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Check Out Sam Shirazi’s New Podcast, “Federal Fallout, the 2025 Virginia Elections” for “a big-picture overview of what’s on the ballot this year.”

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lowkell
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Nice job by Sam Shirazi with “Federal Fallout, the 2025 Virginia Elections, a new podcast series that will provide updates this year as the elections play out in Virginia.” In this episode, Sam provides “a big-picture overview of what’s on the ballot this year.” My only quibble is that I’m not sure whether historical precedent is going to hold this year in Virginia, given how abnormal and unprecedented the entire situation in the country is, the fact tha we’ve got a virulently anti-democracy administration in the White House, the impacts of Trump’s/Musk’s war on the federal workforce also being unprecedented, etc.

In the end, though, assuming we have relatively “normal” Virginia elections this November, there’s no doubt that Democrats should have a marked advantage, particularly if Trump’s approval rating is low (e.g., in the mid to upper 30%s as it seems to be now, or even lower). Also, we’ll see who Republicans end up nominating for governor; my feeling is that Dave LaRock would probably be Republicans’ weakest candidate, with Amanda Chase the second weakest and Winsome Earle-Sears the “strongest” (in air quotes, because I don’t think she’d be particularly strong either, but less bad for Republicans than LaRock or Chase!). We’ll also see how the overall tickets end up looking – will there be ANY “moderation” on the Republican side, or will it be hard right all the way? And will the Democratic ticket have three strong candidates on it, a good “balance” in various ways (geography, gender, race, etc.)? We’ll see…stay tuned her and also to Sam Shirazi’s Substack!

Anyway, check out the podcast, and I definitely recommend that people follow Sam on Substack here.

New Podcast Series: Federal Fallout by Sam Shirazi

Episode 1: The DOGE Election?

Read on Substack

Hi everyone, I’m Sam Shirazi, a Virginia political analyst. This is Federal Fallout, the 2025 Virginia elections, a new podcast series that will provide updates this year as the elections play out in Virginia.

00:15.54

Sam Shirazi

This first episode will give a big picture overview of what’s on the ballot this year. Future episodes will delve into all the key races. Today, we’ll also talk about a potential GOP governor primary,

00:28.44

Sam Shirazi

And finally, we’ll talk about the role of DOGE in the election and the fallout from the changes in the federal government. So to begin with, I’ll want to give a brief overview of what’s on the ballot and also what’s going on in terms of the state of play.

00:45.73

Sam Shirazi

So the conventional wisdom is that the party out of power, that means the party not in the White House, tends to win the Virginia governor’s election. And that’s been true in every election going back till 1977, except in 2013 Democrat when Democrat Terry McAuliffe was able to win even though Obama was in the White House.

01:07.21

Sam Shirazi

And the last time a Republican has won the governor’s race with a Republican in the White House was all the way back in 1973 when Richard Nixon was president. So a long, long time ago.

01:20.87

Sam Shirazi

So all that’s to say is the conventional wisdom is that Democrats start off with an advantage this year just purely because of the fact that they are not in the White House. And then you could add on top of that the fact that there currently is a Republican governor in the governor’s mansion with Governor Glenn Youngkin.

01:40.76

Sam Shirazi

Voters tend to like to see changes between the parties in in the governor’s mansion. Not always, but you do see that swing where if there’s a Republican in the governor’s mansion, Democrats might want to switch over to a Democrat and vice versa. So that’s kind of how things start off, I think, right?

01:59.81

Sam Shirazi

Most people would say the Democrats have a slight edge right now. So I’ve talked about the governor’s race. I think most people, when they think about the 2025 Virginia elections, they think about a governor’s race.

02:11.11

Sam Shirazi

And obviously that’s the top of the ticket. That’s the most important race. It’s important. That’s the one national media pays attention to, but that’s not the only race on the ticket. And I’m going to talk about some of the other ah races as well, but let’s start with the governor’s race. So the governor’s race, currently there are,

02:27.72

Sam Shirazi

Two front runners for each party. There is on the Democratic side, former Congressman Abigail Spanberger. And on the Republican side, there is current Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears.

02:39.72

Sam Shirazi

We’ll talk a little bit about potential GOP primary in a little bit, but but those are the two main candidates right now. And obviously, whoever wins that election is important, but I think the margin will also matter. And what I mean by that is, obviously, if the Republicans win, even if it’s a close win, that’s going to be a good night, especially with a Republican in the White House.

03:00.47

Sam Shirazi

I think, as I mentioned, most people expect the Democrats to win. So if Spanberger wins by, let’s say, a narrow margin, i think – It’ll be good, but I think some people will be surprised that she might not have won by more. And I think that’s really the big question is how much is the margin going to be if the Democrats are able to win?

03:23.53

Sam Shirazi

Is it going to be a one-point win, a two-point win, or could it we see something similar to what happened in 2017 when Trump was last in the White House where Ralph Northam was able to win by almost eight points?

03:36.05

Sam Shirazi

So that’s the governor’s race. I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time on it right now because I think we’ll talk about it in future episodes and even later in this episode. I want to just quickly touch on the other races that are on the ballot. So There is also a Lieutenant Governor’s race and both sides are going to have a primary in that race. I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time on it right now because I’ll probably do an episode on that in the future.

03:57.63

Sam Shirazi

Lieutenant Governor doesn’t get as much attention as a Governor, but is the presiding officer of the Virginia Senate and also is able to to break ties in the Virginia Senate. And currently ah there’s a narrow 21-19 Democratic majority.

04:12.15

Sam Shirazi

So there are times when there might be a 2020 tie in the state Senate. And so it’s important for the parties to be able to break the tie. So it is important in that sense. And then obviously if something happens the governor, the Lieutenant governor would step in. So that also plays an important role with the governor, with the Lieutenant governor’s office.

04:31.99

Sam Shirazi

The final statewide office on the ballot is the attorney general’s race. I think the attorney general’s race doesn’t always get as much attention as it should. So currently, Virginia has a Republican attorney general in Jason Miyares. He is running for a re-election. He is the only statewide official we’re running for re-election this year.

04:52.38

Sam Shirazi

And there will be a Democratic primary. There are two Democrats running, former delegate Jay Jones and Henrico Commonwealth’s attorney Shannon Taylor. And the reason I say the the attorney general’s race is important is because this office is one that can affect at least a little bit of what happens in D.C. in the sense that the attorney general is able to sue the current administration if they just choose to. And we saw under the Biden administration, Attorney General Jason Meares joined several lawsuits against the Biden administration.

