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Video: Is the #MeToo Movement Really “Much Ado About Nothing?”

By
Cindy
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2

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, and given the number of sexual harassment and abuse allegations against members of other legislative bodies in the country, this Virginia General Assembly session – with 15 new Democrats, most of whom are women – would seem to be a time to take every precaution to make sure that House members and their staffs are well-informed about sexual harassment. And since it’s largely up to the legislative bodies to regulate themselves, there have been several bills proposed this year about sexual harassment training.

But when HB371 made it to the floor today, it had already morphed substantially from its original version, losing some of its teeth along the way. The original version, with bipartisan patrons Roxann Robinson (R) and Kaye Kory (D) in the House, plus Barbara Favola (D), Jennifer McClellan (D) and Glen Sturtevant (D) in the Senate, called for annual sexual harassment training to be offered through the Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM), with the records kept by the same agency.The House Rules Committee (you remember, the one that Speaker Cox stacked with nonproportional members against the very rules of proportional committees that the House itself had voted on) changed the bill so that the training would be only once every two years, and would be provided by the House or Senate Clerk’s office, with the records maintained by the Clerk’s office.

But is it putting the fox in charge of the hen house to have the Clerk’s office responsible for designing the training, overseeing its administration, and maintaining the records afterwards?

So Delegate Watts, whose own similar bill HB1057 had been rolled into HB371, proposed another substitute version on the House floor today. Her substitute allowed elected legislators and their assistants to take a training designed by and administered by the Clerk’s office, but adding additional stringent conditions that the training should cover:

The sexual harassment training course provided by the Clerk of the House of Delegates and the Clerk of the Senate shall be available on-line 24 hours per day seven days a week and shall include but not be limited to discussion of (i) the inclusion of member actions when performing official duties covered under the General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act (§ 30-100 et seq.); (ii) the inclusion of communications or actions undertaken with other state employees, contract employees, applicants for employment, customers, vendors, members of the media, lobbyists, members of the public, or volunteers; (iii) the Department of Human Resources Management Workplace Harassment Policy provision that managers, supervisors, and members who knowingly fail to take appropriate corrective action regarding allegations shall be in violation of the sexual harassment policy; (iv) the adopted policies of the House of Delegates or of the Senate governing how allegations of violations may be made, sharing of information, investigative procedures, determination of need for disclosure to law enforcement to protect public safety, committed violations of this chapter; and (v) the remedies available under this chapter and the Commonwealth Workplace Harassment Policy that are in addition to any other civil remedies and criminal sanctions provided under law.

As a backup plan to her substitute in case the substitute was voted down, she also drafted three separate amendments to HB371 that would accomplish the same more careful sexual harassment training, with the opportunity for any number of the three changes to be accepted.

All this caused the Republicans to be so flustered that Speaker Cox had to adjourn for a few minutes so that everyone could figure out how to vote. The Democrats also huddled up to get their strategy in place. When they reconvened, both sides took the opportunity to discuss the bill and the suggested changes. Delegate Robinson spoke about her bill, saying that it was important to have this training and that it wasn’t that SHE didn’t trust her peers, it was that the public needed to trust them–needed to know that when they legislated their own behavior, they did so in the most stringent way possible. Which was odd, since Delegate Watts’ substitute/amendments were adding additional conditions to make the training more thorough.

Delegate Watts spoke about her substitute, arguing for why having an outside agency administer the training was so important, and discussing the various ways that legislators interact with others where harassment issues might arise–not just in the chamber with each other, but back in their districts, with lobbyists, with their constituents, etc. The Republicans then proceeded to vote down the substitute.

And the amendments were discussed one by one. By this point, apparently Delegate Gilbert was getting annoyed and tired of the proceeding, because he asked to speak and then declared that this was “much ado about nothing.” And the entire chamber gasped–literally! (See about 2:40)

After the year that we’ve seen, with millions of women speaking out and saying #MeToo, and dozens of news stories about politicians and Hollywood producers and company CEOs being accused of sexual harassment, Delegate Gilbert thought that a discussion about how to get the training right was “much ado about nothing!” The rest of the amendments were voted down–on party lines, because apparently sexual harassment policy is a partisan issue too, and the weakened version of HB371 that the House Rules Committee wrote moved on to its third reading, presumably tomorrow.

I have two further thoughts about this. The first is that it is virtually impossible that of the 50 Republican members of the House in attendance today, every single one thinks that sexual harassment training should be administered by the Clerk’s office rather than DHRM–it’s probably also unlikely that all 49 of the Democratic members thinks it should not. So, we’ve clearly descended into a hyper-partisan world where everyone is entrenched in the position that their party peers are taking. Which is not good for anyone. The second is that it’s not a coincidence that the party with 47% of its Delegates being female wanted a more stringent sexual harassment policy than the party with 10% of its members being female.

