See below for an excellent (well-written, on-point, accurate, etc.) letter by Beth Deel to her worse-than-worthless MAGA Congressman, Ben Cline (R-VA06). This is a good model, by the way, for everyone to write to their MAGA Congressmen – in Virginia, that would be Rob Wittman in VA01, Jen Kiggans in VA02, John McGuire in VA05, Ben Cline in VA06 and Morgan Griffith in VA09 – and let them know how you feel about their votes to harm their own districts, not to mention the country as a whole…
Subject: Clawbacks, Deficits, and the Betrayal of CD-6
Congressman Cline,
I am writing as a constituent deeply disturbed by your public support for the recent $9.4 billion rescission package, proudly signed by Donald Trump—a 34-time convicted felon, adjudicated rapist, and accused pedophile. That photo-op you shared from the Oval Office wasn’t leadership—it was shameful complicity.
This clawback stripped funding already approved by Congress and already counted on by agencies, communities, and families—including:
Public broadcasting (CPB/NPR), which supports rural Virginia stations like Allegheny Mountain Radio
Global health programs that fight HIV/AIDS and improve maternal health Refugee and migration assistance, undermining humanitarian efforts that affect communities right here in Virginia
Clean energy funding, hindering jobs and investments that benefit our region
Additionally, I rebuke your feckless support of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)—fiscally reckless, socially cruel, and ideologically hollow. The bipartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates it will add $3.4 trillion to the national deficit over ten years, rising to $4.1 trillion with interest. So much for “conservative” “fiscally responsible” values.
Meanwhile, the bill:
Slashes Medicaid and SNAP, threatening coverage for millions—including children, veterans, and seniors in CD-6.
Dismantles climate incentives and tax credits from the Build Back Better plan, which actually helped rural families in Virginia lower costs and access services.
Rewards the ultra-wealthy while gutting support for working people.
You represent a district that benefits more from federal spending than it contributes.
These bills sabotage your own constituents. Your allegiance to Trump and the extremist House Freedom Caucus seems to matter more than rural hospitals, public schools, and economic stability.
Whose side are you on?
Because from where your constituents stand, you are:
Cheering budget-busting tax breaks for billionaires.
Dismantling healthcare and nutrition for working families.
Posing with a sexual predator while cutting funding to protect victims.
You weren’t elected to dismantle the safety net and rewrite rules to shield convicted predators. You were elected to serve the people.
When Dominion Energy Virginia filed its latest integrated resource plan (IRP) last fall, critics (including me) complained that the company failed to lay out a cost-effective approach that would meet soaring energy demand from data centers while complying with Virginia’s decarbonization mandate. We hoped regulators at the State Corporation Commission would reject the IRP and demand better of our largest utility.
Instead, they chickened out.
The SCC’s final order, issued July 15, is short but not really to the point. The order finds Dominion’s IRP “legally sufficient,” while citing previous SCC orders for the proposition that “acceptance” doesn’t mean approval “of the magnitude or specifics of Dominion’s future spending plans.” It would be hard to imagine a less enthusiastic endorsement, and the lack of analysis leaves advocates wondering, where’s the meat?
It’s true that an IRP is “only” a planning document; it doesn’t commit a utility to carrying out the plan, and the SCC still has to approve any project the utility decides to move forward with. But the point of the exercise is to ensure utilities are on the right track; that their demand projections are on target and their plans for meeting demand are realistic, cost-effective and comply with all relevant laws. This needs discussion and analysis, not merely an up-or-down vote.
Admittedly, the SCC has a long history of approving lousy IRPs while directing Dominion to do a better job the next time. That was the case here, too, with the order directing Dominion to do a few things differently in its next IRP, due in the fall of 2026.
First, the SCC wants to see a 20-year timeline instead of the 15-year period that Dominion used this year, which is all the law requires. It’s an obvious ask, even apart from the fact the SCC cites that the regional grid operator PJM uses a 20-year planning window. A better reason is that we are just 20 years away from Dominion’s 2045 deadline for full decarbonization under the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), and anything the utility does now will have consequences extending out to that deadline.
