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Sunday News: “Netanyahu praises Trump in ‘temporary’ ceasefire announcement”; “The Nihilists Are Coming Back to Washington”; “Why Trump’s New Love of TikTok Is Dangerous”; “Serious Ethical Flags” in Trump’s Crypto Launch

By
lowkell
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4

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, January 19.  One more day until the kleptoracy/kakitocracy/plutocracy begins.

STOP Laken Riley Act: DLOV & VALULAC Joint Statement & a Plea to Sen. Mark Warner to Vote NO on This Legislation

By
Blue Virginia
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0

Well said by DLOV and VALULAC:

Joint Statement from the Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia (DLOV) and Virginia League of United Latin American Citizens (VALULAC)

Strong Opposition to H.R. 29 and S.5, the Laken Riley Act, and a Call to Action for Senator Mark Warner

For Immediate Release: January 18, 2025

Virginia – The Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia (DLOV), official Latino Caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia and the Virginia League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Virginia chapter of the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights advocacy organization, stand united in firm opposition to H.R. 29, known as the Laken Riley Act. This legislation perpetuates systemic racism and discrimination against Latino, Black, and immigrant communities. Our hearts go out to the families affected and all families who have had similar situations happen to them. However, we cannot allow the unjust treatment or collective punishment of an entire community for the actions of a few individuals. Such approaches undermine justice and the values of fairness and inclusion, as well as the foundational ideals of Liberty and Justice for All. This is what our Founding Fathers envisioned for our country: a safe place for all communities to unite under justice and a democracy for the people and by the people.

Urgency of the Situation:

The Senate is poised to hold a final vote on the Laken Riley Act on Monday, January 20, 2025. The bill has advanced through procedural votes with bipartisan support, threatening to undermine the principles of fairness, due process, and equality that are foundational to our democracy.

Key Concerns with the Laken Riley Act

  • Erosion of Due Process: The Laken Riley Act sets up a harmful pathway where individuals can be detained based on accusations alone, without the need for a conviction. This undermines the core principle of the presumption of innocence and prevents the ideals of true justice from being practiced. It creates a system where accusations, rather than evidence or due process, determine a person’s fate, leading to potential abuse and injustice.
  • Economic Impact: The Laken Riley Act’s provision for detention based on accusations alone creates the risk of unjust detentions, potentially affecting innocent individuals who are wrongfully accused. This not only impacts those directly targeted but could also disrupt the economy at large, as false accusations can lead to the loss of jobs, increased legal costs, and a decrease in consumer confidence. The threat of wrongful detention and disruption of livelihoods could disproportionately affect all Americans, destabilizing the workforce and hindering economic growth.
  • Overreach of State Powers: The Laken Riley Act allows states to pass laws targeting specific populations and sue the federal government for not enforcing these laws, even if it harms other states that do not wish to divide or harm their own citizens. This forces other states to uphold policies that may not align with their values, disrupting the balance of power and threatening the unity and well-being of all citizens.
  • Unjust Treatment of Communities: We cannot have a public flogging of a community that does not represent the afflicted actions of a few. Nor can we allow the unjust treatment or collective punishment of an entire community for the actions of a few individuals. Such approaches undermine justice and the values of fairness and inclusion, as well as the principles of liberty and justice for all.

Voices from Our Communities

Zuraya Tapia-Hadley, Member of the Arlington County School Board, emphasized: “This legislation threatens to undo years of progress in creating an equitable society. As a leader in education, I see how immigrant families enrich our schools and communities. This bill sends the wrong message, promotes a lack of due process, and violates the principles of fairness we strive to teach our children.”

Diana Brown, Member of the Manassas City School Board, added: “We already have defined crime and violation consequences in this country, and this bill simply manipulates the system to malign all immigrants and hinder due process. While this legislation imperils our progress, I’m optimistic about our capacity for collective action and positive change. As an education leader and immigrant, I know that our diversity is our strength, and that together, we can create inclusive communities that thrive. This bill is misguided, but it won’t define us – our shared values and aspirations will.”

