should be embarrassed,” Carter said in an interview. “I'm a protected voter because of a protective order against someone who was making assassination threats. If another candidate is so desperate that they're willing to say protected voters - people who are at risk of assassination and survivors of domestic violence - can't run for office without publishing their address, that's a disgusting position.”
A spokesperson for Terry McAuliffe denied having any knowledge of this happening prior to being contacted by Virginia Scope. A spokesperson for Jennifer McClellan also denied having any knowledge of the situation prior to being contacted.
The campaign for Jennifer Carroll Foy provided the following statement through a spokesperson; “Having faced credible threats of violence herself, Jennifer firmly believes that such threats against any candidate or campaign are deeply disturbing and should have no place in our politics.”
The campaign for Justin Fairfax did not respond to any requests for comment.
Terry McAuliffe launches a new ad with a focus on restoration of rights
The ad highlights Eric Branch’s story about having his voting rights restored by Terry McAuliffe. As Virginia’s 72nd Governor
Here is an update on Facebook ad spending from each candidate over the last seven days:
Terry McAulife has spent $35,209 on Facebook ads in the last seven days.
Jennifer Carroll Foy has spent $7,594 on Facebook ads the last seven days.
Jennifer McClellan has spent $1,036 on Facebook ads the last seven days.
Lee Carter and Justin Fairfax have not spent any money on Facebook ads in the last seven days. Fairfax has not purchased any Facebook ads at all for his gubernatorial campaign.
Democratic lieutenant governor hopeful Andria McClellan released a plan Monday that she says will help Virginia fight the harmful impacts of climate change
“Every Virginian deserves access to a safe, sustainable environment. The reality is that the climate crisis is not just a future threat, it’s here now. We need to be doing more as a Commonwealth to not only mitigate future climate change but also to adapt to that which is already affecting our communities,” McClellan said Monday. “As Lieutenant Governor, I will place addressing the climate crisis, with a focus on environmental justice, at the top of my agenda. I will expand on the resilience and climate mitigation efforts I’ve begun in the Hampton Roads region to ensure our efforts across the commonwealth prioritize the communities which are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis.”
McClellan says that shw would use her role as lieutenant governor to:
Accelerate progress on Virginia’s 100% Clean Energy goal.
Encourage the creation of a Commonwealth Flood Board to address and fund flood mitigation statewide.
Champion the use of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auction funds to implement energy-efficiency upgrades in low/moderate-income communities and support funding for regional flood mitigation planning.
Lead Virginia in joining the multi-state Transportation & Climate Initiative (TCI) with a goal of reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality.
Foster incentives for electric vehicles (EVs); support a statewide EV charging network; and, expedite the electrification of the state fleet of vehicles.
Improve access to clean renewable energy for families, schools, businesses and local governments.
Join Mid-Atlantic and national efforts to protect our natural resources, most notably the Chesapeake Bay, national forests and state parks.
State senator asks attorney general to weigh in on decision to extend natural gas plant’s permit - Virginia Mercury
by Sarah Vogelsong
A state senator is asking Attorney General Mark Herring’s office to weigh in on whether the state should have extended an air permit for the planned C4GT natural gas plant in Charles City County after its developer hastily poured concrete on the day its permit was set to expire.
“I believe these questionable actions deserve, at a minimum, official scrutiny,” wrote Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, who also represents Charles City, in the March 10 letter, which was recently provided to the Mercury.
November Ballot Starts To Take Shape - Daily News record
by Jessica Wetzler
The deadline for candidates to file for the June primaries was March 25 and, as of Monday, no primaries will be required for the four House of Delegate districts up for election this November.
Prior to Monday, the 26th House of Delegates District anticipated having a primary to elect a Democratic nominee, but Patrick Fritz — who announced his intent to challenge incumbent Del. Tony Wilt, R-Broadway, in January — confirmed to the Daily News-Record that he withdrew from the race, citing a need to be with his family.
Editorial: Throwing the redistricting commission a line: this is how you can serve Virginians
By Erin Corbett
During a pandemic where everyone is glued to their mobile phones and devices, you’d think Virginia’s redistricting commission would advertise on all social platforms, newspaper ads, listservs, and any forum possible to get the word out about their upcoming March 30 meeting. The commission itself was created to invite Virginians into the redistricting process to avoid the shadiness and racism that’s plagued our map-drawing process in years past.
But since the commission doesn’t represent the rich diversity of our state, it’s even more important that they compensate for the lack of representation with radical transparency and accountability.
But here we are, less than 24 hours until the meeting, without a tweet, post, or notice. The commission is all crickets.
VB auditor to analyze body camera activation data following deadly officer-involved shooting not captured - WAVY
by: Adrienne Mayfield, Kayla Gaskins
The Virginia Beach City Auditor’s Office will continue to take a hard look at police body-worn camera activation as part of an ongoing audit of the program, which began several months before a man was fatally shot by an officer at the Oceanfront. That shooting was not captured on tape because the officer’s body-worn camera was not activated.
Donovon W. Lynch, 25, was killed during a “police intervention shooting” on Friday night in the 300 block of 20th Street, said Virginia Beach Police Department Chief Paul Neudigate.
Parole Board chair sues Richmond TV station, journalist - Associated Press
by Sarah Rankin
The chair of the Virginia Parole Board has filed a defamation lawsuit against a Richmond TV station and one of its reporters over some of the station’s coverage of an ongoing controversy involving the board.
Court records show board chair Tonya Chapman filed the $7 million lawsuit Friday against WTVR-TV and Jon Burkett.