The SCC also neglected to mention that using just a 15-year window, and omitting the 25-year planning period that Dominion included in previous IRPs, allowed the company to avoid showing the economic consequences to consumers of spending money for fossil fuel generation that either will shut down or may become economically obsolete by 2045, long before the plants are paid off. If Dominion thinks it can justify sinking customers’ money into assets it knows will become stranded, we all deserve to see the rationale.
The order also directs Dominion to include in its modeling at least one pathway that complies with the requirement of the VCEA that carbon-emitting facilities (including any new gas plants) be retired by 2045. This goes beyond obvious: the lack of a VCEA-compliant plan should have prompted the SCC to reject the IRP outright.
But of course, Dominion claims new gas plants are needed for reliability, which would make them legal under the VCEA in spite of their carbon emissions and questionable long-term viability. Reliability is a red herring, as I’ve argued, and other parties to the IRP case modeled how Dominion can meet demand without building new fossil fuels. Dominion should have been required to prove its case.
But here again, the SCC chose not to engage on the issue. Requiring Dominion to do better next time is as far as it is willing to go. This is unfortunate, but the silence can’t last: in March, Dominion filed for approval of the first of its planned new gas plants. The SCC will have to address need and reliability to make a decision in that case, and it would have been better for all concerned if it had grappled with these questions now.
The order falls short in other ways, as well. While the SCC expresses concern about forecasted rate increases, it doesn’t even mention the data centers that are driving the problem.
This is astonishing; even before Dominion filed its IRP last fall, the commission ordered the company to supplement the record with an analysis of data center impacts. When Dominion did so, it became clear that all of the load growth (and likely, much of the projected rate increases) results from this one industry. It’s beyond strange that the SCC does not even mention the supplement it ordered, or discuss whether Dominion’s duty to serve truly prevents it from protecting existing customers.
The order also accepts Dominion’s argument that it had to artificially limit the amount of low-cost solar it could include in its modeling, due to the increased difficulty of siting solar projects in Virginia. It’s true that many rural counties have been denying permits to solar projects, even as they approve data centers. But I’ve also heard a Dominion lobbyist tell legislators that permit denials have not been a problem for the company, an assertion that may have persuaded some legislators to vote against bills that would make solar siting easier. It appears Dominion tells legislators one thing and the SCC another.
The SCC’s order contains a few other requirements for the next IRP, mostly things that really should have been included in this one. The IRP should model Virginia’s return to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, reflecting a Virginia court’s ruling that Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s withdrawal was unlawful. The IRP should assume Dominion achieves the energy efficiency targets that the SCC itself established for the company. Dominion should include an analysis of impacts on base rates and should share its modeling with utility watchdog Clean Virginia, as well as run modeling based on SCC staff inputs. Long-duration storage, a maturing technology that can replace gas combustion turbines, should be included in the next modeling.
“Do better next time” is a well-worn directive from the SCC to Dominion, but it is deeply disappointing at a time when Virginia is facing an unprecedented surge in demand from data centers and accompanying increases in utility rates.
It’s disappointing in another way, too: this is the first major ruling from the SCC since two new judges were added to the three-member commission, and all three were appointed by a Democratically-controlled Senate. If there was ever a time for the SCC to get tough with Dominion on its climate obligations, this should have been it.
No doubt, the problem lies in Dominion’s influence over the entire process. The utility doles out exceedingly generous campaign donations to members of both parties, so the company retains influence no matter who is in power. Not only does this give Dominion sway over who is appointed to the SCC, but commissioners have to be mindful that getting reappointed at the end of their six-year terms depends on how satisfied these Dominion-backed senators are with their rulings.
As long as Dominion is allowed to shower senators with unlimited campaign cash, the SCC will never be free of the utility’s pernicious influence.
Meanwhile, though, Dominion’s poor performance, and the SCC’s unwillingness to call it out, demonstrate the necessity of the comprehensive IRP reform legislation that the governor vetoed this spring. The Commission on Electric Utility Regulation is already working on similar legislation for the next session.
Passing the IRP reform bill may not inject the SCC with greater courage, but it will ensure the commission, and the public, get a fuller look at the facts.