Carla Bustillos, Chair of the Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia (DLOV), stated: “National security should protect the core values of American democracy, including fairness, equality, and the safety of all people—citizens, new Americans, and minority communities alike. This bill, as it stands, disrupts due process and weaponizes fear to justify police state tactics under the guise of national security. By targeting immigrant and minority communities, it increases their vulnerability while undermining the principles that make America strong and just. We cannot stand by as our democracy is eroded in the name of false security.”

Christopher Concepcion, State Director of Virginia LULAC, reinforced: “Your leadership is crucial, Senator Warner,” said Cristopher Concepcion, State Director of LULAC Virginia. “Voting against this bill sends a clear message that fairness, equity, and justice are non-negotiable in our democracy.”

A Plea to Senator Mark Warner

As Virginia constituents and Community Leaders representing the voice of many we urge our U.S. Senator Mark Warner, to vote NO on H.R. 29, the Laken Riley Act. His leadership is crucial in opposing legislation that undermines due process, promotes discrimination, and threatens the well-being of Virginia’s communities. Voting against this bill sends a clear message that fairness and equity remain at the forefront of American democracy.

——————————————————————————————————–

About Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia (DLOV):

The Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia (DLOV) is the official Latino Caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia. Our mission is to strengthen Latino participation in the political process and to support Democratic candidates and policies that prioritize the advancement of the Latino community in Virginia. Through active engagement, advocacy, and voter mobilization, we aim to amplify Latino voices within the Democratic Party, ensuring their concerns are addressed at every level of government and that policies reflect the values of fairness, inclusion, and opportunity for all Virginians.

About Virginia League of United Latin American Citizens (VALULAC):

The Virginia League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the state chapter of the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization. Founded in 1929, Virginia LULAC advocates for the economic, educational, and social advancement of Latinos in Virginia. Through advocacy, community initiatives, and public policy efforts, LULAC works to combat discrimination, promote equal opportunities, and protect the civil rights of underrepresented communities. Committed to fostering leadership and creating lasting change, Virginia LULAC strives to build a more inclusive and equitable society for all.

Despite Official 30-Day Period of Mourning for Former President Jimmy Carter, Glenn Youngkin “joins list of pro-Trump governors ordering flags to be flown at full staff on Inauguration Day”

By
lowkell
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6

Glenn Youngkin continues to demonstrate that he most certainly isn’t a “moderate” at this point (if he ever was), but is now MAGA all the way. This move is, of course, because of pressure from Trump and Trump supporters, “despite a White House order for flags to remain at half-staff for 30 days after the death of former president Jimmy Carter last month.”

“However, in early January, Trump complained about the possibility of the flags remaining at half-mast for his inauguration events on 20 January and, posting on his social media platform, accused Democrats of being “giddy” at the thought of the flags being at half-mast during his swearing-in.”

Of course, Youngkin could have – and should have – kept flags in Virginia at half-staff for the entire 30-day period of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter. Hell, Youngkin even attended Carter’s funeral in Washington, DC. But instead, since Youngkin has no moral core and – more to the point – wants to have a future in the MAGA/Trump GOP, potentially running for US Senate in 2026 or president in 2028, he’s caved yet again to whatever Trump wants, even if it makes no sense whatsoever.

P.S. Also worth noting is that, despite what the mainstream media told us in 2021, Youngkin in fact at that time said, “President Trump represents so much of why I’m running” and “I was honored to receive President Trump’s endorsement.” Then in 2022, Youngkin campaigned for a bunch of far-right/MAGA candidates around the country (e.g., Yesli Vega, Hung Cao, Kari Lake, Tudor Dixon, Paul LePage), most of whom thankfully lost. And in 2024, Youngkin endorsed Trump for reelection, campaigned for him, came close to being picked by Trump as his running mate, etc.

Saturday News: “Israeli cabinet approves Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal”; “Trump 2.0 Will Be Far, Far Worse”; “Trump Trolled Over ‘True’ Reason for Indoor Inauguration”; Trump Will Be Sworn In “In a Rotunda His Supporters Desecrated on Jan. 6”; “TikTok to ‘Go Dark’ on Sunday”?

