The latest ratings from Cook Political on VA-02 and VA-07
The latest in Virginia politics.
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The rundown
Spanberger is bringing in a Senator to campaign for her and Vega is hosting a roundtable this week
Cook Political Report released their latest analysis of House races ahead of the midterms. Find out what they have rated VA-02 and VA-07.
Youngkin announced $1.2 million in Growth and Opportunity for Virginia (GO Virginia) grant awards for four projects focused on innovative workforce development initiatives designed to expand talent pipelines in technology sectors.
The latest headlines from Virginia politics
Executive Schedule
11:30 AM: GOVERNOR GLENN YOUNGKIN DELIVERS REMARKS AT VIRGINIA SHERIFFS’ ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE
LOCATION: Virginia Beach, VA
2:30 PM: GOVERNOR ATTENDS HISPANIC BUSINESS LEADERS LISTENING SESSION
LOCATION: Virginia Beach, VA
Campaign trail
United States Senator Mark Warner (D) is campaigning with Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) in Prince William County this weekend as she is facing a tough reelection challenge against Yesli Vega this November. This event with Warner will take place one day after early voting in Virginia begins.
On the other side, Vega will be holding a roundtable with veterans in Stafford County on Thursday. According to the announcement from her campaign, Vega and veterans will be meeting to discuss their thoughts and concerns on mental health and veteran affairs services in Virginia as well as President Joe Biden’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
National
Cook Political Report released its latest ratings and analysis for elections in the House of Representatives this November. 212 seats at least Lean Republican and 192 seats at least Lean Democrat. They still have 31 toss-ups, meaning Republicans only need to win 6 out of the 31 toss-ups to win control of the House; Democrats would need to win 26 out of 31 toss-ups.
According to Cook, the two competitive House races in Virginia are rated as follows: VA-02 between Luria and Kiggans is a toss-up, and VA-07 between Spanberger and Vega leans Democratic.
$1.2 Million in Growth and Opportunity Virginia Grants to Support Workforce and Entrepreneurial Development
Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced more than $1.2 million in Growth and Opportunity for Virginia (GO Virginia) grant awards for four projects focused on innovative workforce development initiatives designed to expand talent pipelines in technology sectors, as well as foster entrepreneurial startups, business development and venture investment.
“GO Virginia allows us to invest in key projects that will enhance our economic growth by fostering workforce development and stimulating new business opportunities,” Youngkin said in a press release. “These projects exemplify the innovative partnerships that GO Virginia grants were designed to promote, driving regional advancement and strengthening our Commonwealth.”
GO Virginia supports projects that focus on workforce development, cluster scaleup, startup ecosystems, and site and infrastructure development to encourage regional economic growth and diversification. In addition to the awarded GO Virginia funding, the four awarded projects leveraged an additional $745,000 in local and non-state funding.
Since the program’s inception in 2017, GO Virginia has funded 233 projects and awarded approximately $93.7 million to support regional economic development efforts. To learn more about the GO Virginia program, visit dhcd.virginia.gov/gova.
A FULL LIST OF THE 2022 PER CAPITA GRANT AWARDS CAN BE FOUND HERE.
Local politics
The Collective PAC endorsed Mr. Phillip Jones for Mayor of Newport News.
“The Collective PAC is working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government.”
At Loudoun Office of Elections, Youngkin Touts Election Security - Loudoun Now
by Renss Greene
After a tour of the Loudoun County Office of Elections, which has been besieged by hundreds of records requests around election security, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said he has faith in the county and commonwealth’s elections despite the attorney general’s creation of an “Election Integrity Unit” and his own gubernatorial campaigning casting doubts on elections.
During the tour, Loudoun elections staff members walked Youngkin through the various checks security measures and at the Loudoun ballot box. Afterward Youngkin faced questions about casting doubts on the electoral process and the announcement of new policies rolling back rights and protections for transgender students in public schools.