05:27.33

Sam Shirazi

However, since President Trump has taken office, he has not joined, Jason Miyares has not joined any of the lawsuits against President Trump. And obviously, if we get a Democratic attorney general, much more likely and almost certain that they will join whoever the Democratic attorney general in Virginia would be.

05:47.07

Sam Shirazi

would be able to join some of these lawsuits that have been brought against the Trump administration. And so, I spent a little bit of time in the Attorney General’s race because I think it doesn’t get the same amount of attention as the governor’s race. But obviously, with everything going on and all the lawsuits, it does play an important role in what’s going on in DC. And and later in the episode, I’ll talk more about how what’s going on in DC will affect the Virginia governor’s race.

06:13.89

Sam Shirazi

So that’s already three races on the ballot, but that’s not it. There will also be 100 House of Delegates seats up for re-election. That’s every seat in the House of Delegates.

06:25.44

Sam Shirazi

The state Senate is not up for election. So it is just the House of Delegates, but it’s every seat. And currently the Democrats hold a narrow 51-49 majority. I think, again, the conventional wisdom is the Democrats start off with a little bit of of an advantage to retain their majority, just given the fact that the party that’s not in the White House tends to do well in Virginia elections, state elections.

06:50.14

Sam Shirazi

So the one thing I did want to highlight with the House of Delegates races, and we’ll talk more about the races probably in future podcasts, is that – There are three constitutional amendments that the Democrats have proposed. One of them is to protect reproductive rights.

07:08.67

Sam Shirazi

One of them is to remove language from the Virginia Constitution, banning same-sex marriage, and instead put language in protecting marriage equality. And the final amendment is to protect voting rights for people who have been convicted of felonies and who who have served their term.

07:25.34

Sam Shirazi

Currently, Virginia is the only is one of the only states where if you’ve convicted been convicted of a felony, you lose your right to vote for the rest of your life unless the governor restores that right.

07:36.45

Sam Shirazi

What this amendment would do is that once you serve your sentence, if you’ve been convicted of a felony, then you would have the right to vote restored automatically. So those three have all passed the General Assembly this year because the Democrats control the House of Delegates and the State Senate.

07:52.80

Sam Shirazi

However, in Virginia… It has to pass in two sessions of the General Assembly with an election in between. The election in between will be this November. And if Democrats can win the majority again in the Virginia House of Delegates, they will be able to put those constitutional amendments on the ballot in 2026. So in the 2026 midterm elections, there potentially could be those three constitutional ballots on the amendment in Virginia.

08:19.68

Sam Shirazi

But Democrats would have to win the House of Delegates majority again this November. So that’s why House of Delegates, besides just being able to pass normal laws, also has the ability to pass those constitutional amendments. So those elections are also going to be really important.

08:34.12

Sam Shirazi

There are also a bunch of local offices, county boards, school boards. Probably won’t get into too much of that on this podcast. But just stay tuned for future episodes because we will cover a lot of those. The races that I’ve mentioned and and going into a lot of more detail about those.

08:55.81

Sam Shirazi

The second thing I wanted to talk about in this podcast is the potential for a GOP primary in the governor’s race. So to set things up, on the Democratic side, Congressman Bobby Scott had toyed with the idea of running for governor.

09:10.91

Sam Shirazi

but doesn’t really have seemed to have taken many steps towards doing that. He hasn’t made made a formal announcement. Obviously he hasn’t set up any sort of committee or filed any paperwork.

09:21.72

Sam Shirazi

So he still has time. The filing deadline is not till April 3rd, but it seems less and less likely that he will run at this point, which means that it’s more likely than not former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger will be unopposed for the Democratic nomination for governor. So we never know until the filing deadline passes, but I would say more likely than not, there’s unlikely to be a Democratic primary for governor in Virginia.

09:53.01

Sam Shirazi

And for a while, it seemed like that might have also been the case for the Republicans. So right after the November election, Governor Youngkin endorsed Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears for the Republican nomination.

10:10.32

Sam Shirazi

That was after Attorney General Jason Miyares decided to run for re-election and not challenge Lieutenant Governor Sears. And realistically, Miyaress was probably the biggest competition that Sears could have faced in the primary, and she didn’t end up having to face Miyares. And I think there was a lot of um you know discussions behind the scenes to try to avoid a primary because it would have taken a lot of time and money.

10:36.75

Sam Shirazi

But despite all those efforts, there is still a possibility there could be a GOP primary because two former legislatures let legislators in Virginia have announced that they are gathering signatures and attempting to make the ballot um for the GOP primary.

10:54.13

Sam Shirazi

One of them is a former delegate Dave LaRock, and the other one is former state senator Amanda Chase. Now, both LaRock and Chase um had served in the legislature. They tried to either run for higher office with LaRock running for state senate, and then Chase had run for governor and subsequently lost her state senate primary.

11:21.25

Sam Shirazi

So neither of them are currently in office, but they have been in office in the past. And I would describe them as being more on the… pro MAGA wing of the party, very supportive of president Trump.

11:37.14

Sam Shirazi

And part of the reason that they are attempting to make the ballot is the idea that Lieutenant governor Sears is not sufficiently loyal enough to president Trump. Now she has backed Lieutenant governor Sears has backed president Trump’s recent actions, but before he won the Republican nomination in 2024,

11:56.49

Sam Shirazi

She had said some things that were somewhat critical of Trump. And I think there is a sense among some Republicans that she isn’t necessarily a true Trump diehard believer. And that is creating an opening for some of these other candidates to try to jump in.

12:11.60

Sam Shirazi

I don’t know if they will make the ballot, and I should mention that Virginia has some pretty strict requirements to make statewide office. So a candidate seeking statewide office will have to get 10,000 signatures from registered voters.

12:28.88

Sam Shirazi

And these all have to be valid signatures of people registered to vote in Virginia. On top of that, 400 signatures have to come from each congressional district. So it can’t just be 10,000 total. It has 10,000 total with 400 coming from each congressional district and Virginia has 11 congressional districts.

12:46.28

Sam Shirazi

So that’s a pretty tall order. And these efforts were just started very recently. So there’s not a lot of time. The filing deadline is April 3. Both LaRock and Chase are working hard trying to get signatures to try to make that April 3rd deadline, but it’s there’s no guarantee they’re going to make it. And so I think we just have to wait and see if they ended up end up making the primary ballot.