By
lowkell
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11

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, January 18.

Audio: Rep. Gerry Connolly Says Trump Assault on Non-Politicized Civil Service Is “going back to the spoils system, pre 1883”

By
lowkell
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2

Earlier this afternoon, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) was on WAMU’s The Politics Hour, where he and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) discused “how a second Trump term could impact the thousands of federal workers in the region.” See below for audio and highlights:

  • “…a nonpartisan, non-politicized civil service that serves the American people – we should not do anything that jeopardizes that. Schedule F, which is a cornerstone of Project 2025, absolutely would threaten the nonpartisan, nonpolitical nature of the civil service. So my view is if you want to amend the Civil Service you need to do it by statute – you need to come to Congress and ask the Senate and the House to approve that new schedule… I think you can’t do this by executive order, that is not a prerogative of the executive, it is a prerogative of the legislative branch working with the executive…I think it’s an uphill battle [to get legislation on this] because all too many of my friends on the other side of the aisle, in the House anyhow, have swallowed the Kool-Aid, and it’s almost like dealing with a cult.”
  • “[If] it’s not a civil servant, it’s a political hack who is processing your disability claim at Social Security or your veterans benefits for VA medical care and you are of the wrong political persuasion, your application goes to the bottom of the pile. So this isn’t just about protecting federal employees and civil servants, it is ultimately about protecting the needs of our constituents and shielding them from political interference and cronyism.”

  • “…and then there’s mindless disruption, and I believe that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have both engaged in the latter – mindless disruption. Musk called for cutting $2 trillion of federal spending – that is the federal budget!…he clearly doesn’t understand how the federal government works or what it does and that learning curve is going to be very steep, and I hope he spend some time on the learning curve before he creates not only disruption for federal civil servants but for our constituents.”

  • “I’ve spent 16 years in the United States Congress trying to make government more efficient, I’m not trying to protect anybody, I’m trying to make sure that the government works for the people we serve. And that ought to be the guiding star for President Trump, President Biden, Chris Van Hollen and Gerry Connolly. And I do want to inject something here that never gets talked about and needs to be. Elon Musk runs a company, let’s take Tesla. Does Elon Musk say to his management team, we’re never going to ever raise revenue…whatever the price of a Tesla is, it’s frozen forever? We’re only going to look at the spending side of the company and rein that in? Well of course he doesn’t do that. Well if you want government run as a business, you’ve got to look at the revenue side as well as the spending side. And that’s part of the real false premise of DOGE itself, that we’re only going to look at spending like that’s out of control. And the fact of the matter is, if you look at federal employees, the ratio of federal employees to population has been stagnant. The growth has been in outsourcing federal  contracts, and that started really under Ronald Reagan, a Republican president.”

  • “I agree with your characterization, we’re going back to the spoils system, pre 1883, and that is not a good idea in the 21st century and it’s certainly not a good idea for average Americans who when they need government benefits count on them, count on them to be processed in a fair nonpolitical, non-politicized way. And that’s the kind of government we want to make sure is more efficient.  And as Chris said, we’re all in if you want to make it more efficient. Obviously there are savings to be had. I’ve got plenty of categories I could talk about in terms of where we could save money and where we can find common ground as a matter of fact. But starting out by saying we’re going to replace 100,000 workers with political hacks is a non-starter for us and I hope it will be a non-starter for the US Congress.”

  • “I think President Trump has a very different agenda than we have. I mean both Chris and I would agree FBI needs a new headquarters and it’s got to be secure. It’s got to have setbacks that are not urban to protect it. It needs to have space to grow because it’s a living organism…So we both agree it needs a new headquarters. We don’t agree on where it should be. And I respectfully disagree with Chris about the process – the decision was made unilaterally by one individual who was brought in and she unilaterally overturned a unanimous decision by the award panel that found in Virginia Springfield site…I don’t know her and I don’t know what she was thinking. But that’s why our committee, not just Virginia, our committee has formally requested the IG to examine this process. It’s been a year now and we’re looking forward as Chris is to seeing what those results are. If the Inspector General says you know, it was a fair process, she had her reasons for what she did, we’re going to accept that. But right now we’re not pleased with the process, given the fact that we unanimously won even after the criteria were weighted in Maryland’s favor.”