Final Results of Blue Virginia 2017 Gov. Poll #1: Northam 50.7%-Perriello 48.3% (4,762 total votes)

By
lowkell
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26

UPDATE 6:00 pm Sunday: As promised, I have closed the poll on Sunday evening. The final results are Ralph Northam edging out Tom Perriello 2,416 (50.73%)-2,298 (48.26%), with a handful of votes for Ed Gillespie (0.48%), Frank Wagner (0.21%), Corey Stewart (0.17%) and Denver Riggleman (0.15%). Clearly, the two Democratic governor campaigns encouraged their supporters to vote in this poll, as we got a huge number of votes (4,762 total) in just 72 hours or so on a holiday weekend! Also, I could see the surges for each candidate as they pushed their supporters to vote via email, Facebook, etc. All of which is fine, by the way, as it indicates enthusiasm/intensity, organization, etc. Anyway, congratulations to Ralph Northam for edging out Tom Perriello in the first Blue Virginian non-scientific poll of the 2017 election cycle. I’ll probably do this again in a few weeks to see where we are then. Also, I’m going to post a Lt. Governor poll, so please vote in that one as well. Thanks!

UPDATE 5:22 pm Friday: It’s great to see so many people voting in this poll. I’ll probably keep it open until Sunday evening or so…

Poll: How Are You Feeling About the Presidential Race These Days?

By
lowkell
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5


Matt Weinstein for Virginia’s 8th CD Democratic Committee

By
lowkell
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0

The following statement is from Matt Weinstein — Arlington Young Democrat, legislative aide to Del. Rip Sullivan and candidate for the 8th CD Democratic Committee. The election will be at the August ACDC meeting at 7 pm on August 3rd at the NRECA building in Ballston (4301 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203). I’ve endorsed Matt because I think he has the energy, talent and experience to do a great job on voter protection and in general as a member of the 8th CD Democratic Committee. Go Matt!

Arlingtonians are fortunate to live in one the most forward-thinking, progressive congressional districts in the United States.

Virginia’s 8th Congressional District (CD) votes overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee every presidential year, and it repeatedly sends Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Don Beyer has given voice to the progressive values that embody our community.

The 8th CD is a Democratic stronghold because of the Arlington County Democratic Committee (ACDC) and Virginia’s 8th CD Democratic Committee.

The 8th CD Democratic Committee—which includes 33 leaders from across the 8th district—provides political and fundraising support for Democrats throughout the 8th CD. The committee’s success makes it a model for congressional committees across Virginia.

One seat on the 8th CD Democratic Committee recently became available, and because of the committee’s seat allocation rules, the seat is reserved for an Arlington male.

I am running for the 8th CD Democratic Committee vacancy, and I am writing today to ask for your vote.

The election will be held at the August ACDC meeting at 7 pm on August 3rd at the NRECA building in Ballston (4301 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203). Any registered Arlington voter can vote in the election, but voters are required to sign a form saying that they will support Democrats.

I am the best candidate for the job because I have extensive experience working at the local, state, and federal level in Virginia, and I have devoted much of my career to protecting the right to vote for Virginians across the Commonwealth.

The right to vote is the cornerstone of American Democracy. As someone with significant experience protecting the right to vote, I would use my position on the 8th CD Democratic Committee to develop best practices for voter protection programs across the 8th district.

In 2012, I was fortunate to be part of the Obama Campaign’s voter protection team. Our team recruited 1,928 lawyers to volunteer on Election Day in Virginia, covered 1,055 polling locations, and resolved 3,283 voting issues at the polls. I continued the Obama voter protection model for the McAuliffe campaign in 2013, when we had over 500 lawyers protecting voters at polls across Virginia.

Every eligible voter in the 8th district should be able to vote regardless of race, religion, or party, and I will work hard to make that happen.

About me:

  • I am an Arlington Young Democrat, an attorney, and a political operative.
  • I am Delegate Rip Sullivan’s Legislative Aide.
  • I am currently ACDC’s Sergeant at Arms, and I am responsible for organizing caucuses and working with Arlington’s election board and registrar to make sure it is easy for voters to vote in Arlington.
  • I ran the 2016 Arlington School Board Caucus.
  • I was the parliamentarian for the 2016 8th CD Democratic Convention.
  • I worked for Senator Warner from 2009 to 2012.
  • I worked for the Obama Campaign in Virginia in 2012 as part of their voter protection team.
  • I ran the voter protection program for the McAuliffe Campaign in 2013.
  • I am the founding co-chair of the DPVA’s voter protection council in 2014.

My extensive local, state, and federal experience has allowed me to develop good relationships with some of the hardest-working Democrats in Arlington, the 8th CD, and across the Commonwealth.

Because of these relationships, I have been fortunate to receive broad, committed support for my candidacy from many Democratic leaders in the 8th CD.