This article was originally published in the Virginia Mercury on July 21, 2025.
Lessons From a Climate Disaster (“Bolivia’s record-setting 2024 wildfire season makes clear that emergency responses to climate disasters are not enough and governments must address the root of the problem, a new report says.”)
School-leavers losing their lives for Russia in Putin’s war with Ukraine (“Vladimir Putin has repeatedly promised that no 18-year-olds called up to serve Russia will be sent to fight in Ukraine, but a BBC Russian investigation has found at least 245 soldiers of that age have been killed there in the past two years.”)
Trump Spending $10 Million Of Taxpayer Money To Promote His Scotland Golf Course (“The five-day trip will also raise his second-term golf tab to $52 million in just six months. He spent $152 million during his first term.” As always, just imagine the reaction if Biden, Obama, Harris, Clinton, etc. had done ANYTHING like this!)
The Supreme Court Has Hit Rock Bottom (“For the court’s conservative bloc, the line between upholding the Constitution and serving as Donald Trump’s personal attorneys has all but disappeared.”)
Academic with history of incendiary remarks to lead US Institute of Peace (“Darren Beattie once said on X that ‘competent white men must be in charge.’…Beattie, who was fired from his job as a speechwriter during the first Trump administration for speaking at a conference attended by white nationalists, will keep his current role running the State Department’s worldwide public diplomacy efforts.”)
Meet the candidate: Kacey Carnegie (“Democratic House of Delegates candidate Kacey Carnegie faces Republican nominee Mike Lamonea in the open 89nd District.”)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a reorganization of the department that would shut down several facilities in the National Capital Region and relocate thousands of employees across the country. Representatives Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10), Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA-08), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD-03), Glenn Ivey (D-MD-4), Steny Hoyer (D-MD-05), Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07) and Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) released the following statement:
“This is a betrayal of American farmers, and an attack on the federal workforce that will severely damage services that the American people depend on. We are disappointed but not surprised that the Trump administration is continuing its attacks on the federal workforce, this time through wasting taxpayer dollars to relocate key USDA facilities. Let us be clear: these haphazard, unlawful relocations do not save taxpayer dollars or improve agency efficiency. We’ve seen this tactic before, and we know that it only results in brain drain, crushed morale, and cuts to vital programs American farmers depend on. We will continue to stand up for the dedicated federal workers who provide critical services to our nation as they navigate these relocations, mass firings, and the administration’s continued attacks on the civil service.”
During the first Trump administration, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) relocated both the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) from Washington, DC to Kansas City, MO. A GAO study of these relocations found that these relocations had significant impacts on both agencies’ staffing and productivity, including:
The loss of over a third of each agency’s permanent full-time staff following the announcement of the relocation in 2018.
A significant loss of experience, with staff with more than two years of experience declining from 83% of both agencies’ combined workforces in 2018 to 27% in 2021.
Declines in productivity, with ERS issuing fewer key reports and NIFA taking over a month longer to process and fund competitive grants in 2019.
GAO also found that USDA did not follow many leading practices for agency relocations, including a failure to consult with its employees at any point during the process and the exclusion of several key variables, including employee attrition, in its economic analysis to support the relocations. Both agencies have made positive improvements in these areas under the Biden administration, but the damage has already been done and many experienced, dedicated federal workers were essentially removed from their jobs.
In March 2025, the members introduced the COST of Relocations Act, led by Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), to fight back against President Trump’s relentless effort to relocate federal agencies and decimate their workforces. The legislation would require a cost-benefit analysis to be submitted to Congress in order to ensure that any attempt to move federal agencies is appropriately analyzed to guarantee it is in the best interest of the taxpayer and the agency’s mission.
See below for a statement, signed by Sen. Mark Warner (who has been pretty strongly pro-Israel, but also has been advocating for an end to the war in Gaza for a while now), along with other Democratic U.S. Senators, which declares, 100% accurately, that “humanitarian conditions in Gaza are appalling and unconscionable,” and urges “the Trump Administration to press Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to immediately change course in its war in Gaza.”