  • “There is a difference between universal remote working in a pandemic and a structured architecture for telework. which by the way we had before the pandemic and it worked fine...there weren’t empty offices, there weren’t empty retail outlets and restaurants. And so we need to make that distinction, we can’t conflate the two. If you want to recruit the next generation of workers, you’ve got to have a telework program that’s structured and overseen and managed in place. If you don’t, you’re going to lose those workers to the private sector. And we have hundreds of thousands of federal jobs that are going to be available as people retire…they’re catering to Trump on that, but most major  employers I can tell you in my district are not insisting on 5 days a week, they have a structured work program that works for them.”

Virginia House of Delegates 2024 Fundraising Highlights

By
lowkell
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3

Per VPAP, see below for “how much candidates for the Virginia House of Delegates raised in 2024, grouped by the partisanship of their district according to the VPAP Index.” A few things that jump out at me include:

  • Speaker Don Scott (D) has a ton of money, which will come in very handy this year in protecting his slim, 51-49 Democratic House majority, and hopefully INCREASING that majority by a few seats (note: the VPAP index rates 10/100 VA House of Delegates seats as “competitive,” so hopefully Democrats can pick up a few of those).
  • Regarding the House of Delegates seats rated as “competitive,” it’s great to see Democrat Kimberly Pope Adams significantly outpacing Republican incumbent Kim Taylor in HD82, and also with a cash-on-hand advantage. According to VPAP, HD82 was won by Kamala Harris by 4 points in November, and by Tim Kaine by 7.5 points, so it is DEFINITELY winnable for Democrats this November!
  • In several seats rated as “competitive,” Democrats COULD win them this November, but they’re facing incumbents with fundraising advantages in several of them, such as HD71 (Republican Del. Amanda Batten; Kamala Harris won this district by 5 points) and HD75 (Republican Del. Carrie Coyner; Kamala Harris won this district by 6 points). Also, remember that the vast majority of incumbents win reelection, and that to defeat them, the challenging party needs a VERY strong nominee with lots of resources to communicate with voters. So let’s hope that’s what happens in these two districts.
  • Another winnable district for Democrats is HD57, which Kamala Harris won by a whopping 9 (!) points in November. Currently, the Republican incumbent, Del. David Owen, has the fundraising advantage over his potential Democratic opponents (e.g., May Nivar has $48k cash on hand vs. Owen’s $129k). Presumably, House Dems will pour resources into this district, given the fact that Owen his HIGHLY vulnerable (arguably, he only won in 2023  -by just 2 points at that – because of *massive* negative publicity in the media around the Democratic nominee, Susanna Gibson).
  • In HD97, incumbent Democratic Del. Michael Feggans has a large fundraising advantage over Republican former Del. Tim Anderson, who is challenging Feggans. Let’s make sure it stays that way in this blue-leaning district (Kamala Harris won it by 8 points in November).

Anyway, those are just a few things that jump out at me at a glance, definitely not comprehensive by any means. What jumps out at you?

Friday News: “Israel’s security cabinet meets to vote on Gaza deal”; “Biden Reiterates He’s Worried ‘How Fragile Democracy Is’ In Final Interview”; “Trump’s corrupt TikTok flip-flop exposes his craven national security cabinet”; SpaceX’s “rapid unscheduled disassembly”

By
lowkell
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11

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, January 17.

Video: Sen. Mark Warner Says He’ll Go to Trump’s Inauguration, Wants Him to Succeed, Hopes He Ditches “American Carnage” for Optimistic/Unifying View of America

By
lowkell
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9

See below for video and a few highlights from Sen. Mark Warner’s press availability earlier today. Lots of questions on TikTok, and that’s certainly an important issue, but c’mon – there’s a TON of other important stuff going on in the country and the world, do we really need journalist after journalist to ask about the same topic, let alone one that’s probably not even in the top 50 most-important issues facing us right now?