A partial list of my supporters is provided below. Please note these endorsements were made in a personal capacity, and do not reflect a collective endorsement by any political organization.

  • Senator Barbara Favola (D-31)
  • Senator Adam Ebbin (D-30)
  • Delegate Rip Sullivan (D-48)
  • Delegate Patrick Hope (D-47)
  • Carla de la Pava, Arlington County Treasurer
  • Dave Leichtman, DPVA Vice Chair-Technology and Communications, 8th CD Member
  • Frank Leone, DNC Member
  • Josh Katcher, Voter Registration Chair, ACDC
  • Cragg Hines, ACDC Parliamentarian/National Delegate for Hillary Clinton
  • Lowell Feld, Blue Virginia
  • Laura Saul Edwards, Precinct Ops Vice Chair
  • Ian Redman, Precinct Ops Vice Chair, ACDC
  • Matt de Ferranti, Area Chair MetroEast, ACDC
  • Jill Caiazzo, Area Chair Central, ACDC
  • William Mark Habeeb, Area Chair River, ACDC
  • Kim Phillip, Director of Administration for ACDC
  • Chris Leyen, Aide to Senator Adam Ebbin
  • Zach Bowman, Outreach Vice Chair-LGBT, ACDC
  • Jarrod Nagurka, former Campaign Manager for Rip Sullivan and Christian Dorsey, ACDC Precinct Captain

Thank you for your consideration.  I look forward to speaking with you soon and hopefully seeing you at the election on August 3rd.

Audio: On The Politics Hour, Sen. Tim Kaine Says “I’m getting some holy hell, but I’m getting a lot of thanks from Virginians” for Voting to Reopen the Government

By
lowkell
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3

Sen. Tim Kaine was on WAMU’s The Politics Hour earlier this afternoon. Here are a few highlights of what he had to say – on voting to end the federal government shutdown, on his support for Chuck Schumer as leader (but also that the idea Schumer can order US Senators is around is absurd), and on Virginia possibly redistricting US House seats this coming spring.

Sen. Kaine: “I’m getting some holy hell, but I’m getting a lot of thanks from Virginians. I mean, there were bad options, so I have no judgment about anybody who resolved this
question differently than me. I am getting a tremendous amount of thanks from Virginians for my vote. But it’s interesting your question is was it necessary? I think the question was it was unavoidable. Was it avoidable? Yes, we stay out of shutdowns or we get out of them when presidents engage. Why didn’t we have shutdowns when Joe Biden
was president? We had deadlines every year, multiple deadlines. We never had shutdowns, because if we would get near the deadline, Biden would get the legislative leaders together…I’m a supporter of Chuck Schumer and anybody who thinks that the leader just leads the followers around by a leash, you don’t know the US Senate. I mean the notion that Chuck Schumer is supposed to control the vote of every senator, that just is not the way the Senate works. And I’ve said this often. I voted for Chuck to be my leader and I want him to be my leader. and as majority leader, he produced some of the most consequential years that we’ve ever had in the Senate in recent history during the Biden presidency, but he does not have the ability to just tell senators which way to march and expect them to. And I kept Schumer informed about where I was, but when I had an opportunity to leverage from the White House significant concessions to benefit
families and federal contractors, I acted in the interest of Virginia, which is what my voters expect me to do. And Chuck Schumer can’t be blamed for that.”

Sen. Kaine: “The motivation for Republicans was not the shutdown. The motivation is
their own political hide. They created a massive problem with the reconciliation bill that is spiking costs of all kinds. Energy costs, food costs, but health care costs in particular. And they have a need to get this right or or next November’s midterms are going to look even worse than the November 2025 elections in Virginia and New Jersey and all over the country. So with the shutdown out of the way, we can have this healthcare debate on the main stage with the spotlight on it, without the background noise of air traffic control delays and SNAP recipients losing benefits. It’s up to the Democrats to put a proposal on the table to fix this problem that will be attractive to those Republicans who have said publicly they know we need to fix it – and we’ll have it. And I think we’ve got a great chance of fixing it. But if we don’t, everyone will know where Democrats stand. Everyone will know where Republicans stand and they will act accordingly in next year’s midterm election.”

Sen. Kaine (asked about redistricting): “The whole thing is regrettable, but it’s
it’s only because of Donald Trump. No states, Democratic or Republican, were doing mid decennial redistricting until Donald Trump realized that he might lose the House and has forced states to focus on having his back rather than focusing on their own interests. And the Virginia legislators made that very plain. We would not do this but for that. And if the Republicans back off and and stop following Trump to do this, there’s some chance it won’t happen in Virginia. But you can’t expect Trump to bully Republican states into hyperpartisan redistricting and that Democratic majority states will just sit on their hands. And so the Virginia General Assembly is not sitting on their hands. Maybe Republican states will think better of this and back off and then maybe Virginia would back off. But
if they’re going full speed ahead, I understand why the Virginia legislature is doing the same thing.”

