Youngkin responds to question about VA-04 special election
Del. Marie March attacked McEachin after his death over his support of abortion access
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The rundown
It is up to Governor Glenn Youngkin as to when he will call for a special election to replace Rep. Donald McEachin in the House of Representatives.
Bennett-Parker announces reelection campaign
John Stirrup Announces Campaign for House of Delegates
Del. Marie March attacked McEachin after his death over his support of abortion access
Spanberger’s Statement on U.S. Senate Passage of Respect for Marriage Act
Special Election?
It is up to Governor Glenn Youngkin as to when he will call for a special election to replace Rep. Donald McEachin in the House of Representatives. Youngkin was probed about when he will call for the special election during a press gaggle Tuesday. Here is what he had to say:
"Congressman McEachin, was an extraordinary public servant, with over 23 years of service to the Commonwealth and to our nation. And he fought a very tough battle with cancer. And it's a moment for us to pray for his family and remember the tremendous contributions that he made. We will make decisions with regards to the special election. Today, we're really focused on remembering the great contributions he made. And there are folks that I'm going to want to listen to as to the best time in order to call this. I want to make sure that Virginians are represented....But today's a day to really focus on the congressman."
VPM News reported: “The state constitution doesn’t specify how quickly Youngkin must set a date for the election — but it can’t occur within the 55 days before a primary or general election, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Elections.”
McEachin’s seat is a Democratic stronghold so the competition will come down to the Democratic primary. Right now, the only names being circulated are Del. Lamont Bagby, Sen. Jennifer McClellan, Sen. Joe Morrissey, and Mayor Levar Stoney. It is likely that other Democrats will jump into this race also.
None of the potential candidates have provided any substantial comment about what their intentions might be, yet.
This will remain a developing situation.
Bennett-Parker announces reelection campaign
Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria) announced her re-election campaign for HD-05 Wednesday morning. HD-05 is a Democratic district that Terry McAuliffe won by 50 points in 2021 according to analysis from VPAP.
“I am excited to announce I am running for re-election to continue serving our community. I am proud of the work we have done to support public education, combat climate change, and protect abortion rights in Virginia; and I will continue to champion commonsense gun safety legislation, policies that support workers, like paid family and medical leave, and never stop working for a better Commonwealth,” Bennett-Parker said. “I look forward to winning and to electing Democrats across our Commonwealth to take back the majority in the House; and together, I know we can keep moving Virginia forward.”
Congressman Don Beyer, state Senator Adam Ebbin, and Delegate Charniele Herring all endorsed Bennett-Parker.
There are currently no other candidates, Democratic or Republican, in this district.
John Stirrup Announces Campaign for House of Delegates
Former Prince William Supervisor John Stirrup (R) announced his candidacy for the Virginia House of Delegates District 21. This is a district in which Republican Glenn Youngkin edged out a slim victory in 2021 according to an analysis from VPAP.
“As a 23-year resident of Prince William County, I know firsthand the challenges our County faces,” Stirrup said. “We must lower our cost of living through limited government, restore excellence in our children's education, and support law enforcement.”
“Prince William County needs a proven conservative in the House of Delegates,” Stirrup continued. “I have dedicated years of service to the residents of Prince William County, and I will build upon my strong pro-business record on the Board of Supervisors and history of voting against tax increases. Public safety and reducing crime in the County to keep our communities safe is a top priority. To reduce crime in our Commonwealth, we must fully fund our law enforcement to keep dangerous criminals off the streets. I pledge to fight against the ‘criminals first, victims last’ mindset that has become so pervasive in the Commonwealth.”
Stirrup continued:
“We must restore excellence in our children's education. Parents’ rights are a top priority for me, and as your Delegate, I will support Governor Youngkin’s initiative to return control of your children’s education to parents.”
Republican Joshua Quill and Democrat Joshua Thomas have already declared their candidacies in this district.
Spanberger Statement on U.S. Senate Passage of Respect for Marriage Act
U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today released the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted to pass the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act.
“I am glad that a bipartisan majority of my U.S. Senate colleagues voted to pass the Respect for Marriage Act today. Same-sex and interracial couples are our neighbors, they are parents and grandparents, and they are dedicated members of our communities.
“No one should discriminate against or deny legal protections to these Americans, simply based on who they love. I will vote to protect their rights again and again — as many times as is necessary — to make sure that marriage equality for same-sex and interracial couples is federal law in the United States, and I urge my fellow lawmakers to do the same.
“The House of Representatives must quickly vote to pass the Respect for Marriage Act to protect members of our communities from discrimination and protect the basic human dignity of millions of our fellow Americans.”
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney is in Athens, Greece until Friday to join the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond representatives to participate in 2022 Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism
Column: Where does the buck stop? Not with Youngkin - Richmond Times-Dispatch
By Minority Leader Don Scott
It’s bad enough that Gov. Glenn Youngkin is once again politicizing our public schools, but it’s even worse that he refuses to take ownership of his administration’s many failures. Just this month, he tried to take Martin Luther King Jr. out of K-5 education standards. Let that sink in. MLK. It’s never been clearer — Youngkin is too extreme for Virginia.
The governor’s latest failure, this time regarding his education department’s draft K-12 history standards, should come as no surprise to Virginians. From stoking dangerous rhetoric against LGBTQ students to setting up a “tip line” to report educators who acknowledge Black history and racism, Youngkin has made attacking and politicizing public education a hallmark of his administration. Indeed, the last two years (the total amount of time Youngkin has spent in politics) have been marked by his zeal for dragging our schools, teachers and kids down into the red swamp of culture wars and right-wing fearmongering. All of this, of course, Youngkin has performed in the cynical pursuit of his true aim: rerouting taxpayer dollars to private schools and promoting his own political ambitions.
NAACP: ‘Scant’ info in records about election integrity unit - Associated Press
by Sarah Rankin and Gary Fields
The Virginia NAACP said Tuesday it was “deeply disappointed” after receiving “scant” information of substance in response to a wide-ranging public records request it made with the state’s Republican attorney general about his new election integrity unit.
After expressing concerns that the unit could lend credence to election-fraud conspiracies, the civil rights group paid a deposit of more than $19,000 for a records request related to its organization, staffing, activities and other matters. It received documents from Attorney General Jason Miyares’ office in early November and released them Tuesday.