13:09.32

Sam Shirazi

Obviously, if they do, we can talk about it in future podcasts, but it’s a little bit of a wait and see right now. And even if they make the ballot, it’s unclear how much of a chance they have against Lieutenant Governor Winston Earl Sears. And I think a lot will come down to whether President Trump decides to wade into the GOP primary, which at this point is hard to tell. And Long story short, we’ll just have to wait and see. I think it’s a little bit early to go too into detail about a potential GOP primary just because, again, they might not make the ballot with the signature requirements. So just wanted to preview that, but we will discuss that likely in future podcast episodes.

13:50.90

Sam Shirazi

All right. So the last thing I wanted to talk about, and it’s also the the name of this podcast episode, is the DOGE election and the question really is how much will what’s going on in DC with the changes in the federal government with DOGE coming in to both lay off certain federal employees and also downsize a lot of the federal government, how much will that impact the Virginia state elections? And the conventional wisdom is it’s going to have a pretty big impact because Virginia obviously is right next to Washington, D.C. There are a lot of federal employees. There are a lot of federal contractors.

14:32.18

Sam Shirazi

There are a lot of military bases. There are a lot of companies that rely on doing business with the federal government. So this is not a minor thing, the shakeup that is happening in D.C.

14:44.38

Sam Shirazi

And there are kind of two theories about what’s going to happen and the Democratic theory and the Republican theory. So the Democrats… pretty logically are trying to pounce on this issue and say, hey, we are standing up for federal workers. We’re against what’s happening in DC.

15:03.55

Sam Shirazi

The Virginia Republicans are not standing up for the federal workers. And it’s a pretty clear message that they are against what DOGE is doing. They’re against the firing of the federal workers.

15:17.34

Sam Shirazi

One would think that that’s a pretty strong message, at least in Northern Virginia, if not the rest of Virginia, including Hampton roads, which has a large military presence as well as other government facilities.

15:29.99

Sam Shirazi

That’s kind of the democratic side of things. Like they want to make this election, a referendum on DOGE and what’s going on in DC. I think the Republicans have a little bit of a different strategy.

15:44.51

Sam Shirazi

Part of what they’re thinking is maybe that they have to support President Trump because he’s the leader of their party and they they can’t really be against the firing of federal workers. And you see people like Governor Youngkin and Lieutenant Governor Sears saying they support the efforts to increase efficiency in the federal government, but they understand that it’s difficult for federal workers who are losing their jobs.

16:07.51

Sam Shirazi

Now, this is where people who might be more pro-MAGA like Dave LaRock or Amanda Chase would want the Virginia GOP to be even more supportive of what President Trump is doing and DOGE is doing and really go full throat behind it as opposed to trying to ah understand that some of the workers are dealing with difficult issues right now. Either way,

16:35.25

Sam Shirazi

I think part of the calculation the Republicans have is that a lot of federal workers already vote Democratic. So, you know, even if some of the people who lose their jobs are upset, they were probably going to vote for Democrats anyways. Some Republicans even feel like maybe this will lead to people moving out of Virginia and most of the people moving out will be Democrats. So Virginia will become less democratic.

16:59.90

Sam Shirazi

Realistically, I don’t know how much of those changes are going to happen by the time November rolls around. It seems like that’s something that would happen long term, maybe over the course of a few years as opposed to a few months because the election is coming up.

17:15.40

Sam Shirazi

But that’s kind of how the Republicans are approaching it. And, you know, I’ll just be honest. Virginia state elections tend to be grabbed by national issues and they tend to become referendums on national issues. So,

17:31.04

Sam Shirazi

In 2021, even though President Biden had won Virginia by 10 points the the year before, Republicans were able to vote win in Virginia by using the issue of COVID and the COVID lockdowns and really making the election referendum on COVID lockdowns and wanting to basically end those things. And they had a very clear message on that, whereas the Democrats, they were still… trying to make sure that there were precautions taken for COVID and and didn’t clearly have as much of a message that resonated in 2021.

18:08.07

Sam Shirazi

But then the flip side happened in 2023 when this was the year after Roe v. Wade was overturned um and there was a potential that Virginia Republicans could get complete control of the Virginia General Assembly and pass abortion restrictions.

18:26.94

Sam Shirazi

And Governor Youngkin explicitly said that he would sign a bill that would place restrictions on abortion abortions after 15 weeks with some exceptions. However, Democrats really seized on the issue and made that election referendum on abortion.

18:41.45

Sam Shirazi

They were much more clear on their message. They basically said, we will support reproductive rights, and the Republicans were trying to create this 15-week timeframe, which didn’t really work for them, and the Democrats were able to win complete control of the General Assembly in 2023.

18:59.94

Sam Shirazi

So the message is, one, the Virginia state elections tend to become dominated by these issues that aren’t necessarily purely Virginia issues. And two, the party that has the clearer message often does better because it’s just easier to connect to voters when you have a clear message.

19:16.89

Sam Shirazi

So if that’s the case, 2025, is this going to be an election, ah referendum on DOGE? And will the Democrats do well because they have a clear message of just opposing what’s going on in D.C.?

19:30.55

Sam Shirazi

It’s a little too early to tell. Obviously, it’s a big issue in the news right now. The question becomes how much of an issue is it in November? Probably it’s still going to be a big issue in November, but we don’t know that that right now.

19:45.05

Sam Shirazi

The other thing too is this is an issue that almost every night will lead in the local news in DC and Hampton roads. And millions of Virginians are going to be seeing this on the news every single night. So even if you aren’t a federal employee or directly impacted by it it’s still something that you’ll see every night.

20:05.75

Sam Shirazi

And obviously Virginia’s economy as a whole really depends on the federal government. And so the question becomes, even if it’s ah not directly affecting you how much will it impact your vote and the decision you make to vote in November.

20:24.58

Sam Shirazi

And the last thing I should say is A lot of people aren’t necessarily super tuned in to Virginia elections and Virginia politics. If you’re listening to this podcast, you probably are.

20:35.98

Sam Shirazi

But I bet there’s a fair amount of people who might not even realize there’s an election in Virginia this year. But the more this issue kind of dominates the news and the more people feel like maybe they’re upset by what’s happening, it might motivate them to – obviously vote, but also get their friends involved, get their families involved, and just kind of increasing the turnout among the base. And a lot of times the state elections are basically um turnout games about who can turn out more of their base,

21:08.08

Sam Shirazi

In 2021, Glenn Youngkin was able to win because he got out a lot of the Republican base in rural parts of Virginia. Democrats also got out parts of their base, but the Republicans just did a really good job in 2021. 2023 was not as big of a Republican turnout. I would say both sides got their bases out.

