It is still too early to rule out a Nick Freitas congressional run in 2022
It is still too early to rule out a Nick Freitas congressional run in 2022
Also an interview with Josh Stanfield about DPVA Chair
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Removal of the Lee pedestal will begin immediately
Governor Ralph Northam announced Sunday that he has ordered for the process to remove the pedestal from the circle on Monument Avenue that formerly housed the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to begin immediately.
The removal is set to begin Monday morning and be completed by the end of the year. The circle area of land that is currently owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia will be donated to the City of Richmond.
“This land is in the middle of Richmond, and Richmonders will determine the future of this space,” Northam said in a statement Sunday. “The Commonwealth will remove the pedestal and we anticipate a safe removal and a successful conclusion to this project.”
Northam’s announcement states that officials will safely disassemble and store the pedestal until the next steps have been determined. Republican Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin will be sworn into office on Jan. 15.
In September, Youngkin expressed support for removing the Lee Statue, citing the court ruling giving Northam the power to remove it. “And I do hope, John, that they put it someplace like a battlefield or a museum so that we won’t forget our history. And I do hope that we, in fact, recognize how wrong the graffiti and the violence was around statues, and that we have to stand up for law enforcement, not demean them and defund them.”
If the missing 1887 time capsule is recovered during the disassembly process, it will remain under the control of Virginian and will be removed for preservation.
In a press release, the City of Richmond stated that “the future of the circle, like that of all Monument Avenue, will be determined through a thoughtful and community-rooted planning process, with the objective of repurposing the space in support of the goals set forth in the Richmond 300 Master Plan.”
Executive moves
Governor Ralph Northam is set to kick off a 'Thank you, Virginia' tour and make a public education announcement in Alexandria this morning at 9 am. He will also be visiting an elementary school in Roanoke by himself and a high school in Glen Allen today with the First Lady, Pamela Northam.
Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin addressed Virginia Republicans at their annual advance this weekend. “We are just at the beginning,” he said to cheers of “Glenn! Glenn! Glenn!” “Because we, as Republicans, are no longer going to celebrate an episodic victory. We are going to celebrate continuous victories year after year after year.” - Read more from the Washington Post
Recent reports show that Youngkin put $20 million of his own money into his gubernatorial campaign - Read more
Here is a look at Virginia voters who supported both Biden and Youngkin
Rumor Mill
2020 VA-07 congressional candidate Nick Freitas is being listed as the chair of a 2022 VA-07 campaign on a fundraiser flyer even though he has not officially endorsed any candidates in the race yet. This appears to be strategic, and a source with knowledge provides a brief insight into Freitas’ thinking on possibly running again in 2022. Read more below.
As we reported yesterday that Susan Swecker’s decision on stepping down from DPVA chair depends on who steps up to replace her, we talked to one person several sources say she does not want to replace her, Josh Stanfield. Stanfield talked about whether he is considering running for party chair and much more in an interview with Virginia Scope. Read more from Stanfield below.