Some Va. districts seem ready to fight Youngkin plan for trans students - Washington Post
A trio of northern Virginia school districts vowed to resist an order from the administration of Gov. Glenn Youngkin that would sharply reduce the rights of transgender students, while others suggested they will comply, as school leaders across the state absorbed a 180-degree turn in policy on gender identity.
Late last week, Youngkin (R) directed all 133 of the state’s school districts to adopt new “model policies” after a comment period. These would require transgender students to access school facilities and programs matching the sex they were assigned at birth. The state will also mandate that families submit legal documentation if they want to let their children change their name or gender on official school records. Teachers and other school personnel may not refer to a student by a different name or pronoun unless parents request the switch in writing.
Va. Rep. Good joins GOP drive to criminalize gender-affirming care for transgender youth - Virginia Mercury
BY: JENNIFER SHUTT
Conservative Republicans gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday to commit to bringing legislation to the floor that would make it a felony to perform gender-affirming care on transgender youth, should the GOP take control of the U.S. House following the November midterm elections.
“How on earth can this be happening in America? It’s hard to even understand,” said Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the main sponsor of the bill, referring to gender-affirming medical treatments sometimes used by transgender and nonbinary people, including minors.
The group touted the bill’s 37 GOP co-sponsors in the House, though that number is less than 10% of the chamber’s members, far short of the backing it would need to move on to the U.S. Senate even if Republicans take control of the House.
VMI enrollment plummets after two years of turmoil and division - Washington Post
By Ian Shapira
Freshman enrollment at Virginia Military Institute has plummeted by 25 percent this year, prompting alarm and debate among officials and alumni about how to fix the problem.
The nation’s oldest military college typically enrolls about 500 new cadets at the start of its renowned “Hell Week” — a period of grueling training and verbal abuse — each August. In 2021, the number of freshman was 496; the year before, it was 522, the highest ever, according to the college’s data.
As electric bills rise due to fuel costs, advocates call for reform in Virginia - WRIC
by Jackie Defusco
Dominion Energy is increasing monthly bills in response to rising fuel prices and Appalachian Power is pursuing a similar rate hike. The utility companies say they’re taking steps to cushion the blow but some advocates argue customers in Virginia are still shouldering too much of the burden because of the state’s current law.
When fuel costs fluctuate, state law allows utility companies to pass on those expenses entirely to customers as long as they are deemed “just and reasonable” by regulators, according to State Corporation Commission (SCC) Spokesperson Andy Farmer.
Three Virginia Army bases are getting new names - Wavy
by: Kassidy Hammond
The decision to rename the bases came after Congress overrode the President’s veto of the defense spending bill in 2021. Shortly after, Congress enlisted the help of an independent commission, which was tasked with renaming the bases with names related to the confederacy. The Naming Commission released its final report on recommending the new Army base names — encompassed in Part I of the plan — to Congress on Monday, Sept. 19.
Fort Pickett
New Name: Fort Barfoot
Selected Candidate: Technical Sergeant Van T. Barfoot
Estimated Total Cost: $322,900
Fort Lee
New Name: Fort Gregg-Adams
Selected Candidate: LTG Arthur J. Gregg and LTC Charity Adams
Estimated Total Cost: $2,396,600
Fort A.P. Hill
New Name: Fort Walker
Selected Candidate: Dr. Mary Walker
Estimated Total Cost: $1,982,227
What Virginia wants to do with $100 million in electric vehicle charging money - Virginia Mercury
by Nathaniel Cline
As efforts to speed up the transition to electric vehicles intensify, Virginia is expected to receive $100 million from the federal government over the next five years to install public electric vehicle charging stations.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act puts $7.5 billion toward building out a network of electric vehicle charging stations nationwide. Of that, $5 billion will go toward the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, the main pipeline for money to be funneled to the states.
To access its share of the NEVI money, Virginia submitted its plans for how it would use the windfall to the Federal Highway Administration last month. Here’s what they say.