See below for updates (and here to watch the House of Delegates live stream; see below and here for the State Senate live stream) on the Virginia General Assembly’s session, which started at 4 pm (on 10/27), and which will consider a new redistricting amendment, presumably to replace the current one approved in 2020. The reason for this? Very simply, because across the country, on Trump’s orders, Republicans have been racing ahead in “red states” to gerrymander Democrats out of existence. So Democrats are now fighting back – in California, Virginia, and hopefully everywhere else they possibly can.
Oh, and for some context, remember that DEMOCRATS proposed – and voted for – legislation to BAN partisan gerrymandering nationally, but every single House Republican voted against that legislation. Also note that all of the Republicans screaming right now about Democrats defending themselves in the “blue” states have had absolutely no problem at all – in fact, they’ve been super enthusiastic for the most part – with the “red” states gerrymandering to their hearts’ content. So…nope, Republicans are NOT operating in good faith, nor are their sudden, supposedly principled objections to partisan redistricting be taken at all seriously. Which won’t, of course, stop them from giving “outraged” speeches in the Virginia General Assembly…can’t wait, huh? LOL
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UPDATE 3:15 pm on 10/29: Now listening to Republicans’ bad-faith b.s.; again, remember, these people have never condemned Trump’s and red-state Republicans’ efforts to gerrymander Dems out of existence across the country, but now they suddenly “care” about bipartisan redistricting. Riiiiiight.
- HJ6007 passes out of House P&E on a party-line, 12-9 vote. Now heads back to the House floor…
- SUPERB point by VA Del. Cia Price (D), that we don’t live in a vaccum, we are all AMERICANS, so that what’s happening in other states impacts us in Virginia as well.
- House Privileges And Elections Committee now considering HJ6007 (constitutional amendment on congressional districts). Once the committee passes this, it goes back to the House for passage, then back to Senate
https://virginiageneralassembly.gov/house/committees/commstream.html
- VA GOP Chair Sen. Mark Peake is just insufferable…as are almost all of the Republicans, who completely refuse to condemn Trump’s innumerable calls to violent, pardons of violent 1/6/21 insurrectionists, etc, etc. But they DO want to force Democrats into voting specifically to condemn Jay Jones’ violent texts. VA Senate Majority Leader calls out Republicans for duplicity, for refusing to condemn Trump or call 1/6/21 an insurrection, etc.
“Since we have the pleasure of being back here in Richmond A WEEK BEFORE THE ELECTION” — VA GOP Chair Mark Peake
“The authorization in Article II, Section 6 authorizing the General Assembly to modify one or more congressional districts at any point following adoption of a decennial reapportionment law in the event that any State of the United States of America conducts a redistricting of such state’s congressional districts at any point following that state’s adoption of a decennial reapportionment law shall be limited to making such modifications between January 1, 2025, and October 31, 2030, in response to actions taken by another state between January 1, 2025, and October 31, 2030.”
Day #3:
UPDATES 10:30 am Tuesday: I posted in the comments, but here are a few higlights.
- Excellent speech by VA Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D) on “why we’re actually here”
- VA Sen. Barbara Favola (D-Arlington) says we should agree on the FACTS, not whatever Rs are talking about, whether on the shutdown, healthcare, SNAP; that redistricting would have to go to the VOTERS.
- Sen. Ryan McDougle (R) argues, basically, that “both sides” are bad, so…whatever.
- Right-wing-Republican VA Senator Richard Stuart, with ZERO self awareness, says he’s incredulous that Sen. Surovell was talking about the US like it’s a “third world country…bashing the president…I’m not seeing any threat to democracy.” WTF???
- VA Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell says Youngkin’s letter to the Senate was “blatantly partisan and political,” “should have been on campaign letterhead,” that Youngkin’s a “lame duck,” that he’s never tried to work across the aisle, the Senate doesn’t need to listen to a word Youngkin has to say…
- Sen. Mamie Locke CORRECTLY points out that the VA Redistricting Commission FAILED (as it was designed to do; it was “anything but bipartisan), forcing the VA State Supreme Court to appoint “Special Masters” to draw the lines
- VA Sen. Adam Ebbin notes that Youngkin is IRRELEVANT in the redistricting process…
- Things Sen. Bill Stanley (R) hasn’t mentioned in his speech: 1) The fact that Rs have been waging war on democracy across the country; 2) The fact that he has never condemned that war; 3) The fact that the redistricting commission completely failed (as it was designed to do)
- “Youngkin sends a note to the Senate to share his sad feelz about their reconvening to take up a response in Virginia to Trump’s interference in redistricting in Texas. @ssurovell moves to skip its reading on the Senate floor, and the Senate votes to skip it.”
Tuesday morning VA Senate video feed:
Monday VA House of Delegates video:
Monday VA State Senate video:
UPDATE 5:42 pm – Seate adjourns until 9 am tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.
UPDATE 5:22 pm – From VAPLAN: “Wow, LG Sears–running to be the governor–doesn’t know who called the legislature into this (2024) special session.”
UPDATE 5:09 pm – HJ 6006 agreed to on a party-line vote…50-42
UPDATE 5:02 pm – Del. Jim Leftwich (R) now questioning Majority Leader Charniele Herring on the procedural resolution. Speaker Scott says the questions are not in order now. Del. Tom Garrett (R) now ruled out of order by Speaker Scott. Del. Lee Ware (R) calls this special session “unprecedented,” says this is about Virginia gerrymandering as other states have done, abolish the redistricting system adopted in 2020, proposed by one party only (although at least Ware admits that President Trump launched this latest round of gerrymandering), and that Virginia shouldn’t follow suit on this “bad idea”…says this will highten cynicism, will be a “transparent political power play,” will break up communities of interest, draw gerrymandered lines, “turn our backs on the Virginia Way,” “stride down a road of doubtful constitutional propriety,” etc.
UPDATE 4:59 pm – Republicans trying to challenge whether the House is properly in session. Speaker Don Scott says yes, they are. Republicans are also trying to nail down what the schedule will be for the week; Majority Leader Charniele Herring says the House will be adjourning until Wednesday.
