Well, that was unexpected.
We won’t belabor the point; everyone is at capacity from the ongoing political commentary. But it’s a good reminder to pundits and pollsters alike: always stay humble in prognostication.
While the forecast for Congress is now a matter of numbers, Virginia’s future legislative makeup is a more complex matter. All 140 General Assembly seats being on the ballot in 2023 already means uncertainty (and excitement!); add to that the open seat created by Sen. Jen Kiggans moving to the U.S. House – plus rumors of a GOP Delegate possibly resigning to join Youngkin’s Administration – and you have more excitement heading into the holidays Session than is likely healthy for an average person.
Fun fact: remember in September when we speculated on what, exactly, would be the impact of the Virginia Senate choosing not to fully adjourn from the last Special Session? One answer is now clear: Democratic leadership gets to decide when to call the special election for Kiggans’ seat. And that may/may not be before the 2023 Session.
In closing, we feel like everyone is in need of a break from the talking heads on tv (or internet), heading into the weekend — so how about talking turles, instead?
Cheers –
Davis Consultants
- November 14 | House Appropriations Committee
- November 14 | Behavioral Health Commission
- November 16 | Virginia Board of Workforce Development
- November 16 | State Board of Elections
- November 17-18 | Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee Annual Meeting
- November 21 | Virginia Disability Commission
Kiggans ousts Luria, but Democrats keep Virginia losses to a minimum
By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury
Republicans flipped their easiest Virginia target in Tuesday’s midterm elections but fell short of their high expectations as Democrats successfully defended two other contested seats.
Vega concedes to Spanberger, ending Virginia’s 7th District contest
By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury
Republican Yesli Vega conceded to Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger Wednesday in Virginia’s closely watched 7th Congressional District election, saying, “We gave it our all, but came up a little short last night.”
Issues with electronic poll books lead to long waits, delays at the polls in Virginia
By KASSIDY HAMMOND, WRIC News
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — With a record number of voters registered in Virginia for the 2022 midterm elections, it can’t be expected to all be smooth sailing.
Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe to begin air quality monitoring
By CHARLIE PAULLIN, Virginia Mercury
Virginia’s Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe is receiving some help from the federal government to assess air quality. Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe $449,988 to conduct community air pollution monitoring.
Virginia Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears: ‘Time to move on’ from Trump
By SARAH RANKIN, AP News
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s Republican lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, said in a TV interview Thursday that if Donald Trump makes a third bid for the White House, she would not support him.
Virginia ranks in the bottom third of states in public health spending
By MARKUS SCHMIDT, Cardinal News
RICHMOND – A scathing new report by the Joint Commission on Health Care (JCHC) found that Virginia ranks 38th nationally in public health spending per capita and that the commonwealth is one of just seven states that decreased total public health funding in the months before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Report finds profound pandemic impact on Virginia education
By SARAH RANKIN, AP News
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s teacher workforce is smaller, unhappier and less qualified than before the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia’s nonpartisan legislative watchdog agency said in a report Monday that urged the state to boost funding to address the issue.
This center is on a mission to make sure voting sites in Virginia are accessible
By WAYNE COVIL, WTVR News
PETERSBURG, Va. — Tuesday’s midterm elections didn’t just have voters turning out to the polls. Staff and volunteers with the Disability Law Center of Virginia made their way to more than 300 polling sites to see firsthand how accessible the sites were.
Shared solar is coming to Virginia. Just not all of Virginia.
By MEGAN SCHNABEL, Cardinal News
Residents of Community Housing Partners’ 3,300-plus apartments and townhouses that are served by Dominion Energy soon will get the opportunity to buy their electricity from a solar developer.
Youngkin to propose new agency for workforce development
By MARKUS SCHMIDT, Cardinal News
Gov. Glenn Youngkin will propose establishing a new, centralized state workforce agency to administer workforce development and training programs that currently are distributed across multiple agencies, Virginia Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater told a group of community college staffers and partners at the Hire Ed Conference at the Hotel Roanoke on Thursday.
Electric trucks are already running daily routes in Southwest Virginia
By RANDY WALKER, Cardinal News
If you are out and about in Southwest Virginia, you may have seen them. Pulling 53-foot-long trailers, and standing over 13 feet tall, they are hard to miss. But you may not have heard them, because they move very quietly. They are battery-electric trucks, forerunners of an electrified future, and they are already running daily routes in Southwest Virginia.
Gov. Youngkin wants a small modular reactor. What exactly is that?
By CHARLIE PAULLIN, Virginia Mercury
Within the span of two months, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin made it clear he wants Virginia to be a leader in the use of nuclear technology, specifically by having a small modular reactor operational in Southwest Virginia within the next decade.
Former NASCAR driver kicks off state Senate race
By MARKUS SCHMIDT, Cardinal News
Hermie Sadler, a former NASCAR driver and wrestling promoter and entrepreneur from Emporia, has made his entrance into politics by seeking the Republican nomination in Virginia’s newly created 17th state Senate District.
Virginia legislator proposes term limits for all General Assembly members
By JAKOB CORDES, WRIC News
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A delegate from Virginia Beach has proposed an amendment to the Virginia constitution that would place term limits on all members of the General Assembly.
Youngkin ‘cautiously optimistic’ that Virginia can pass abortion restrictions
By NICK IANNELLI, WTOP News
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin traveled around the country at a furious pace ahead of the midterm elections in order to attend rallies with Republican candidates for governor in other states, but now he is getting ready for January’s legislative session in Richmond, Virginia.