  • “I joined with I think the vast majority of Americans, probably the vast majority of folks in the world, celebrating the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza that will allow the hostages who were so brutally abducted on October 7th to be returned to their families, as well as for the level of ceaseless violence in Gaza to come to an end and many Palestinians to be able hopefully go back to their their more normal life and begin the process of rebuilding that critical part of the world that’s going to require nation states like Saudi Arabia and the Emiratis to help. Now, we thought yesterday that you know, all systems go, but as we know in this world nothing, in particular in the Middle East, nothing’s done until it’s done. And the fact that the Israeli government has not met at the cabinet level, I am not sure what the delay reason is, but clearly this ceasefire needs to be implemented. I hope both Hamas leadership and the Israeli government leadership will act on this deal. I think it was great work of both President Biden and president-elect Trump, they came together on this it’s good for the region, it’s good for the world, let’s get it done.”
  • “The inauguration, it’s coming up on Monday, it’s going to be I imagine a wild-and-woolly first week or 10 days. I think the president-elect’s got a lot that he wants to do. And let me say I didn’t vote for Donald Trump, I find a lot of his policies I disagree with, but I want Donald Trump to be successful. He’s going to be president of the United States. I’m going to go to the inaguration on Monday. If he can help make sure Americans stay safe, that we can keep our economy moving, that we can bring down inflation, he’ll have me as a supporter and I will support many of his nominees. But when he makes policies or lays out positions that are just not grounded in any factual truth or rolls back basic protections for Americans, then I will oppose him and try to build bipartisan coalitions to do that. So I wish president-elect Trump,  I wish well for our nation, I look forward to where I can partner with him, but I also look forward to holding the line when he tries to restrict Americans rights or unfortunately delve into the world of conspiracy theories.”
  • “Which brings me to the the next subject,  the nominations. As former chairman and now vice chairman of the intelligence committee, I had John Ratcliffe, who is the CIA nominee, up this week. I think Mr Ratcliffe has got the experience necessary. And I felt like I got got the reassurance from him that he will protect the integrity and independence of the intelligence community. The whole value of the intelligence community is to speak truth to power, even if that power doesn’t want to hear it. And I’ve been concerned because of some of President Trump’s statements about attacking the men and women and the integrity of the intelligence community, or somehow saying they want to fire people based upon their political views. We cannot abide that. I believe I got commitments from John Ratcliffe to not fall into that trap of pushing the intelligence community outside of its independent role. And consequently I will be supporting him in his nomination.”
  • “I also had a chance today to interview and and press questions on President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Treasury, Scott Bessent. He’s got I think appropriate background. I want to review more of his answers, but two things I raised today are important: one is a topic that I frankly worked with the first Trump Administration on and that is Community Development Financial Institutions, CDFIs. And we need to continue to partner in terms of those institutions, access to capital...I got the Treasury Secretary designate to acknowledge that he is open to increasing sanctions on Russia. That is extraordinarily important. We do need to resolve the Ukraine-Russia war, but the strongest way we can resolve that is to put the Ukrainians in the best bargaining position possible. And I thought it was quite important that the secretary designate…said that he would try to urge President Trump to bring stronger sanctions. We cannot provide relief for Vladimir Putin’s awful invasion of Ukraine.”
  • “We also do need to remember President Biden has got a few more days left. I think he made a good final message to America last night…”
  • “Final issue I just want to raise…some of the challenges and legislation around the border. And clearly the border has been a mess; the Biden Administration waited way too long to shut that down. And we need a full-fledged bipartisan immigration bill. But part of what President Trump is threatening is to deport people who have overstayed their welcome or committed crimes, going after folks who’ve already been adjudicated.  I understand but there are series of individuals living in Virginia under something called TPS, Temporary Protective Status, from El Salvador, Sudan, Venezuela, Nicaragua, many living in in Northern Virginia, some folk particularly from El Salvador going back to the 1990s they have lived in America for 30 plus years. I’m glad to see that President Biden extended that TPS protections for those individuals so they don’t face undue pressure around whatever President Trump is going to do around deportation.”
  • “I don’t want TikTok to go away. I know there’s a lot of creativity on TikTok, I know there’s a lot of folks who are social influencers make their living off of TikTok. But I, like 80% of the Congress, completely bipartisan, said at the end of the day, TikTok shouldn’t be controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. And unfortunately, that’s what happens right now where our data could be collected or as more and more people use TikTok as their most important news source, the ability for that to be turned into a propaganda tool is a real national security threat. But I would be wide open to a 90-day extension. The current President, Biden, could do that as well, because it feels like with the deadline approaching – it appears the Supreme Court is not going to buy TikTok’s argument that the law is not constitutional – with the law kicking in, it’s finally forced the bidders – because at the end of the day, all we want to do is this to be sold to a non-Chinese entity…so let’s just transfer the control to a non-Chinese entity, if that takes 90 days additional…I’m open to have that timeline, but it should not simply be an extension to nowhere, there has to be a deal that has to be struck and the Chinese Communist Party have to give up control at the end of the day of this valuable asset.”
