Pence comes to Virginia for Youngkin
The latest in Virginia politics.
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Pence helps Youngkin
Former Vice President Mike Pence came to Virginia Beach recently to raise money for Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin.
“Great to be in Virginia Beach supporting a true Conservative and the next Governor of the Old Dominion, Glenn Youngkin,” Pence tweeted Thursday afternoon. Youngkin did not comment on the event and it was not open to the public or press, but he did retweet the message.
Youngkin’s opponent Terry McAuliffe instantly jumped on the tweet saying “Donald Trump's top loyalists are ALL IN for Glenn because they know he would do everything in his power to advance their right-wing agenda.”
The irony is that while Pence served loyally under Trump for four years throughout nearly every controversy, Pence rebuffed the strong efforts from Trump at the end to try and overturn the election results.
Trump then publicly shamed Pence for not being loyal to him. On the day that his supporters overthrew police officers and stormed the Capitol, Trump tweeted directly about Pence. “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!” President Trump wrote at 2:24 p.m.
Video from the day of the insurrection showed people calling for the death of Pence as they stormed the Capitol building.
Pence’s visit might actually turn off some die-hard Trump Republicans in Virginia, but his presence could also attract the moderate Republicans that Youngkin needs to show up in force this election — as long as they don’t remember why they disliked Pence prior to Jan 6.
McAuliffe releases new ad for gubernatorial campaign
Audio: Democratic House candidate Rachel Levy talks about her campaign and why she is running
Rachel Levy is running as a Democrat in Virginia’s 55th district for the House of Delegates. The 55th district encompasses parts of Hanover, Spotsylvania, and Caroline Counties.
Republican Buddy Fowler has held this seat since 2014.
ICYMI: They both have prioritized public education, but McAuliffe and Youngkin differ greatly on policy
Critical Race Theory, teacher pay, school choice, mask mandates for students, and other education-related topics remain prominent in discussions for Virginia candidates as election season nears. This brings the partisan debate over public education to the forefront — most obviously in the gubernatorial race.
Glenn Youngkin, the Republican nominee, and Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic nominee, have both made education a top facet of their campaign platform. Their proposals for change, however, show no resemblance.
‘We, not me’: Hala Ayala focuses on ‘collective work’ in run for lieutenant governor - Virginia Mercury
by Malcolm Ferguson
Del. Hala Ayala, D-Prince William, is in just her second term in the House of Delegates. But with the backing of major party figures like Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn and Gov. Ralph Northam, she rose to the top of the Democratic primary in a crowded field to win the lieutenant governor primary. In an interview with the Mercury, Ayala, daughter of a Salvadorian and North African immigrant father and an Irish and Lebanese mother who spent 20 years as a cybersecurity specialist, stressed the importance of keeping a Democratic majority to deliver policy wins like Medicaid expansion.
VM: What is your vision for the lieutenant governor’s office given the limits of the role?
Ayala: We’ve done worthy work in the House of Delegates, as I’ve done with my colleagues in the Democratic majority — raising teacher pay, making sure that we passed Medicaid expansion for over 500,000 Virginians, we worked for gun safety reform and also passed the ERA. This is the great work Democrats have done. My work in the Democratic majority has been so inspiring and has encouraged me to continue that great work, and that’s what I’ll do as lieutenant governor.
‘Who knew Nixon was a homeboy?’ A Q&A with lieutenant governor hopeful Winsome Sears - Virginia Mercury
by Malcolm Ferguson
Winsome Sears is no stranger to making history. In 2001, she became the first Black Republican woman elected from a Black-majority state legislative district in the country, upsetting 20-year incumbent Billy Robinson Jr.
Today, the Jamaican-born Sears is running on education and economic reform, among other issues, alongside attorney general candidate Jason Miyares and gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin. She talked to the Mercury about her political journey, her heritage and her aspirations for the commonwealth. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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McAuliffe campaign clings to anti-Trump narrative over record in office - Washington Times
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe has increasingly focused his campaign message on tying his opponent to former President Donald Trump.
Mr. McAuliffe, who served as governor from 2014 to 2018, has put out ads and daily emails and made speeches portraying Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin as a Trump lackey.
Lockhart criticizes McGuire's presence at DC riot - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Patrick Wilson
The challenger to a Goochland County lawmaker who was present at the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol but said he did not go in the building says his presence there alone is grounds for voters to replace him in office.
Blakely Lockhart of Henrico County is the Democratic challenger to Del. John McGuire, R-Goochland, who has served in the House since 2018.
Northam touts Virginia’s ‘roaring’ economy while warning of delta variant - Washington Post
by Laura Vozzella
Gov. Ralph Northam celebrated Virginia's record $2.6 billion budget surplus and "roaring" economy in a speech to legislators on Wednesday, while also cautioning that the resurgent coronavirus poses new risks to state finances and public health.
In his annual address to the state House and Senate money committees, Northam (D) ticked off a list of economic indicators that seemed unattainable as the pandemic first gripped the commonwealth in early 2020.
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