21:30.27

Sam Shirazi

They were overall probably more Democratic-leaning voters in Virginia, and you saw that the Democrats were able to win in 2023. So if this is an issue that really motivates the Democratic base, then we can see a lot of voters coming out because they’re upset about what’s going on, and this is an issue that’s really motivating them.

21:50.64

Sam Shirazi

And kind of going back to the issue of the primary, I think both Dave LaRock and Amanda Chase, part of their argument is like, we need to give our voters a reason to come out. And we need someone who’s going to go out there and be 100% behind President Trump, and then they’re going to come out and vote for us in November.

22:07.66

Sam Shirazi

I think the concern they have with Lieutenant Governor Sears is that she’s going to try to have this middle ground where she’s not trying to offend Trump voters, but she’s trying to win over some independent, maybe more moderate voters, and she ends up basically satisfying no one, so the base doesn’t come out.

22:27.65

Sam Shirazi

Independent moderate voters aren’t really swayed by her arguments. And so the GOP does really badly in November because of that. And they’re they’re saying we’d have a better shot just trying to get out our base. You know it’s hard to tell right now which one makes more sense. I think the one thing I will say…

22:50.18

Sam Shirazi

Virginia statewide, the Republicans have not won a whole lot. The last time they won was in 2021. And then before that was in 2009. And both those times, while you had very conservative Republicans running, they weren’t necessarily running super, super far right campaigns.

23:08.06

Sam Shirazi

And so I think there the conventional wisdom is that the Republicans need someone who’s not necessarily super pro-Trump, MAGA, hardcore in order to win in Virginia. And that’s why I think there’s going to be a fair amount of pushback.

23:24.81

Sam Shirazi

Among the quote unquote establishment to a GOP primary if it happens because the voters feel like that the GOP insiders feel like someone like Lieutenant Governor Sears would have the best shot of winning.

23:38.53

Sam Shirazi

But realistically, you know, sometimes these things are just very hard to control and um the midterm sorry thus the Virginia state elections might take on a life of their own.

23:52.60

Sam Shirazi

We saw that in 2017 when everyone thought it was going to be a close election, but then Democrats ended up winning by a lot and had a blue wave in Virginia in 2017, which kind of foreshadowed their wins in 2018.

24:08.50

Sam Shirazi

There’s a lot. There’s a lot to do this year in Virginia. There’s a lot going on. I’m going to try my best to keep everyone updated. I’m not entirely sure how often the podcast will come out. Kind of depends on my schedule, but I’m hoping to do one at at least once a week.

24:23.10

Sam Shirazi

And I’ll try to cover all the different types of races, keep people updated as things develop. Hopefully, you’ll be able to listen along and understand what’s going on in Virginia this year. That’s really my end goal is to try to educate people and give people the information they need to know what’s going on to make a decision.

24:42.93

Sam Shirazi

My only message is I won’t tell you who to vote for, but I really do hope if you’re in Virginia, that you’ll go out and vote and you’ll get involved in whatever campaign might interest you because I think it’s a really important election.

24:56.30

Sam Shirazi

And so I hope everyone gets involved this year in Virginia and everyone gives the podcast a listen. So thank you and we’ll see you next time.

Saturday News: “It Was an Ambush” – “Trump Brings a Day of Historic Shame for the United States”; “Trump’s ‘bald power grab’ could set US on path to dictatorship, critics fear”; “The war on DEI is an old American story”; “Federal workers told once again to justify their work to DOGE”

By
lowkell
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0

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, March 1. And yes, what happened in the White House yesterday was one of the most disgraceful days in American history – way beyond appalling. And for other Republicans to either not speak out or even to SUPPORT Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine and alignment with Putin is also a complete disgrace. Nobody should *ever* vote for the Republican Party again. Period.

Video: Sen. Mark Warner Says “the biggest winner this week is Vladimir Putin”; Wonders If “any nation-state will ever trust us again”

By
lowkell
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6

UPDATE 3/1: See below for Sen. Mark Warner’s comments about a “really bad week for democratic nations around the world,” starting with a lot of us being “stunned” as the United States voted at the United Nations with the “axis of evil” countries (Russia, Iran, North Korea) against Ukraine, then ended with Trump and Vance ambushing Zelenskyy at the White House yesterday. According to Sen. Warner, “the biggest winner this week is Vladimir Putin and authoritarian regimes; the biggest loser is America’s 70-year relationship with democracies around the world, and whether going forward, any nation-state will ever trust us again.”

I’ll add more reactions as they come in re: Trump/Vance’s disgraceful behavior with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy earlier today, but for now, as Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08) says:

“Trump and Vance’s behavior is disgraceful and dangerous. They’re helping our enemies, hurting our friends, and weakening our security. Putin’s bloody, unjustified invasion has left hundreds of thousands dead and is killing more every say. A shameful moment in our history.”

And as Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) puts it:

“I have worked in foreign policy since my days as a young staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I have never witnessed such an embarrassing, pathetic, and shameful display from an American President and Vice President on the international stage. The war in Ukraine is a battle between dictatorship and democracy. Between freedom and oppression. Between good and evil. There can no longer be any doubt – Donald Trump has chosen evil. He has abandoned our friends, betrayed our values, and taken the side of a brutal, authoritarian regime over a democracy-loving people. I am disgusted.”

All in all, a shameful day in American history, and more broadly, a shameful month, as Trump and Vance have in just a few weeks destroyed US alliances that took decades to build, trashed our international reputation and moral authority, harmed untold numbers of people, and made the world a MUCH more dangerous/worse place.  Great job, Trump voters, you really “owned the libs” by siding with dictators, war criminals, thugs, etc, huh??? (not to mention sucking Putin’s you-know-what)

Sen. Mark Warner: “Trump’s actions today in the Oval are beyond bizarre. Today is a great victory for authoritarians across the globe — Trump is abandoning our allies and embracing our adversaries.”

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10): “It weakens our standing in the world when this Administration continues to alienate allies and let Russia dictate American foreign policy.”

Vindman Condemns Trump as Reckless, Warns of National Security Risks

WASHINGTON – Congressman Eugene Vindman (Va.-07) released the following statement after President Trump’s disastrous press conference alongside Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

“Today, we know one thing for sure: China is watching what we do in Ukraine. The President spoke about playing cards and this is the furthest thing from a game. We need to be focused on our national security. Without serious U.S. leadership at the negotiating table, our service men and women around the globe are in more danger than they were yesterday. And that’s despicable. The focus needs to be on achieving a lasting peace acceptable to Ukraine.”