  • “Most of you know my background was in business. I’ve been very blessed to do really well in American Business. I celebrate people who’ve been successful, and you’re not going to see me the way some of my Democratic candidate colleagues just throw stones at people just because they’re successful or rich. But it is more than a little weird that literally the richest people in the world are all coming together behind Donald Trump, the fact that many of them are being given positions of enormous influence without any kind of checks or balances. And I know Biden called this an oligarchy, and I’m not going to use that term, but I am going to recognize that you look at Vladimir Putin in Russia and who are the group of people around him that are the billionaires who’ve done extraordinarily successful. And I’m not criticizing anybody for being rich or successful, but it feels like a bit of a feeding frenzy, where the wealthiest people in the country and in the world are trying to all see how close they can get to Donald Trump at this moment of transition. And I just want to make sure as policy decisions are made going forward, they’re made on behalf of ALL of the American people and not an elite few.“
  • “This [Israel-Hamas] deal was reached because the Biden Administration and the incoming Trump Administration worked together…This is the best chance for peace in the region, this is the best chance to get those Israeli hostages back to their families after almost a year and a half. This is the best chance to bring an end to the violence that still killed 70 Palestinians last night in Gaza. So you never know in the Middle East, I thought the deal was done yesterday…I don’t want to speculate as to who is kind of walking away at this point. I hope that the cooler heads will prevail. But let’s face it, both on the terrorist side on Hamas and unfortunately sometimes within the Israeli government, some of the far right-wingers there are people that do not want peace. And I hope those voices who do not want peace can be overwhelmed by the vast majority of Palestinians and Israelis who want this conflict to end.”
  • “First of all, I’m going to go to the inauguration because I think we always should celebrate a peaceful transition of power, something that candidly four years ago, the rioters on January 6th tried to interfere with. But I want to go to celebrate that peaceful transfer of power and pay respect. And as I said, I want President Trump to do well. My appeal would be, he won a second turn, he won with a majority, I hope he comes in with an optimistic view of our country. But this willingness to constantly call America bad names, to somehow say it’s an awful place, to denigrate people who work for the American people in the federal government, to denigrate the people who work in our military or the folks that I have a lot of exposure to, the intelligence community, I don’t think that does him or our country any good. So I hope we hear less about ‘carnage’ and more about how he wants to grow the economy, keep us safe, and also if there are areas where we need to shake up the system, I think there’s a lot of things around government efficiency, I’m open to that, but it needs to be really about efficiency, not just a frontal attack on people who are federal workers. So I don’t have the slightest idea…about what he’s actually going to say, but I hope we get a little more, you know the day of inauguration is a time for optimism, it’s a time for uplifting, it’s a time for bringing people together whether they supported him or not. I’m going to be there as somebody who didn’t support him for election, but will support him to be a successful president. I hope he’ll take that into mind.”
  • “I worked well with Mike Turner. I think he was a strong defender of the intelligence committee. I think he…stood up strongly in terms of American support for Ukraine. I don’t have the slightest idea why he got kicked out...I talked with him briefly last night. I think I was surprised, I think he was surprised. I don’t know the incoming chair…I will try to work with him, my job is to work with anybody – you don’t get to pick who you work with in Congress, you work with people that are also hired by their constituents. And the question about whether Trump has too much influence – I can’t think of a president coming in that appears to have more sway with his own political party than Donald Trump does at this moment…It’ll be interesting to see when members are confronted with, here’s the Trump way versus here’s what they view as their positions for the last 20 years, who’s going to win out on that. I think about the number of Republicans who’ve raised concerns about broad-based tariffs that are ending up going to raise costs for Americans, drive up inflation. But…will they simply all roll over? Time will tell. I do remember this, the first Trump presidency was chaotic at best. And this kind of honeymoon that clearly has lasted since the election and through the inauguration, it’ll be curious to see 30 days from now whether there will still be this same kind of, you know, follow Trump no matter what his position is. I think our democracy stays robust where you, regardless of party support the president when he’s right, but be willing to stand up to him when he’s wrong. And time will tell whether that is the rule in the second Trump Administration.”

