Friday's top stories
Top stories from Virginia politics.
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In case you missed it yesterday, Virginia’s first congressional district, Democratic candidate Leslie Mehta, is facing criticism for representing Jason Kessler during his effort to hold the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.
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Democratic race to replace Rep. Wexton gets first negative attack - Washington Post
by Antonio Olivo
Virginia’s crowded Democratic primary election contest to replace U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) will soon see its first negative attack — a contrast to what has been a mostly polite competition to succeed the congresswoman who is not seeking reelection in November for health reasons.
As early as Friday, a YouTube ad and two mailers paid for by the Virginia Democratic Action Political Action Committee, a group that promotes liberal causes, will begin targeting voters with attacks against former Virginia House speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (Fairfax), who is considered to be one of the top contenders in the June 18 election.
GOP primary battle turns Va.’s 5th District into a political Tilt-a-Whirl - Washington Post
by Laura Vozzella
Republican John McGuire took his upstart bid for Congress to a spring carnival here that mixed small-town charm with MAGA fervor, where children who mustered a bell-ringing whack in the strongman game went home with toy assault weapons.
Buttonholing voters on the midway in this red central Virginia town one recent Friday night, the Virginia state senator made a pro-Trump, anti-establishment pitch fit for an ordinary GOP primary fight, the kind with a moderate incumbent challenged from the right. But the Republican whom McGuire wants to oust in the June 18 primary is Rep. Bob Good, chairman of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus.
Youngkin creates task force to calm furor over veterans benefits - RTD
by Michael Martz
Gov. Glenn Youngkin is trying to quell a furor among Virginia military families by creating a task force to address budget changes that he originally advocated to a state program.
The program pays for tuition and fees at public colleges and universities for family of military service members killed or severely disabled while on active duty.
Virginia governor asks president to bring back in-person work for federal employees - WUSA
by Matt Pusatory
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is calling on the Biden administration to bring back in-person work for federal employees. Back in December, Youngkin wrote a letter to the Office of Personnel Management urging the administration to mandate and enforce a full return-to-work policy in an effort to boost Metro's ridership. Now he's asking again.
Virginia's recently signed budget includes state dollars to help the transit system's budget gap — something that initially was not included in the governor's proposal. Metro says ridership is up from last year, but still has not reached pre-pandemic levels.
Governor's Office Spurns FOIA Request - FXB Advance
by Adele Uphaus
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office is withholding in full 16 pages of records responsive to a request under the Freedom of Information Act, citing the exemption provided for “working papers and correspondence of the Office of the Governor.”
The request was for correspondence between the University of Mary Washington, the Governor’s Office and the Virginia State Police that occurred between April 25 and the April 27th arrest of 12 individuals—including nine students—who were participating in a pro-Palestinian encampment on the university campus.