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

“President Trump and Vice President Vance demonstrated a complete disregard for the facts. Ukraine is the victim of Putin’s barbaric invasion. Anyone who does not side with Ukraine is undermining America’s standing in the world and our national security.” – Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA03)

Senators Warner, Kaine; Reps. Scott, Connolly, Beyer, McClellan, Subramanyam, Vindman Rip Trump’s Plans to Dissolve or Privatize the Postal Service

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Blue Virginia
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0

From Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine:

VIRGINIA LAWMAKERS RIP PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PLANS TO DISSOLVE OR PRIVATIZE THE POSTAL SERVICE

 ~ Letter follows reports that President Trump intends to fire the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) bipartisan Board of Governors and move USPS into the Department of Commerce ~

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine and U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott, Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, Jennifer McClellan, Suhas Subramanyam and Eugene Vindman (all D-VA) urged President Trump to halt any proposal that would alter the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) without congressional consultation and approval.

“We write to express our great concern regarding reports that you intend to dissolve the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) bipartisan Board of Governors and move the independent agency under the control of the Department of Commerce. The Postal Service plays a crucial role in keeping our communities, especially in our rural areas, connected to each other and to the wider world. From delivering prescription medications and household goods, to election ballots, paychecks, and critical bills, USPS continues to be an essential part of Americans’ everyday lives. However, press reports indicate you are planning to upend over 50 years of Congressionally-mandated independence at USPS with no clear strategy for continuing essential mail delivery services or achieving financial sustainability,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to President Trump. “We urge you to cease the advancement of any proposal that would alter the USPS without congressional consultation and approval.”

Since Congress passed the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, USPS has operated as an independent agency run by a bipartisan Board of Governors who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. However, press reports have recently suggested that President Trump intends to sign an executive order to dissolve the Board and move the independent agency under the control of Secretary Howard Lutnick at the Department of Commerce. Last Friday, the president confirmed these reports when he said he was considering a “form of a merger” for the Postal Service. The letter rejects this vague and unconstitutional plan.

Wrote the lawmakers, “Throughout our nation’s history, the Postal Service has been an integral function of the U.S. government, particularly in rural areas. While 63% of post offices in rural areas do not generate enough revenue to cover their costs, Congress continues to ensure changes do not disadvantage rural areas because all Americans deserve the same mail delivery service regardless of where they live. Given your reported interest in privatizing the Postal Service, the universal service obligation that binds the Postal Service to deliver to all Americans could be scrapped for a plan that risks cutting off rural delivery and worsening service for all.”

The letter also references Virginia’s mail delivery issues, raising concerns that the president’s plans could upend recent improvements in mail service.

“Virginians are unfortunately familiar with the impacts of mail delivery falling short in the Commonwealth. In late 2023, USPS chose Richmond, Virginia as the first location to implement sweeping reforms under the ‘Delivering for America’ plan, including opening the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC). Shortly after, Virginia’s on-time service performance became the worst in the country. Last year, we met with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on three occasions to push USPS to do everything in its power to improve mail service in Virginia. Throughout the year, we saw steady improvements in USPS’s mail service as we continued to press for increased transparency, greater engagement with the public, and a higher standard of service,” they wrote.

Continued the members, “While some communities in Virginia still experience service performance issues, we were pleased to see a USPS Inspector General report in January 2025 that found USPS had stabilized service at the Richmond RPDC, achieved most of the expected savings for fiscal year 2024, and returned statewide mail service to match nationwide averages. We fear such a significant upheaval of USPS’s governing structure and operations, as has been reported in the press, could reverse the improvement in mail service we have seen across Virginia.”

Lastly, the Virginia lawmakers noted dismantling or privatizing the Postal Service would jeopardize its critical facilitation of the nation’s vote by mail system.

“We are also disturbed by the notion that a USPS merger with the Department of Commerce will insert an intense partisan agenda into the distribution of millions of mail-in ballots as we approach election season. In the 2024 election, USPS processed 99.22 million ballots, with 99.88% of ballots delivered from voters to election officials within seven days and only one day on average to deliver ballots from voters to election officials. With over 2.3 million Virginians voting absentee in the 2024 general election, it is imperative that no changes are made to USPS that would undermine its ability to facilitate free and fair elections,” they wrote.

Concluded the lawmakers, “Any effort to ignore federal law and fire all members of the USPS’s Board of Governors – Republicans and Democrats who have been appointed by presidents and confirmed by the U.S. Senate – and move this independent agency under your control, will be met with fierce opposition. Furthermore, we request that you provide a full accounting of any changes that is being explored to alter USPS service, leadership, and personnel.”

A copy of the letter is available here.

Speaker Don Scott and Governor Ralph Northam on VMI Board of Visitors’ Decision Not to Extend Superintendent Major General Cedric Wins’ Contract: “This decision…is not based on performance or character—it is purely political”

By
Blue Virginia
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0

From Speaker Don Scott and former Gov. Ralph Northam:

Speaker Don Scott and Governor Ralph Northam Statement on VMI Board of Visitors’ Decision Not to Extend Superintendent Major General Cedric Wins’ Contract
Richmond, VA – Virginia Speaker of the House of Delegates, Don Scott and former Governor Ralph Northam – both former military officers – issued the following statement in response to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Board of Visitors’ decision not to extend the contract of retired Army Major General Cedric Wins, VMI’s 15th Superintendent and the institution’s first Black superintendent:

“This decision by the VMI Board is not based on performance or character—it is purely political,” said Speaker Don Scott. “Over the past week, we have witnessed a systemic purge of high-ranking military leaders, including the recent firing of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair CQ Brown. Major General Wins has served his country, the Commonwealth, and VMI with honor, and as its first Black superintendent, he took crucial steps to change the institution’s culture while maintaining its tradition of excellence. The Board’s decision is a clear signal that VMI is choosing to move in the wrong direction, caving to political pressures rather than continuing on the path of necessary reform. This is deeply disappointing, and it is time for a serious conversation about VMI’s commitment to progress and the Commonwealth.”

“Our country has purged too many patriotic military leaders this week, and now Virginia has done it too,” said Governor Ralph Northam. “These are dark times. Major General Cedric Wins is an accomplished leader who has given his life to serving our country, the Armed Forces, and the Virginia Military Institute. His steady leadership has made our Commonwealth stronger. VMI needs to take a hard look and ask, How long will we cling to the past? If the Institute wants to survive, it needs to start looking to the future. Time is running out.”

