Jones' bill to remove Byrd Statue goes to Governor, McAuliffe holds roundtable, Cox receives pushback, Carroll Foy wants to extend the eviction moratorium; and more
The latest in VA politics.
Good Morning! Republicans are closer to finalizing the nomination process after shutting down any option but a convention last night. Democratic hopefuls for Governor announced plans to help with housing affordability (Carroll Foy) and combating the opioid epidemic (McAuliffe). GOP gubernatorial hopeful Pete Snyder was interviewed by the student newspaper at his alma mater (William and Mary) and another GOP gubernatorial hopeful Kirk Cox received push back from the Executive Director of the Virginia chapter of Planned Parenthood after she received a mailer from him advocating against abortion.
Check it all out below and enjoy your Wednesday!
“There Is No Context”: General Assembly Votes To Remove Byrd Statue
By Zachary Klosko
Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia General Assembly has voted to remove the statue of former U.S. Sen. Harry F. Byrd Sr. from Capitol Square, the area around the Virginia State Capitol.
House Bill 2208, introduced by Del. Jay Jones, D-Norfolk, instructs the Department of General Services to place the statue in storage until the General Assembly chooses its final location. The bill passed the House in late January on a 63-34 vote, while the Senate approved the measure Tuesday on a 36-3 vote.
Byrd served as state governor from 1926 to 1930 and U.S. senator from 1933 to 1965. His massive resistance campaign pushed for Southern states to reject the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education, cutting off state funding and closing schools that tried to integrate.
Jones called the statue a reminder of the institutional racism in Virginia during the bill’s first committee hearings. Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, echoed Jones’ sentiments during the bill’s final reading on the Senate floor. “When I was an intern working for the first African American governor and walked past that statue every day, I knew I was his worst nightmare,” McClellan said. “I feel it every time I walk past it.”
**Jones released the following statement after the bill passed:
“Racism and its symbols, obvious and subtle, have no place in this new Virginia decade,” said Delegate Jones. “Monuments to segregation, Massive Resistance, and the subjugation of one race below another, such as the Byrd statue, serve only as a reminder of the overt and institutional racism that has and continues to plague our Commonwealth. It’s long past time to bring them down, and I’m proud to be a voice to do just that.”
Republicans plan for nomination convention at Liberty University
The Republican Party of Virginia’s (RPV) State Central Committee (SCC) rejected multiple motions Tuesday night that would have changed the party’s nomination process for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General from a convention. Instead, they approved holding a convention on May 8 at Liberty University where delegates will park and vote from their vehicles.
This comes after more than half of the committee repeatedly supported changing the nomination process due to COVID-19 concerns, but failed to reach the 75 threshold needed to amend it.
The Convention Call, which is the document that presides over the process, that was approved Tuesday night designates Liberty University as the single location for the convention. It also states that ranked-choice voting will be used – this is when voters rank their favorite candidates in the case that one candidate does not meet the threshold to win on the first ballot.
Alumnus runs for governor: Pete Snyder launches gubernatorial bid - Flat Hat
by Claire Hogan
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, Pete Snyder ’94 saw small businesses struggling to stay afloat. Using his background in business, he started the Virginia 30 Day Fund, aimed at providing short-term, forgivable loans to small businesses throughout the commonwealth. But as the pandemic raged on, the scope of the project grew, and with it, his ambitions. Now, the 48-year-old College of William and Mary alumnus is running for governor of Virginia, hoping to secure the Republican nomination in 2021.
At the College, Snyder was a walk-on wrestler, a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, class president and a government major who studied abroad in Moscow. Snyder speaks fondly about his time in Williamsburg. “It was awesome,” Snyder said in a phone interview. “I absolutely loved being in the ‘Burg. It truly changed my life, and I’m not being hyperbolic about that.”
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jennifer Carroll Foy announces plan to make housing affordable, extend eviction moratorium, and more
“Housing insecurity was an unfortunate reality for many in my community. When I was a girl, my grandmother opened up our home to folks looking to get back on their feet, and as a public defender and Legal Aid volunteer, I worked to secure housing for clients and protect Virginians from eviction,” Carroll Foy said in a statement on Tuesday. “Ever since then, the housing crisis in the Commonwealth has gotten worse, not better. And the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown new challenges our way, putting even more people one step closer to houselessness.
“My housing plan starts by extending the eviction moratorium until 2022, which is the most important thing we can do right now to support Virginians facing housing struggles because we know that the impact of the pandemic will exist long after the virus is gone. As governor, I’ll also implement zoning reform to increase housing affordability, and ensure more state funding for houseless programs to get people back on their feet. I’ll make sure that vulnerable Virginians have the resources they need to have a roof over their head.”
Carroll Foy’s plan would do the following:
Extend the eviction moratorium until 2022 and provide more support for Virginians trying to make rent.
