There is a race to replace Cox in the House and the latest polling shows McAuliffe far ahead in the Democratic primary
The latest in Virginia politics
As Kirk Cox does not seek reelection to his House seat, there is a race to replace him
The residents in the 66th House of Delegates district have been represented by Kirk Cox for over 30 years. This year that will be changing.
The borders of the district have been altered multiple times during that time frame but it has always been anchored by the small conservative city of Colonial Heights. This is Kirk Cox’s home field, where a few houses in every neighborhood are currently displaying signs to show support for his gubernatorial campaign.
The district was a reliably Republican stronghold for Cox’s first 29 years in office, but due to special redistricting in 2019 after a court ruled that the lines were racially gerrymandered, the district took a 32-point swing to the left. Cox lost the rural and suburban south-Chesterfield voters and gained the middle chunk of Chesterfield from Colonial Heights to the Richmond border, a much more diverse set of communities.
But even with that swing to the left, Cox, the Speaker of the House at the time prevailed by four points over Sheila Bynum-Coleman in a race that cost more than $3 million.
Two years later, however, Cox is dedicating all of his time to run for governor and will not be seeking reelection to his seat — meaning the district will have new representation for the first time in over three decades. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to represent my hometown in our citizen legislature for over 30 years and to have served as Speaker and Majority Leader,” Cox said in a statement Tuesday. “I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished for the 66th District, from making Virginia the most veteran-friendly state in the country to standing up for the unborn to giving Virginia students the educational opportunities necessary to succeed. Thank you to the 66th District for putting your trust in me; I hope to continue to serve you as Governor!”
Three candidates, City Councilor Mike Cherry R-Colonial Heights, activist Katie Sponsler D-Colonial Heights and Linnard Harris D-Chesterfield are running for the seat.
McAuliffe Has Commanding Lead in Primary - Public Policy Polling
PPP’s newest Virginia poll continues to find Terry McAuliffe with a strong advantage in the primary for Governor. McAuliffe is at 42% with the rest of the Democratic hopefuls in single digits. Jennifer Carroll Foy and Jennifer McClellan each get 8%, Justin Fairfax 7%, and Lee Carter comes in at 4%. 29% of voters remain undecided. McAuliffe’s lead is pretty broad across different demographic groups. He leads with 45% among African Americans and 42% with white voters as well. He has commanding leads in each of the state’s major media markets as well, coming in at 49% in Norfolk, 42% in Washington, and 37% in both Richmond and Roanoke.
McAuliffe has 68% name recognition and is seen positively by 59% of primary voters to only 9% who have a negative view of him. Fairfax is the next best known candidate with 51% name recognition but feelings about him are considerably more evenly divided with 26% seeing him favorably and 25% unfavorably. None of the sitting legislators running are very well known yet. McClellan has 28% name recognition, Foy’s is 23%, and Carter’s is 16%. Their hope will have to be that they can cut into McAuliffe’s advantage as voters become more familiar with them.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lee Carter fires off tweets directed at his primary opponents.
In a tweetstorm on Tuesday, Carter called out Jennifer Carroll Foy for her position on fundraising and excepting money from wealthy donors. Carter also called out Carroll Foy and Terry McAuliffe for their statements about qualified immunity and funding police departments. Carter is the only candidate in the race that fully supports cutting budgets to police departments across the commonwealth.
United States Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) is helping Pete Snyder’s gubernatorial campaign by headlining a fundraiser tonight.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio Endorses Jason Miyares as he seeks the Republican nomination to run for attorney general
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) endorsed Jason Miyares Tuesday in his campaign for attorney general.
Senator Rubio said, "Jason Miyares is a proven leader who understands the challenges working moms and dads face. From the soaring cost of college and child care to the safety of our communities, Jason knows what it takes to make life better for Virginians. Security and opportunity are personal to Jason because his life, his values, and his work ethic were forged by his mother's desperate escape from Cuba. I am confident that his leadership will make Virginia a safer and more prosperous state, which is why I am proud to support Jason Miyares for Attorney General."
Herring hires two new lawyers and an investigator for his office’s Conviction Integrity Unit
Attorney General Herring has hired three former capital/public defenders (two attorneys and an investigator) as part of his efforts to expand his new Conviction Integrity Unit. In January, Herring announced the creation of a Conviction Integrity Unit to identify and overturn wrongful convictions in Virginia. His office says the Unit is a distinct entity with a singular focus on evaluating and investigating claims of wrongful conviction, taking proactive steps to overturn wrongful convictions, and implementing important changes in the law that will finally allow for more wrongly convicted people to pursue their claims in the courts.
“A wrongful conviction denies someone not only their freedom but indefinable opportunities and the ability to choose their own path in life – it is a wrong that can never be fully righted, but we must try.” said Herring. “These new members of my team bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Conviction Integrity Unit that will ensure any potential wrongful conviction cases get the attention and consideration they truly deserve. As a Commonwealth, we must always strive for justice and truth, but when the system fails or gets it wrong, we have an obligation to right that wrong and give someone a second chance.”
Delegate Alfonso Lopez Endorses Elizabeth Guzman for Lt. Governor
“Elizabeth Guzman is the fighter we need for the Latino community and for all Virginians,” said Delegate Lopez. “Nearly one in 10 Virginians is Latino, yet a Latino has never served as Lieutenant Governor and there are no Latinos in the State Senate. But diversity means little without delivery, and Elizabeth Guzman has delivered time and again for our community. She helped negotiate legislationthat granted undocumented immigrants driving privilege cards, introduced and passed a new lawto extend non-drivers in the undocumented community the dignity of a state-issued ID, successfully led the charge to end the 287(g) partnership with ICE in Prince William County, introduced and passed a budget item to ensure women in the undocumented community can access pre-natal care, and has led COVID-related town halls in Spanish that have reached thousands of viewers. I am honored to call her hermana and look forward to helping elect her as the first woman and first Latina to serve as Virginia’s next Lt. Governor.”
Diverse field of 13 candidates running for Virginia lieutenant governor - WRIC
by Dean Mirshahi
This year’s crowded field is made up of a sprawling group of candidates from different backgrounds, including several who have emigrated to the U.S., five aiming to be the first woman to serve as Virginia lieutenant governor, a son of immigrants and a state delegate seeking to be the first openly gay person and first Jewish person to win statewide office in the state.
There are several current state lawmakers and candidates who have never run for political office in the lieutenant governor race. No Republican has won a statewide race in Virginia since 2009. Republicans will select their party’s nominee during a May 8 convention and a Democratic primary will be held on June 8, but early voting begins in some areas on April 23 and statewide on April 24.
Virginia parents group launches PAC to unseat school board members over reopening, race controversies - Fox News
by Sam Dorman
A political action committee (PAC) launched Tuesday with the intent of unseating multiple school board members in one of Virginia's most populous counties because of an ongoing feud over critical race theory.
The Loudoun County school board members showed a complete "misunderstanding of their duties and responsibility as elected officials," reads a press release from Fight for Schools PAC.
After consequential session, Speaker Filler-Corn turns to defending House majority this fall - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Mel Leonor
When she first got to the House of Delegates 11 years ago, House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn remembers being the only mother of school-age children on the chamber’s floor.
The Fairfax Democrat is now the first woman to ever preside over the House, which, she says, has been remade by the diversity of perspectives Democrats have ushered in: Women and Black lawmakers lead key committees, Latino and Asian Americans have recently organized their own caucuses, and Indian Americans now have one of their own in a House seat.