Video: Winsome Earle-Sears Slams Her GOP Primary Opponents as “Bitter,” “Forcing Us to Waste Precious Resources” in the “Blue State” of Virginia

By
lowkell
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1

Speaking to former Trump Virginia campaign chair John Fredericks this morning, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears had a LOT to say about her two Republican opponents  – former State Senator Amanda Chase and former Del. Dave LaRock – for the 2025 gubernatorial nomination. See below for video and highlights.

First, Earle-Sears said that “what they’re doing is they’re really facing forcing us to waste precious resources, because you know we have to raise the money to be in a primary and when we could be using that money against Abigail Spanberger.” Earle-Sears added:

“We don’t have time to play with Virginia’s lives. If you can’t win, then what are we doing here? And they can’t win because as you know, Virginia is a blue state – it’s not a purple state, it’s a blue state and that means we have to get the base and we also have to get…commonsense independents and common sense Democrats who believe that we do have a message that will build Virginia for them…that’s all I have to say, and I’m the candidate who can do that.”

Of course, Sears is unlikely to get basically any Democratic votes in November, and probably will lose the independent vote pretty handily, but we’ll see. Also, interesting that she says Virginia’s a blue state, something that even we here at Blue Virginia don’t believe (in fact, Virginia can be a “purple” or “blue” state, or even a light-“red” state, depending on WHO SHOWS UP to vote in a particular election)…

Next, Earle-Sears says:

“I’m the only one out of the three of them who has run for a statewide office and has won – that is important, John; if you can’t win and especially if you can’t win in November, you know Jesse Jackson told us to keep our eyes on the prize, and the prize is November…”

Interesting to hear Earle-Sears quoting Jesse Jackson, but she’s right on both counts: 1) neither Chase nor LaRock have ever won statewide, and in fact both were defeated in State Senate contests; 2) a candidate definitely DOES have to keep their eyes on the prize, specifically on the general election in November (although first they have to win their party’s nomination, and that can get nasty, divisive, expensive, etc., but can also help a candidate hone their campaigns, get their message out, etc.).

Finally, Earle-Sears shares her thoughts on Dave LaRock and Amanda Chase:

“When it comes to LaRock, he’s bitter against me because when he was running for that Senate District you spoke about, he wanted my endorsement. You see how they are? He wanted my endorsement and I said no, I’m not getting involved in this primary. And he said, you know, I helped you. And the fact of the matter is I had so many people when I was writing for lieutenant governor in that same race who helped me, I can’t choose one over the other – they all helped me. And so because I wouldn’t endorse, him he was extremely bitter. But you know, the other people weren’t bitter. And he told lies that I supported him for the race…You know, you’ve got to have better character than that, and now he’s running for governor.

And then with Amanda Chase, well you know, Amanda’s Amanda. And every time I turned around she wanted a photo with me. Well if you don’t like me, why do you want to keep having photos with me? And you know, I took the photos with her, why not? You know, I’m bigger than that. But folks, let’s get a grip, this is about the future of Virginia, we don’t have time to hold grudges against each other, we need to come together and get ourselves in shape so that we can win in November, that’s what this is about…”

Yeah, well, good luck with that with people like Chase and LaRock in the picture – looks like it’s going to be a looong four months for Earle-Sears until the June GOP primary!  (Also note: hanging out there is Donald Trump, specifically whether he will endorse one of the three Republican candidates for governor, and whether he ends up forgiving Earle-Sears for slamming him back in late 2022).

From DPVA:

NEW: As Donald Trump Attacks Virginia Jobs, Winsome Earle-Sears Promises to Help Him “Get the Job Done”

VIRGINIA –  As Donald Trump ramps up his attacks on Virginia jobs, in a new interview with former Trump Campaign Co-Chair John Fredericks, Winsome Earle-Sears promises she’ll work with Trump to “get the job done.” Sears has repeatedly supported Trump’s attacks on Virginia jobs instead of fighting for Virginians. The few resources she’s offered to help Virginians ended up being broken links that led to “404 Page Not Found” website errors.

LISTEN HERE:

The John Fredericks Show

  • Winsome Earle-Sears: And what they’re going to say is, well, you see what’s happening in Virginia and etc. Trump, Trump, Trump. Well, again, [Trump] needs a partner who will work with him to get the job done.
“Whether she’s doubling down on her support for Trump or offering broken links as a resource, Sears has made it clear she isn’t interested in standing up for Virginia’s workforce and economy. Virginians deserve a governor who will stand up to protect the Commonwealth when it’s threatened and Sears has again proved to Virginians she won’t do that job,” said DPVA Spokesperson Maggie Amjad.

Friday News: “Trump tried to extort Zelenskyy and was impeached – now he may succeed”; “Judge Rips Musk Purge”; “Why Aren’t We in the Streets?”; “Will Free Elections Even Exist” in 2026?; “Trump nominates Hung Cao…for Under Secretary of the Navy”

By
lowkell
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0

By Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, February 28.

Video, Photos: In Waynesboro, Staffers of Far-Right Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA06) – Who Refuses to Hold a Town Hall – “left without answering any questions. Booed as they left”

By
lowkell
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2

Earlier this week, “hundreds of protestors lined the sidewalks outside of U.S. Rep. Ben Cline’s office in downtown Roanoke, calling on him to hold a town hall with citizens.” Also, “signs urged Cline to protect federal workers, federal parks and forests, transgender rights and to support Ukraine.” It’s not as if Cline doesn’t have the time to hold a town hall, if he wanted to do so. Check out a few of the things he’s been busy with this week, and judge for yourself what a better use of his time might have been:

  • Went on “Mornings with Maria” on Fox Business, where he touted his inexcusable vote for the draconian House budget, which would among other things slash Medicaid and other programs which his OWN CONSTITUENTS rely on heavily! Cline also kept bragging that he’s “advancing the president’s agenda and working for the American people,” while defending the indefensible “DOGE” effort, etc. Just disgraceful.
  • Held a “DOGE Press Conference,” at which he flat-out LIED about how DOGE supposedly wants to “save taxpayers money,” “make government work for the people and not
    the other way around, make sure that your tax dollars are spent wisely,” blah blah blah. Cline also kept repeating, parrot-like, the right-wing mantra about there supposedly being rampant “waste, fraud and abuse” in the federal government; how he’s introduced the “No Welfare for the Wealthy Act,” even as the Trump White House and Congressional Republicans are engaged in a MASSIVE taxpayer-funded giveaway to the wealthy and to big corporations; etc.
  • Spoke on the US House floor on, of all things, the supposed “Left’s War on Home Appliances.” This one really falls into the “WTF” category, because obviously there’s no “War on Home Appliances” by the “Left” or anyone else – unless Cline considers energy and water efficiency standards, which benefit everyone, to be a “war on home appliances.” Can anyone really be that stupid and igorant? And how the hell does someone like that get elected and reelected???