[UPDATED with Jim Ryan’s Letter] In Response to Youngkin’s “Sad, Whiny” Letter to Spanberger About UVA, VA Senate Majority Leader Surovell Says He’s “truly embarrassed for Gov Youngkin…After 4 yrs he has no understanding of basic VA govt structure”

By
lowkell
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31

UPDATE 9:50 am: Also, definitely check out former UVA President Jim Ryan’s lettter, which says: “According to Paul Manning, the Governor knew what was happening and suggested I needed to resign. What did the Governor know, when did he know it, and what—if anything—did he do to try to either secure my resignation or prevent it?” Great questions!

******************

This letter from lame-duck Gov. Glenn Youngkin (just two more months, thank goodness) to Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger is nothing better than whiny drivel. Also, as you read it, keep in mind that Youngkin is nearly as bad as his cult leader, Donald Trump, in terms of being a pathological liar. As VA Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell put it, reacting this garbage from Youngkin:

  • “Truly embarrassed for Gov Youngkin – state universities are not ‘agencies of the executive branch,’ they’re independent corporations created by the legislature. After 4 yrs he has no understanding of basic VA govt structure, I guess we need 2 require new governor orientation?”

And as VA State Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg says:

  • “What do they say about digging when you’re in a hole? Everyone knows he politicized our colleges and allowed Trump to run roughshod over them. Abigail Spanberger is rightfully asking them to take a pause as we account for – and fix – his constant meddling and bad decision making.”
  • “He spent his entire four years politicizing our colleges. And as with everything else he tried to politicize or turn into a culture war fight he’s going to lose. Imagine if he had tried to work with Democrats? Maybe he wouldn’t be reduced to this sad, whiny energy.”

By the way, when Youngkin charges Spanberger with engaging in “hyperbole and factual errors,” he’s of course wrong, but it’s also unintentionally amusing to see a guy who’s spent his brief, four-year career as a politician engaged in just those things – “hyperbole and factual errors” (aka LIES). So at least Youngkin should know what he’s talking about on those counts. LOL As for UVA’s agreement with Trump’s politicized DoJ being “extraordinarily fair and favorable to the University,” check out UVA’s deal with DOJ avoids monetary fines, but lawyers and faculty say it comes at a steep cost, including: ““The three-month reporting requirements are going to impact academic freedom. They’re going to instill fear amongst faculty and shut down academic freedom…What they’re calling federal cooperation — it’s really political compliance.”

Anyway, as usual, don’t believe a word Youngkin says on ANYTHING, whether about UVA or whatever, because as always he is FULL OF CRAP. As for Governor-elect Spanberger, nice job on this – keep it up please!

Video: “After Virginia Votes” Looks Back at 2025 VA GOV Campaign – Trump, Government Shutdown, Earle-Sears’ Bizarre Debate Behavior, Jones’ Texts, Messaging on Economy vs. “Obsessive” Focus on “Culture War Issues,” “I am speaking!” etc.

By
lowkell
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1

Last night was the traditional, post-election “After Virginia Votes” program (see video, below), put on by VPAP. To me, what’s been interesting about these events in the past is when the campaign representatives spoke more freely/frankly than they ever would (or could) have during the campaign. That way, we get some interesting insights into what was *really* happening, not the canned talking points that the campaigns spewed out during the campaign (about how their campaigns were totally focused on their messages, never deviated from their plans or were thrown off their games, were not worried or surprised, their polling never really moved much, their victories were the result of their own brilliance and not external factors – e.g.., a super-unpopular president in the White Houe, a government shutdown – which probably accounted for 80% of it, etc.). So with that…here are a few things that jumped out at me.

