(The audio at the top of this newsletter is from a press conference with the minority leader in the House of Delegates, Todd Gilbert (R), and other leaders from his caucus.)
This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics. Please consider supporting independent journalism today by becoming a paid subscriber today to Virginia Scope!
Democratic leadership says no amendments allowed in money committees during upcoming special session
Del. Luke Torian (D), the Chair of the Appropriations Committee in the House of Delegates, sent a memo to the House members recently notifying them that the House and Senate finance committees would not be allowing member amendments for budget bills that the governor proposes during the upcoming special session.
“I write to share with you that because of the unique circumstances and limited nature of the 2021 Special Session II, neither the House Appropriations Committee nor the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee will be accepting any member amendment request to the Governor’s introduced bill,” Torian wrote in the memo to delegates. “It simply would be impossible to thoroughly evaluate those items in what is expected to be a short and expeditious Special Session.”
The legislators are convening next week to allocate the $4.3 billion in funds that Virginia received from the American Relief Plan. Governor Northam already pledged $250 million towards helping localities update the ventilation systems in their schools, $350 million for small business and tourism, and $700 million to expand access to broadband. More announcements from Democratic leaders are expected throughout the week for how they wish to use the funding during what the governor’s office dubbed ‘Investment Week.’
Republicans are in a position to potentially slow down the Democratic efforts from easily passing the governor’s budget, but they lack the numbers in either chamber to actually prevent bills from passing. Additionally, these proposals will benefit a lot of their constituents — opposing these measures could backfire on the Republican candidates only a few months before they try and chip into the Democratic majority in the House of Delegates with all 100 seats up for election Nov. 2.
Del. Terry Kilgore (R-Scott) said he hopes that this money can be used to help Southwest Virginia students gain access to broadband internet. “This is the commonwealth’s chance to finally address this critical infrastructure issue facing our students, an issue the SWVA delegation has advocated for years,” Kilgore said in a press release.
Legislators convene Aug. 2 for the second special session of 2021.
(Listen to comments from Republican leaders at the top of this newsletter.)
Glenn Youngkin releases two new TV ads for gubernatorial campaign
The Republican nominee for governor Glenn Youngkin is launching two new television advertisements Tuesday. Titled “Honest Work” and “Focus,” the ads are polar opposites and highlight different aspects of this election cycle.
“Honest Work” is centered around Youngkin’s history in business and how he believes he will build up Virginia’s workforce as governor.
“In my 30-year business career, I helped create tens of thousands of jobs, but it was my job back in college, working the graveyard shift loading trucks that taught me the power of hard work,” Youngkin says in the ad. “As governor, I’ll prioritize manufacturing things right here in Virginia.”
In “Focus” Youngkin pokes fun at and condemns the attacks from his opponent Terry McAuliffe and other Democrats have thrown his way during the campaign. Strikingly similar to the ad that Raphael Warnock ran during the Georgia special elections, the Youngkin ad begins with spooky music saying “Glenn once left dirty dishes in the..” before trailing off.
“Terry McAuliffe is going to try and scare you with lies about me because he doesn’t want to talk about his own extreme views,” Youngkin says in the ad. “What’s next, I hate dogs?”
McAuliffe’s campaign believes that Youngkin’s views are not mainstream in Virginia and that these ads will not be able to mask that. “No amount of spending of his personal fortune will paper over the fact that Glenn Youngkin’s agenda is completely out of touch with Virginians: he wants to ban abortion, defund Planned Parenthood, and his budget plan would lead to devastating cuts to education and public safety,” said Renzo Olivari, a spokesperson for McAuliffe. “Glenn Youngkin, who is Donald Trump’s hand picked candidate, has gone so far as to say Trump ‘represents so much of why he’s running. That’s the real Glenn, and he is insulting Virginians if he thinks he can fool them otherwise.”
McAuliffe and Ayala call on their Republican opponents to drop out of election integrity rally
The GOP committee from Virginia’s fifth congressional district recently announced that they are holding an election integrity rally next month. Keynote speakers for the event include Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin, lieutenant governor candidate Winsome Sears, and attorney general candidate Jason Miyares.
The flyer for the event lays out a schedule of events like “Understanding 2020 and cleaning up voter data” and other election process training programs. The schedule appears to make the event look like a training program for Republican activists and volunteers. But the title goes along with the theme being pushed by former President Donald Trump in an effort to cast doubt on the 2020 presidential results.
Democratic statewide candidates are now calling for the Republican nominees to drop out of that event.
Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee released a statement Tuesday morning calling on Youngkin to drop out of the event. “Next week, Glenn Youngkin will headline a rally inspired by Donald Trump's conspiracy theory that led to a deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol,” McAuliffe said in the statement. “Glenn Youngkin has focused his entire candidacy on divisive conspiracy theories, peddling Donald Trump's lies, and trying to hide his out-of-touch views from Virginians. He launched his campaign on his ‘election integrity’ plan, calling it ‘the most important issue.’ He spent months denying that Joe Biden was duly elected president. He has repeatedly praised Donald Trump, saying Trump ‘represents so much of why’ he's running. This is who Glenn Youngkin really is."
Matt Wolking, the communications director for Youngkin’s campaign provided a response to Virginia Scope. “Terry McAuliffe opposes requiring a photo ID to vote, which undermines the integrity of our elections and makes it easier to cheat. Glenn Youngkin will restore Virginia’s photo ID law and make sure it is easy for every eligible person to vote and harder to cheat.”
Del. Hala Ayala, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor is also calling on Sears to drop out from attending the event. “Anyone who attempts to undermine faith in our democracy has no absolutely place leading it. It’s hard to think of anything as irresponsible as using fear and misinformation around our elections as a fundraising opportunity,” Ayala said in a statement. “I’m disappointed and disturbed to see my opponent continuing to peddle such a dangerous myth that has cost Americans their lives. I’m calling on her to drop out of this event and finally disavow this conspiracy theory.”
The two-day event is scheduled to begin Aug. 6.
Political opponents, yes, but Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates share a taste for pricey Zip codes - Washington Post
Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin, the Democrat and Republican running for governor in Virginia, are easy to distinguish from each other in their widely divergent political views.
But their taste in real estate? Downright neighborly.
Critics: Arlington government improperly promoted Biden-McAuliffe appearance - Inside NOVA
by SCOTT McCAFFREY
Did the Arlington government cross a line and, instead of merely informing the public about the impacts of the July 23 visit of President Biden, go further and actively support Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe?
That’s the contention of the Arlington County Republican Committee, accusing the county government of “misusing taxpayer resources and county bandwidth to actively promote a partisan campaign rally.”
Local Democrat Challenges Rep. Don Beyer in 8th District Primary - Arlington Now
by Vernon Miles
Arlingtonian Victoria Virasingh has thrown her hat into the ring to challenge Rep. Don Beyer for the 8th District Democratic primary next year.
Beyer has held onto the 8th District, which includes parts of Arlington and Alexandria, since he won a crowded primary for former Congressman Jim Moran’s seat in 2014 and the general election later that year.
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