Of course, Cline could very easily hold town hall meetings and answer questions on all of the above – and more – if he wanted to do so. But, not surprisingly, he does NOT want to do that, even in his deep-red district.  Instead, see below for what happened today, when Ben Cline’s STAFF – not the Congressman himself, of course – held casework staff mobile office hours at the Waynesboro Public Library:

  • Per former VA06 Democratic nominee Jennifer Lewis: “Well, that was wild! Cline office hours with 2 of his staffers, several hundred concerned citizens and Homeland Security!! No local police, just Homeland Security. The 2 staffers took people, 5 citizens at a time, in a small room upstairs, instead of in the conference room where it was advertised to be held, and where his staff hours have been for years. Unbelievable. Homeland Security and no Congressman.”
  • And, per former VA06 Democratic nominee Ken Mitchell: “Cline’s representative left without answering any questions. Booed as they left.” And “The Cline town hall has turned into a Ken Mitchell town hall.” Great, huh?

So yeah, that’s Ben Cline for you. For more background on Cline, see:

Etc, etc.

Ben Cline is such a weird dude:

“Today, the session was hijacked by partisan activists, including my last two Democrat [sic] opponents, who actually made speeches to the crowd they had assembled. ” – Ben Cline

“As one of your opponents you spoke of, you are lying, I did not speak at all today. I was there. You were not, yet here you are making an accusation about me that is completely wrong. I stood in line to speak to your staffers, I never once got up and spoke in front of the crowd or gave a speech. Stop lying. Stop lying about me! It’s just weird, honestly, Ben.” – Former VA06 Dem nominee Jennifer Lewis

Video: On Rachel Maddow Show, Abigail Spanberger Stands Up for Virginia Workers, Calls on Youngkin-Sears Administration to Do Its Job & Protect Virginians

By
Blue Virginia
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0

From the Abigail Spanberger for Governor campaign:

Spanberger: Virginians “Deserve a Governor Who’s Standing Up for Them. That’s Exactly Who I Will Be”

RICHMOND, Va. — Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger last night joined MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” to make clear how the Trump Administration’s reckless attacks on Virginia’s federal workforce will have far-reaching consequences for Virginia families and Virginia’s economy.

Spanberger’s appearance came hours after news broke that the Trump Administration plans to “dramatically expand” its efforts to fire federal employees. During Wednesday night’s conversation, Spanberger shared what she is hearing on the ground from Virginians who are increasingly worried about their job security and their ability to pay the bills.

“I was in a parking lot in Northern Virginia. I had a military officer talk to me about the impact he’s seeing in his office. I had a military spouse in Hampton Roads talk to me about the concern in her husband’s office,” shared Spanberger. “I’ve heard from medical professionals at the VA in Southwest Virginia worry that they might lose their job. I cannot go anywhere without having Virginians bring to me their concerns. And it’s not just the federal employees who are potentially losing their jobs. It’s small business owners. It’s other members of our community and our economy who are already starting to feel the hurt and the pain of this chaos — or who worry that it is imminently coming for them.”

Spanberger also urged the Youngkin-Sears Administration to take additional steps to review the serious economic impacts of continued attacks on the federal workforce.

“If the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor are not going to stand up for those individuals who want to serve our neighbors every single day, then they should at least recognize the incredible economic impact that is coming if they don’t stand up,” added Spanberger.

As she has since the Trump Administration’s attacks on the federal workforce began, Spanberger reiterated that Virginians deserve a Governor who will put partisan politics aside to stand up for them.

“I want to ensure that every day, whether it’s this or lowering costs or ensuring Virginia is on the path towards having the best public schools in the nation, addressing the housing affordability and the housing shortage crisis impacting our Commonwealth, or the real issues of safety in our community — I want to serve Virginians. And that means at times standing up even when it is hard,” continued Spanberger. “And that is all that Virginians are asking of our Governor. We’re not seeing it. We’ve got elections this year. We are running around our Commonwealth making clear that Virginians deserve so much more. They deserve a Governor who’s standing up for them. That’s exactly who I will be.”

Click here to watch the full conversation.

Former VA State Sen. Amanda Chase Announces Candidacy for the 2025 VA GOP Governor’s Nomination, Says “We want a Trump candidate for governor” and “Trump supporters said they will stay home if [Winsome Earle-Sears is] on the ballot”

By
lowkell
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0

Hahahahaha, add former VA State Senator Amanda Chase, an insurrectionist and conspiracy theorist, among other things, to the growing list of Republican gubernatorial candidates, along with far-right-extremist former Del. Dave LaRock, challenging Youngkin-endorsed Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for the 2025 nomination. Why is Chase running? According to her statement (see below), as she says over and over again, “We want a Trump candidate for governor” and clearly, she doesn’t believe Earle-Sears is that candidate. According to Chase:

  • “many Trump supporters said they will stay home if [Earle-Sears is] on the ballot.”
  • “…our only declared Republican candidate for Governor has encountered some pretty serious issues with her campaign.”
  • “We now face an almost certain defeat in November, if we don’t find a candidate who can manage and organize a successful campaign against Spanberger.”
  • “… our current announced Republican nominee is a Never Trumper who has really never come out and embraced our President, President Donald J Trump.”
  • Earle-Sears “not only refused to openly and wholeheartedly support President Trump, but has spoken out against President Trump’s run for a second term. Read it for yourself here.”

Anyway, Chase is running, which probably makes Earle-Sears relatively happy, as it potentially splits the diehard pro-Trump vote between LaRock and Chase, while Earle-Sears can claim the non-Trump-fanatic slice of the Republican primary vote? Although, come to think of it, IS THERE a significant non-Trump-fanatic slice of the Republican primary vote at this point? Still, Earle-Sears has been endorsed by Glenn Youngkin, so is basically the “establishment” pick, and now there are two anti-establishment choices who Republican primary voters in June will be able to choose from. That’s got to benefit Earle-Sears, you’d think. Oh, and it also benefits Abigail Spanberger, as the Republican primary is going to be nasty, vicious, divisive, expensive, etc., while Spanberger cruises to the Democratic nomination. Sounds like a plan!