New Wason Center Virginia Poll: Spanberger Leads Sears by 5 Points (44%-39%); Voters Support Reproductive Freedom Constitutional Amendment by Wide Margin (61%-32%)

By
lowkell
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5

A new poll from CNU’s Wason Center is out this morning; see below for results and highlights.

  • ” In the governor’s race, Congresswoman Spanberger leads Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears by 5-points, 44% to 39%, though 16% remain undecided and another 2% say they will vote for someone else.” (Note: this compares to a recent Mason-Dixon poll, which had Spanberger up 47%-44% over Sears; as well as a recent Emerson College poll, which had Spanberger up by just 1 point, 42%-41%, over Sears).
  • ” Notably, a much larger proportion of Black voters are undecided relative to whites (24% to 12%), suggesting
    that both candidates will have to work hard to earn the Black vote. Independents are generally split with 37% supporting Spanberger to 35% for Earle-Sears. Partisans have started to line up behind their respective candidates with Spanberger receiving 95% support among Democrats and Earle-Sears getting support from 87% of Republicans. Spanberger does well among women (47% to 34%), younger voters (42% to 35%), and college educated voters (51% to 32%), while Earle-Sears does better among male voters (44% to 42%), and those without college degrees (44% to 39%). “
  • “53% of Virginians approve of the job Governor Youngkin is doing“
  • “A majority of Virginians support amending the state’s constitution to guarantee reproductive rights in the state, such as access to abortion and contraception (61%) and to allow felons that have completed their prison sentence to have their voting rights automatically restored upon release (63%).  (This helps explain why Virginia Republicans don’t want to let voters decide on these amendments, because it’s almost certain they’ll pass.)
  • “Regarding the budget surplus, a plurality of Virginians say it should go primarily towards government services (46%). 40% say it should go towards a one-time tax rebate for individuals, with the remainder going toward government services, and 11% say it should go primarily towards long-term individual and corporate tax cuts.” (Youngkin is in the 11% category?)
  • “When it comes to data centers, Virginians support laws that would prohibit locating them within a mile of a national park, state park, or historically significant site (67% to 27%), requiring data center companies that receive state tax incentives to improve energy efficiency and reduce their energy consumption during peak demand (77% to 16%). A plurality supports the removal of state tax incentives used to encourage the building of data centers in the state (48% to 39%), while a majority oppose expanding state and local tax incentives to encourage more data centers (57% to 34%).”
  • “Virginians support a law that would require K-12 schools to have a cell phone usage policy but would allow localities to set their own specific rules about usage (75% support/strongly support).”



2H24 Fundraising Totals for Virginia Statewide, Other Offices

By
lowkell
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8

Courtesy of VPAP, see below for the latest fundraising totals for the second half of 2024 – and cash on hand (as of 12/31/24) – for Virginia 2025 statewide and other candidates.