  • Spanberger campaign manager Samson Signori argued: “I think you saw Abigail Spanberger win because she was laser focused on lowering costs at a time when voters are tired of division and chaos and frankly tired of of of having to pay attention to politics every single day. In Abigail Spanberger, they saw a candidate who was steady, who was steadfast, and who was laser focused on the issues that matter most to voters – lowering costs, boosting the economy, keeping our community safe. And that’s why last Tuesday, you didn’t see just a landslide victory, but in my opinion, a coalition redefining victory.”
  • Republican Scott Weldon, filling in (at the last minute) for lead Earle-Sears strategist for Mark Harris, followed up on that: “taking what Sam has said as well, I think all of that kind of coalesced behind also a kind of a weak candidate in Winsome and kind of a poorly run campaign to kind of give them the victory that that we saw last week.”
  • On the controversy over John Reid, specifically Glenn Youngkin demanding that he drop out, Weldon said: “I tend to think that it was more of a distraction than it was any sort of major impetus [sic; he presumably meant impediment] to success for the campaign. I think it became kind of a stumbling point, but nothing that kind of really impacted the effort as they were getting going. I think they were having trouble getting going to begin with, and I think that was just something that kind of was more of a distraction from the…I think the campaign that should have been running up and running already.“
  • Signori argued “this was the most coordinated that Democrats have ever been in the Commonwealth.”
  • With regard to Trump, Signori said “I think one thing we did correctly on our campaign is we didn’t really focus on Trump; we focused on the consequences of Trump, not on his personality, but on his policies specifically when they impacted voters’ pocketbooks.”
  • On the Earle-Sears’ campaign’s erratic messaging, Weldon said “as you look kind of from the beginning of that the campaign on, there was really no clear message… they were trying to find the the message that was selling…they had a similar ad to what Donald Trump ran last year that I think kind of fell flat on the ‘they/them’…towards the end of the campaign and I think they stayed on that message for about a month. Similar on the on the bathroom issue. Which I think was kind of one of the things that where Abigail was head and shoulders kind of above, where you had a focus on cost of living, healthcare, you know, issues that were really percolating in people’s minds, especially up here in Northern Virginia where you had a government shutdown in the midst as well.”
  • Weldon added an interesting point: “Donald Trump never gave a fullthroated endorsement. The Republican Party has become the party of low-propensity turnout, and the higher the turnout becomes, the better the Republican Party does. So in this instance where you have kind of an unmotivated low-propensity Republican base, you’ve got to find a way to motivate them to show up. And I think…in terms of the message they were putting out, that trying to emulate some of the messaging that Donald Trump did. But as we’ve kind of learned, Donald Trump’s the only person that can do that.” Also, Earle-Sears “trying to to walk that tight rope is very difficult, especially in this environment where, you know, if you’re not in in full alignment with Trump, it can be damaging to you to the base.”
  • Signori: “We would invoke Trump and speak out against Trump whenever he did anything that impacted Virginians’ daily lives. DOGE federal workforce cuts, especially hitting Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads; the gutting of healthcare, which drove up premiums for Virginians, and also closed, I think it’s three rural health clinics out in Southwest [Virginia]…so for us, it was really any time that Trump was affecting Virginians’ pocketbooks was the time that we were going to speak out against the consequences of him.”
  • Signori: “I think if it’s a coalition that is headed up by people like Abigail Spanberger – focused, pragmatic, steady leaders who are focused on the issues that matter most to Virginians – if that’s the kind of leadership and the kind of example that’s at the forefront of our politics, I absolutely think that’s a coalition can that can last.”
  • Weldon: “I think one of her best commercials was the parental rights ad that [Earle-Sears] put out with the woman face to camera testimonial ad. it was one of the best I think pieces of media that she did the entire campaign. That being said, I also think that there was…a misplaced kind of focus where the entire energy of your campaign could have been and should have been focused on the issues that matter to voters. That’s your pocketbook...we don’t need to relitigate the 2021 campaign again or anything out, you know, 2024, you’re in a new environment. You need to kind of adapt to it. “
  • Signori: “I think Abigail was always consistent on where she stood on this issue [transgender kids] from the beginning of the campaign to the end. I believe that the Sears campaign and Republicans broadly got way ahead of their skis on culture war issues. They ran campaigns relentlessly focused on obsessively focused on culture wars, entirely devoid of any economic argument and any argument about how they’re going to make lives truly better for Virginians. But we knew that Sears and and her campaign were going to run these culture war, gender isssue style attack ads on Abigail. And we had multiple ads cut, ad tested, ready to go. And I think that first attack ad that you saw the GOP put out we had a response up in about 2 hours...We knew that the…Republican opponent was going to come after and try to smear us specifically on the culture war issues. So, we laid down a solid foundation that Abigail is a former federal law enforcement officer, former CIA case officer, mother to three girls who was relentlessly focused on lowering costs and making our communities safe. So, I think that when Sears rolled out those culture war ads, they largely fell on deaf ears.”
  • Weldon on why Republicans released the Jones’ texts “oppo” when they did, after early voting started: ” I think they made the kind of strategic decision that those messages were going to be released to try and maximize the length that they could keep that message moving…I think it was, like I said, the first time that the ticket really had some enthusiasm behind it, whether it was, you know, anti-Jones because even if you saw the the Winsome campaign shifted their messaging, not against Abigail anymore. That wasn’t working as well. So, they shifted more on the Jay Jones message and a couple other, you know, ancillary pieces around that…”
  • Signori: “…by and large from the time that the scandal came out to the end of the campaign, we saw very little movement internally on our end, just from a polling perspective…”
  • Weldon on Earle-Sears’ behavior at the debate: “I think to the public watching it, it was not something that was appealing to anybody. To many people watching it, I don’t think they appreciated that tactic. I don’t think it was good. But it gave Winsome the best, I think, ad that she had the entire campaign…but I don’t think the tactic itself is very impactful or helpful…”
  • Signori: “…our strategy was that if our opponent was going to be disrespectful on the debate stage and interrupt or do anything of the sort that we wouldn’t follow her down that path. And we wanted to have a debate that was focused solely on the issues…”
  • Weldon, asked whether the Earle-Sears’ debate strategy was worth it: “Last Tuesday is a pretty good indication of that.”
  • Signori on the “I am speaking” messaging: “If a voter begins to tire of it, that’s right when our message is breaking through in our opinion. But…one of the things that I was really proud of with that specific ad, and this was part of the strategy that we put together, is we wanted to make something that not only resonated and became thematic in the paid media capacity, but could also expand outside of just paid media into social media and and kind of into political culture in Virginia…and we saw that play out.”
  • Signori on the government shutdown’s impact on the campaign: “for us, the government shutdown was unfortunately proof of the exact problem that we were trying to highlight and talk about in our campaign.”
  • On candidate access, Weldon said: “I think that there’s a piece of this that was…we’ll call it the risk/reward. You know, is it worth putting yourself out there to have an issue like President Biden did last year…like the risk of being out in front of a camera, in front of an audience, in front of people…and honestly like especially with what we saw in the Charlie Kirk shooting. I think there’s a lot of fear in candidates and there’s death threats and everything out there. So I think you take the two things out there that people are seeing from a high level whether it’s the risk/reward. So I think they they look at this as is it worth being out there politically and then do I feel safe being there as well…Is it worth speaking when it doesn’t improve the sound of silence?” 
  • On the redistricting amendment, Weldon said it offers Republicans an opportunity politically speaking. Signori said “I know Dems in the State House and Senate wanted to preserve optionality. So they took that vote before the Tuesday election. I’ve been in close touch with a lot of the leadership in the House and Senate to sort of see how things come together. I think there’s more information to come and we’ll have to see.”
  • Asked, “Is Virginia Blue,” Weldon said “Yes.” Signori said “I think Virginia has been and remains to be purple…we were the only race in the nation to actually flip a seat from red to blue on Tuesday nationwide. And I think that this remains a battleground state, one that Abigail Spanberger just won quite handily.”