Expand access to affordable housing by increasing the number of inclusionary zoning programs and funding for public housing.
Work to end LGBTQIA+ houselesness by bringing together local governments, nonprofits, and LGBTQIA+ centers.
Work to end veteran houselessness by increasing funding for providers of community-based mental health care, developmental and intellectual disabilities services, and substance use disorder treatment.
Provide stronger protections for renters and homeowners including by:
Ensuring information is accessible for Virginians for whom English is a second language.
Strengthen tenants’ rights, especially in times of hardship, and codify laws requiring landlords to maintain fit premises.
Extend Governor Northam’s moratorium on utility disconnections.
GOP gubernatorial hopeful Kirk Cox receives push back for mailers
Jamie Lockhart, the Executive Director of Virginia’s chapter of Planned Parenthood pushes back against Kirk Cox after she received his mailers railing against abortion. Lockhart was surprised to receive the mailer from Cox when he is clearly targeting GOP voters in an attempt to secure the gubernatorial nomination.
Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Terry McAuliffe Hosts Virtual Conversation on Combating the Addiction and Opioid Epidemic
Terry McAuliffe today hosted a virtual conversation with advocates about combating the addiction and opioid epidemic in Virginia, as fatal overdoses are on the rise in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Terry was joined by Ginny Atwood Lovitt, Executive Director of the Chris Atwood Foundation, and Jodi Manz, former Virginia Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Resources. The Chris Atwood Foundation, named after Ginny's brother Chris who died of an accidental heroin overdose in 2013, works to provide recovery support and resources to people and families affected by addiction.
“One of the first things I did was establish a task force on opioid and overdose addictions and what we needed to do. I remember the task force came up with about 51 different recommendations for us, which we used,” McAuliffe said during the conversation. “We’ve made progress, [but] we’ve got a long way to go now with COVID, which I think is why our numbers are up dramatically. It’s the isolation, money issues, people are depressed, lack of treatment… has literally skyrocketed what we’re dealing with within this opioid addiction today.”
Democratic candidate for Attorney General Jay Jones proposes an expansive network of satellite offices for OAG
Delegate Jay Jones released a proposal on Tuesday that would establish satellite offices throughout Virginia on behalf of the Attorney General’s Office. The satellite offices would span every region of the Commonwealth from Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore, to Southside and Southwest, to Northern Virginia.
“As the people’s lawyer, the Attorney General needs to be accessible to all Virginians, regardless of background or geographic location,” Jones said in a statement. “It is incumbent on us to meet people where they are - in their communities - so the OAG can roll up its sleeves and solve the problems facing everyday Virginians. This proposal would bring both accessibility to and familiarity with the AG’s Office to our most forgotten and underserved communities.”
Virginia Democrats have made sweeping changes in state laws. Here’s a look at some. - The Virginian-Pilot
Virginia’s General Assembly adjourns Monday with Democrats boasting big changes in law that reverse many conservative policies long kept in place by Republicans who once controlled the state.
It’s the Democratic party’s second year in power, and in that span they have pushed sweeping overhauls to criminal justice practices and bills that would make Virginia the first state in the South to abolish the death penalty and legalize marijuana. With a Democrat in the governor’s mansion, their legislation will likely be signed into law.
Virginia is set to become first Southern state to declare racism a public health crisis - The Progress Index
by Bill Atkinson
Virginia, a state long associated with racist and segregationist behavior, is now only a signature away from becoming the first state in the South to declare racism as a public health crisis.
The Virginia State Senate on Tuesday, on a voice vote, approved the declaration and sent it on to the desk of Gov. Ralph S. Northam, who is expected to sign it
Va. Senate Democrats scuttle bill to bar personal use of campaign funds - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Patrick Wilson
Democratic state senators balked on Tuesday at a bill that would ban their personal use of campaign money, stopping the proposal with a recommendation that the state study the issue.
Anyone wanting to know how their senator voted won’t find any record, either, because senators took the action via an unrecorded voice vote.
Senate spikes bill to rein in personal use of campaign cash - Associated Press
By SARAH RANKIN
The Virginia Senate effectively killed a measure Tuesday that would have prevented politicians from putting campaign funds toward personal uses, with an exception for child care-related expenses.
Virginia has one of the least restrictive and policed campaign finance systems in the country and is an outlier in the nation for not already having such a ban. But state lawmakers, who insist they want to work on the issue, have repeatedly balked in recent years at making a change.
Linkous drops out of 12th District race days after announcing run - Roanoke Times
by Tonia Moxley
Less than two weeks after announcing his run, a GOP candidate has dropped out of the 12th District state House race.
Larry Linkous, 67, announced his candidacy for the seat now held by Del. Chris Hurst, D-Blacksburg, on Feb. 11. Hurst, 33, unseated Republican incumbent Joseph Yost in 2017.
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