P.S. Excellent analysis here by Sam Shirazi. As Sam writes:

“The biggest wildcard would be a potential Trump endorsement. If he endorses Sears or even remains neutral, then she should be in good shape in any primary. But if Trump decides to throw his backing to either of the challengers, it would be a game changer and would make it a real primary in Virginia.

Trump will likely wait to see if either LaRock or Chase actually make the ballot given the signature requirement. If one or both of them do, then it all comes down to what Trump decides to do.”

Bingo. And with that, here’s Chase’s announcement.

I’m absolutely humbled by the number of you who have contacted me to run for Governor. The unsolicited response has been overwhelming to the point I’ve decided to respond.

First, I had no intentions of running for Governor this year.

My thought was that we get behind our one Republican nominee who has declared, so that we don’t have to waste time or money in a Republican Primary, so that we can laser focus all of our resources on defeating Democrat Governor hopeful Abigail Spanberger.

In the past few days, I’ve learned that our only declared Republican candidate for Governor has encountered some pretty serious issues with her campaign.

We now face an almost certain defeat in November, if we don’t find a candidate who can manage and organize a successful campaign against Spanberger.

Many in Southwest Virginia have said they will NOT support our current announced Republican gubernatorial nominee hopeful. “She doesn’t support Trump,” they say. And many Trump supporters said they will stay home if she’s on the ballot.

We want a Trump candidate for governor.

You see, nationally there have been so many exciting developments that have occurred over the last 30 days. In my opinion these are miracles. God answering our many prayers.

What President Trump is doing nationally with the help of Elon Musk, boldly and swiftly cleaning up decades of government waste, fraud and abuse. The RINOS are falling in line behind Trump. He’s doing things that have never been done in our lifetime and it’s been jaw dropping what they’ve found. Why?

Because strong leaders with a backbone can actually get things done for the people.

I want that for Virginia now. Don’t you?

We want a Trump candidate for governor.

It just shows if you get the right person in office, things get done. If we could just find someone with the courage and hutzpah that would be willing to take on the political establishment, we could do the same thing here in Virginia.

Now that the USAID and other agencies have been exposed as corrupt slush fund for the CIA and Democrat candidates, that source of unlawful funding Democrat campaigns has dried up.

So where exactly did Abigail Spanberger get over $10 million dollars and what is she trying to hide? I think we have an idea now.

I’ve never been more hopeful that the right Republican can generate true excitement and get people out to vote. Let’s face it. Milk toast, boring candidates don’t drive people to the polls to vote.

We want a Trump candidate for governor.

President Trump’s ratings have never been higher. Most Virginians approve of the job President Trump is doing more than ever in his second term in office.

Yet, our current announced Republican nominee is a Never Trumper who has really never come out and embraced our President, President Donald J Trump. She not only refused to openly and wholeheartedly support President Trump, but has spoken out against President Trump’s run for a second term. Read it for yourself here.

Her recent response has been lukewarm at best. Even after President Trump received the Republican nomination, this gubernatorial candidate refused to come out publicly to support our Republican Nominee for President.

We want a Trump candidate for governor.

Diehard Trump supporters like me, remember that. And that’s not sitting well with hundreds of thousands of Virginians who enthusiastically love and support our President.

They want a Governor who is like Trump, one who doesn’t kowtow to the political establishment and actually gets things done.

Many of you have emphatically pleaded with me to run again stating, “We need a MAGA candidate for Governor, who we can vote for.”

We want a Trump candidate for governor.

Many of you remember that I ran for Governor in 2020-2021, for 18 months as the pro-Trump candidate. In fact, many of you called me “Trump in Heels.” I did well in the 9 candidate ranked choice convention. I finished 3rd, ahead of a popular former Speaker of the House. Many believed that had it been a primary, that I would have won.

We need “Trump in Heels” if we’re going to defeat Abigail Spanberger in November.

I am that candidate.

The Republican nomination coming up this June 17th will be a primary. I was the deciding vote in the Senate to make sure it was a primary and not a convention. Thanks to my vote, you will be able to go to your local polling location between the hours of 6am and 7pm to vote.

For a candidate to run for Governor, they have to get a minimum of 10,000 signatures before Thursday, April 3 by 5pm to even get their name on the ballot. Of those signatures, 400 signatures have to come from each Congressional District. That’s a heavy lift for 37 days. But I believe if the same people who volunteered to help me last time help me this time, we can do this. But we must start today.

Unfortunately, WE CANNOT COLLECT SIGNATURES ONLINE. Signatures must be witnessed in person by signing an old fashioned paper petition ballot.

So here’s the deal.

If those of you who want me to run for Governor will collect the necessary signatures to get my name on the ballot by the deadline, I will run. If not, then I won’t.

This requires you to do some work:

  1. Print off the attached form on one sheet of paper, front and back.
  2. Witness your friends, family and neighbors sign the petition form. Please make sure they actually sign the form. Please also make sure their writing is legible so that signatures can be verified.
  3. Keep in mind that you can’t sign your own petition form.
  4. Please collect signatures by Congressional District. One Congressional District per form.
  5. Get the petition notarized.
  6. Drop the petition off in person to: 2023 Church Street, Appomattox, VA 24522
  7. Or mail the petition to:

Friends of Amanda Chase

PO Box 250

Appomattox, VA 24522
You can also use the link below to print off the petition forms. Please remember the forms must be double sided and printed front and back. You must also witness every signature and visit your local bank to have a notary sign off on your petition form before mailing.

If you have any question please email Craig at craig@chaseforva.com.

If you have trouble printing the forms, we can mail you the forms.

I can’t do this without your help. Print off a petition now. Don’t wait. Get your immediate family to sign the petition and then get your friends at church and work to sign your petition. Time is not on our side. Less than 30 days to collect signatures. If not you, then who?
PRINT CHASE PETITION FORMS HERE
NEED BLANK PETITION FORMS?(CLICK HERE)

MAP OF CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS
Please be sure to collect signatures by Congressional District. If you aren’t sure which Congressional District you live in, you can check the map below.

IMPORTANT DATES

Petition Signatures due to State Board of Elections:

Thursday, April 3, 2025, at 5pm

Primary Date: Tuesday, June 17, 2025

General Election Date: Tuesday, November 4, 2025
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