(Also, funniest line of the debate: as it ended, Weldon joked, “I’m done speaking!”)

Friday News: “Major US broadcasters sit out Cop30 climate talks”; “The Epstein Scandal Is Now a Chronic Disease of the Trump Presidency”; “Johnson shifts strategy on Epstein files vote – as GOP leaders brace for mass defections”; “Underaged girl had sex with Matt Gaetz, Ben Cline’s buddy, so she could afford braces”

By
lowkell
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3

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, November 14.

U.S. Navy Veteran Rep. Elaine Luria Hauls in $500,000 in 24 Hours Since Launching Campaign

By
lowkell
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21

Big fundraising haul by former Rep. Elaine Luria, who announced yesterday that she’ll be running to take back the VA02 from the horrible Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA02) next year…

U.S. Navy Veteran Rep. Elaine Luria Hauls in $500,000 in 24 Hours Since Launching Campaign

Luria’s massive fundraising cements her frontrunner status and demonstrates major momentum to unseat vulnerable Republican Jen Kiggans

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Former small business owner, 20-year U.S. Navy veteran, and two-term member of Congress Rep. Elaine Luria announced raising more than $500,000 in the first 24 hours since launching her campaign for Virginia’s Second Congressional District.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support our campaign has received from hardworking Virginians who share our vision for a government that will put people above political parties and take action to lower rising costs,” Rep. Luria said. “It’s clear that Coastal Virginians are tired of a dysfunctional and chaotic Washington that is hurting working families, and they are ready to join our campaign to bring commonsense leadership for Hampton Roads back to the halls of Congress. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work to make life more affordable, grow our economy, cut health care costs, and strengthen our military.”

Showcasing the campaign’s momentum upon launch Virginia Senate President tempore Louise Lucas endorsed Congresswoman Luria yesterday and former VA-02 candidate and Marine Corps Veteran Mike Williamson dropped out of the race and endorsed her.  More endorsements will be released in the coming days.

###

Video: Regarding the Epstein Files, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10) Vows That Dems Will “continue to push, no matter how rich or how powerful the people involved are – and if it includes the president, it includes the president!”