GOVERNOR:

  • Democrat Abigail Spanberger reported receipts of $2,501,153 from 7/1 to 12/31, of which just $90k came from her own congressional campaign account; expenditures of $1,312,478; and cash-on-hand of $6,551,836 as of 12/31/24.
  • Republican Winsome Sears reported receipts of $2,563,085 from 9/4 to 12/31, of which a whopping $900k came from her own PAC; expenditures of $451,569; and cash-on-hand of $2,111,516 as of 12/31/24 . Also, Sears’ Winsome PAC raised $385,719 from 10/8 to 12/31 and had $415,603 cash-on-hand as of 12/31/24.

LT. GOVERNOR

  • Democrat Ghazala Hashmi reported receipts of $553,335 from 7/1 to 12/31; expenditures of $181,257; and cash-on-hand of $546,748 as of 12/31/24. Hashmi also raised $144,527 in her State Senate account and had $6,466 in cash-on-hand there.
  • Democrat Babur Lateef reported receipts of $216,304 from 7/1 to 12/31; expenditures of $198,938 and cash-on-hand of $280,342 as of 12/31/24.
  • Democrat Aaron Rouse reported receipts of $335,130 from 7/1 to 12/31, expenditures of $81,274; and cash-on-hand of $665,551 as of 12/31/24.
  • Democrat Victor Salgado reported receipts of $78,710 from 7/1 to 12/31, expenditures of $373; and cash-on-hand of $78,336 as of 12/31/24.
  • Democrat Levar Stoney reported receipts of $184,731 from 7/1 to 12/31; expenditures of $373,858; and cash-on-hand of $513,831 as of 12/31/24.
  • Republican Pat Herrity reported “over $200,000 in the first week of [his] campaign, which began on January 3rd” (after the reporting period, so no report available)…
  • Republican John Curran reported receipts of $1,0645,000 from 9/25 to 12/31; expenditures of $474; and cash-on-hand of $1,000,170 as of 12/31/24.

ATTORNEY GENERAL

  • Democrat Jay Jones reported receipts of $878,036 from 8/28 to 12/31 (of which, $275k were from Virginians for Jay Jones and $250k from Clean Virginia); expenditures of $92,588; and cash-on-hand of $785,447 as of 12/31/24. Jones Meet Our Moment PAC didn’t raise any money from 10/8 to 12/31, had $9,395 cash-on-hand as of 12/31/24.
  • Democrat Shannon Taylor reported receipts of $184,108 (of which $25k was from Dominion Energy) from 7/1 to 12/31; expenditures of $117,293; and cash-on-hand of $359,527 as of 12/31/24.
  • Republican Jason Miyares reported “amount raised” of $1,399,697 from 7/1 to 12/31; and cash-on-hand of $1,278,143 as of 12/31/24. Also, Miyares’ A Safer Virginia PAC raised $202,374 from 10/8 to 12/31 and had $2,723,393 cash-on-hand as of 12/31/24.

HOUSE OF DELEGATES

  • Speaker Don Scott raised $1,183,491 from 7/1 to 12/31, had expenses of $151,309 and cash-on-hand of $1,825,207 as of 12/31/24. Also, Speaker Scott’s Virginia Future Generations PAC raised $259,750 from 10/8 to 12/31 and had $723,698 in cash-on-hand as of 12/31/24.
  • House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert raised $479,979 from 7/1 to 12/31, had $547,484 cash-on-hand as of 12/31/24. Also, Gilbert’s Republican Commonwealth Leadership PAC raised $154,721 from 10/8 to 12/31 and had $804,881 cash-on-hand as of 12/31/24.

STATE SENATE

  • Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D) raised $597,787 from 7/1 to 12/31, spent $265,733 and had $612,502 cash-on-hand as of 12/31/24.
  • Senate Republican Leader Ryan McDougle raised $239,509 from 7/1 to 12/31, spent $99,026 and had $403,070 cash-on-hand as of 12/31/24. Also, McDougle’s Reagan Majority for Virginia PAC raised $80k (almost all from Dominion Energy) and had cash-on-hand of $319,559 as of 12/31/24.
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