By
lowkell
-
23

Regarding the ongoing scandal involving Donald Trump’s close connections with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, see below for some thought from Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10) – who’s doing a superb job on this, by the way! – speaking on CNN yesterday:

  • “You know, taking a step back, I mean, we got these documents from the Epstein estate, right? And they were releasing these in batches. So, it just so happens that they released this this past week and we were able to find emails involving President Trump, where Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein were talking about him and it seemed to indicate that they had information about President Trump’s involvement. They seem to imply that President Trump had some sort of engagement or involvement with them. And so, you know, certainly that raises questions in a time where President Trump is the one preventing the release of the files that the FBI, DOJ have about the Epstein case. And so, it’s all starting to come together a little bit and the more evidence we get, I think the the better a picture we’ll get about what’s all going on with this cover up.”
  • “I think Epstein is implying throughout these emails that he has information about Trump, that he has compromising information potentially about Trump, and that he knows Trump very well. And you know, they’ve said that they were very good friends right? And so again, you’re talking about a president that has withheld the files right and the files involve a former very good friend of his.”
  • “Certainly those emails don’t prove that the president engaged in no wrongdoing. Quite the opposite. They also seem to indicate that the president has a lot of knowledge about what Epstein was doing; that Epstein has a a lot of knowledge about the president as well. And so it really does, you know, I would like to see more evidence and more information. And the president seems to have that information and I’d like to see those files released. And that’s why we just had the 218th signature. But this story is not going away. If Karoline Leavitt thinks that she can explain away the president’s actions, the president breaking his promise to the American people to release the files, they’re being naive about this. We’re going to continue to push, no matter how rich or how powerful the people involved are. And if it includes the president, it includes the president.”
  • “I’m a freshman, but other Democratic members were introducing legislation as early as 2019 about Jeffrey Epstein, and they were asking for the files back then. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, my great colleague from Florida, was one of them. And so that’s not true that we weren’t interested in this, we weren’t trying to investigate this. But look, you know, the president campaigned on this for for a couple years actually. And so if he wants to follow through with that campaign promise, if he wants to clear his name, if he wants to do right by the victims, he will release the files. And now Congress has 218 signatures. He can stop whipping votes against those signatures and just let us have that vote and release the files.”
  • “That tells me they have something to hide. That tells me that there’s more of a cover up. The reason why people are so interested in this whole Epstein saga is because you had rich and powerful people covering up for each other, influencing the highest levels of government and law enforcement. And it’s continuing. The victims that they’ve been disappointed so many times and that they almost don’t trust us, but they’re willing to help us because they’re hoping that this oversight committee investigation will be different. Well, Donald Trump does not want this oversight investigation, but we’re going to continue regardless.”
  • “I’ll say, the community of victims has been so brave and so courageous and they’ve been willing to put their necks out there and, you know, put their life on the line in some cases and go through hell and back. And so, they’ve been very helpful to us in this investigation. One of the things they said was for us to follow the money and try to find out all the financial transactions that happened, that that would tell a story about the criminal enterprise that Jeffrey Epstein ran. And in the end, the victims deserve better than what we’ve given them. But you know it’s hard to say a victim coming out there and just listing a bunch of names, they haven’t been believed in the past, people have undermined them in the past, discredited them in the past. So we want to work backwards, get their intel and then go out and try to find the documentation and the proof. But the president has some of that documentation. We want to see it.”

Thursday News: “Al Gore wonders if ‘bullying’ Trump prompted Bill Gates to backtrack on climate”; “The government shutdown is over, but things are not back to normal”; “Trump is getting pulled deeper and deeper into the Epstein drama”

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by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, November 13.

Governor-Elect Abigail Spanberger Calls On UVA Board of Visitors to Pause Presidential Selection

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Good stuff from Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger:

Governor-Elect Abigail Spanberger Calls On UVA Board of Visitors to Pause Presidential Selection

RICHMOND, Va. — Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger today sent a letter to the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors urging members to pause the selection of the University’s 10th president until a full Board is appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the General Assembly after the Governor-elect’s inauguration in January.

In the letter, Governor-elect Spanberger reaffirmed her commitment to appoint members of the Board of Visitors who will uphold academic excellence, restore trust in University leadership, and conduct a thorough, transparent process to select the University’s next president.

Click here to read Governor-elect Spanberger’s full letter, and the full text is below.

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Dear Rector Sheridan and Vice Rector Wilkinson:

As both a proud alumna and the Governor-elect of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I am deeply concerned by recent developments at the University of Virginia and how these challenges may impact the legitimacy of the current search for the University’s next president.

Over the past six months, the actions of the Board of Visitors have severely undermined the public’s and the University community’s confidence in the Board’s ability to govern productively, transparently, and in the best interests of the University. This loss of confidence is reflected in the numerous votes of no confidence from both the faculty senate and the student council – constituencies essential to the University’s success and those directly affected by the critical decisions before the Board. In addition, as five Board appointees have failed to achieve confirmation by the General Assembly, the Board is not fully constituted and its composition is now in violation of statutory requirements in crucial respects, further calling into question the legitimacy of the Board and its actions.

In the wake of the departure of President Jim Ryan as a result of federal overreach – unchallenged by the Board – the University now faces the serious task of selecting its tenth president. The next University president will not only lead the University of Virginia but will also serve as an example of leadership across the Commonwealth’s public institutions of higher education at a time of unprecedented challenges. The search for a university president is the most consequential action a university board can undertake, and in all cases, such a search must be conducted through a legitimate and transparent process. That requirement is especially critical for the University of Virginia at this moment, and that legitimate and transparent process must be led by a Board that is fully constituted and commands the trust of the University community and the confidence of the citizens of the Commonwealth.

Accordingly, I urge you to refrain from rushing this search process and from selecting the finalists for the presidency or a president until the Board is at full complement and in statutory compliance, meaning that I have appointed and the General Assembly has confirmed new Board members. As it will be a priority of my administration to stabilize and normalize the leadership of our public colleges and universities, I will make appointments soon after my inauguration.

The benefits of selecting a new president with a full, duly-constituted Board are clear and include: (1) providing credibility to the search process and the selection decision; (2) ensuring that the individual chosen to lead the University benefits from having been chosen in a credible and transparent process; and (3) removing any concern that the Board’s actions are illegitimate due to a lack of authority.

Given our shared commitment to the success of the University, the aforementioned concerns, and my commitment to making Board appointments quickly upon my swearing in, I again urge the Board to refrain from making any selections of finalists or ultimately a president until the Board is fully constituted and statutorily compliant.

Respectfully,

Abigail Spanberger

Governor-elect of the Commonwealth of Virginia

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Video: Rep James Walkinshaw (D-VA11) – “For months I’ve been asking why Donald Trump is covering up the Epstein files. Now we know why.”

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Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA11): “For months I’ve been asking why Donald Trump is covering up the Epstein files. Now we know why.” For more, see here.

Jeffrey Epstein wrote in a 2019 email to a journalist that Donald Trump “knew about the girls,” according to documents made public Wednesday, but what he knew — and whether it pertained to the sex offender’s crimes — is unclear. The White House quickly accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the president.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three emails referencing Trump, including one Epstein wrote in 2011 in which he told confidant Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a sex trafficking victim.

 

VA02 Democratic Candidate Mike Williamson Announces He’s Ending His Campaign, Endorses Fmr. Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA02), Urges Other Candidates to “do what this moment demands—end your campaigns, stand down with purpose, and unite behind…Luria”

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Kinda hard to disagree with any of this by VA02 Democratic candidate Mike Williamson, who is now endorsing former Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA02) and ending his campaign. As Williamson says:

” I am endorsing Elaine Luria for Congress. This moment also requires honesty beyond personal decisions—it requires collective responsibility. To the other candidates in this race who believe in constitutional government, the rule of law, and defeating tyranny: I urge you to do what this moment demands—end your campaigns, stand down with purpose, and unite behind Elaine Luria. Virginia’s 2nd District does not need fragmentation. It needs clarity. It does not need a crowded ballot. It needs a united front for principled leadership and a decisive end to Jen Kiggans’ tenure in office. This is not the time for symbolic campaigns. This is the time for alignment, victory, and service to something greater than ourselves.”

Exactly.

In Letter to Supporters, Mike Williamson Ends Campaign for Congress, Endorses Elaine Luria

Friends, supporters, and citizens of Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District,

Today, after thoughtful counsel from my family and campaign team, I am ending my campaign for the United States Congress. I did not enter this race for prestige, party, or personal ambition. I entered it out of duty—to the Constitution, to our district, and to the country I once swore an oath to defend. Public service, at its core, is not about the individual. It must always place country over self.

That belief has guided every step of this campaign, and it guides this decision.

The 2nd District faces a defining choice. We need leadership rooted in accountability, character, and Constitutional conviction. Sadly, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans has repeatedly fallen short of that standard. When confronted with moments that required courage, clarity, and fidelity to her oath, she has repeatedly chosen partisan safety over principled leadership. Our district deserves representation worthy of its service members, parents, entrepreneurs, and patriots—not political avoidance or half-measures.

Virginia deserves better.

For that reason, I am endorsing Elaine Luria for Congress. This moment also requires honesty beyond personal decisions—it requires collective responsibility. To the other candidates in this race who believe in constitutional government, the rule of law, and defeating tyranny: I urge you to do what this moment demands—end your campaigns, stand down with purpose, and unite behind Elaine Luria. Virginia’s 2nd District does not need fragmentation. It needs clarity. It does not need a crowded ballot. It needs a united front for principled leadership and a decisive end to Jen Kiggans’ tenure in office. This is not the time for symbolic campaigns. This is the time for alignment, victory, and service to something greater than ourselves.

To everyone who supported me, believed in this mission, volunteered, donated, or simply listened—thank you. Your trust is a responsibility I will continue to honor. My commitment to our Constitution does not end with this campaign. My belief in service above self remains unchanged. This is not the end of my service and I am excited to share my next endeavor for the Commonwealth of Virginia when it is appropriate to do so. Stay tuned!

Now, for the good of the district, the Commonwealth, and the country I love, let us rally behind the candidate prepared for this moment.

Semper Fidelis and Sic Semper Tyrannis,

Mike Williamson (LtCol, USMC ret.)

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