Also see this statement by Rabbi Doug Kahn, which sums up my views – and presumably the views of many if not most of American Jews – very well. For me, as someone who believes in the right to an independent, secure Jewish state, living in peace with its neighbors, but who has been increasingly dismayed at the rightward movement over the past few decades in Israeli politics – and the movement AWAY from any sort of long-term vision for peace, coexistence, etc. – Rabbi Kahn’s words really make sense…
“I have been reluctant to speak out — not because I do not share their concerns, and not because I think American Jews do not have standing to comment on Israeli actions…Rather, my reluctance stems from decades of witnessing firsthand the piling-on effect against Israel, as if no other country in the world engages in conduct worthy of public criticism. From a local grocery collective deciding to temporarily remove Israeli products, to a rape crisis center requiring volunteers to take anti-Zionist training, the level of obsession with and vitriol aimed at Israel has necessitated defending Israel in the public square against outrageous bias.”
“That gross imbalance includes the shocking willingness of a growing number of organizations to overlook the horrors of what Hamas perpetrated on Oct. 7, 2023— violating an existing cease-fire with the premeditated murder of approximately 1,200 people in Israel and seizing of 250 hostages — and then to beat up on Israel for having the audacity to defend its own citizens, something every country in the world would do as a matter of national obligation.”
“Hamas is a brutal enemy that believes its single greatest advantage is drawing Israel into killing innocent Palestinian citizens in order to provoke global outrage and anti-Israel sentiment. Hamas built its infrastructure, including its more than 350 miles of tunnels, under civilian populations, under schools and under hospitals, to achieve this tragic result. It is a cynical and deadly strategy that makes Hamas overwhelmingly responsible for the tragic loss of innocent civilians, killed by Israeli forces seeking to eliminate the threat on its border that no sovereign state would tolerate.”
“And, yet, with all the caveats and context, there are certain Israeli actions that are simply indefensible…I am not going to cease making the case for Israel, but the excesses cannot be ignored…The extent of human and physical destruction in Gaza far exceeds what I believe is militarily justifiable in seeking to eliminate Hamas as a threat to Israel. It feels more tied to a policy of vengeance born out of the trauma of Oct. 7 than a military strategy. Yes, we should be skeptical of the numbers coming out of the Hamas Health Ministry, mindful of the extraordinary dangers facing Israeli troops whose lives are on the line, and furious over Hamas’ refusal to release the hostages who have endured untold suffering and torture. We must continue to demand their release. But withholding humanitarian aid (food, water, medicine and electricity) through a collective punishment policy crosses a moral boundary. Not providing urgently needed medical equipment, especially for children who have been severely injured or who need life-saving supplies because of illness, cannot be justified.”
“I am concerned about the staggering erosion of Israel’s standing in the world, including in the U.S. and especially among younger people, and I do not know whether the rapid decline of support for Israel among segments of the population is reversible. I certainly hope over time it is. But I am equally concerned about Israel’s character and the Jewish soul, which are increasingly at risk. That is why — as a Zionist and lifelong public advocate for Israel — I believe it is our responsibility, while clearly asserting Israel’s right to defend itself, to call out when moral boundaries have been crossed. “
So yeah, I agree with all of that strongly. I also agree with Sen. Mark Warner and his fellow Senators that:
“Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are appalling and unconscionable”
“Following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s nearly 3-month blockade of humanitarian assistance, three-quarters of the population is facing emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger.”
“…hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, including American citizens, and three out of four Israelis are calling for an end to this war. Last September, the IDF assessed that Hamas had been largely defeated militarily from its peak strength when it heinously attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023 and is now effectively a “guerilla terror group.” As we know from our own experience following the attacks of September 11, 2001, there is no solely military solution to defeating a terrorist group. Continuing this war with no discernable end is not in Israel’s national security interest, and the lack of a viable ‘day after’ plan has been a glaring mistake.”
It’s long past time for “the Trump Administration to press Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to immediately change course in its war in Gaza.”
Finally, although it seems hopeless at this point, this situation is never going to be resolved unless there’s a political solution to the overall problem: namely, we need “a framework for a viable path back to a two-state solution that will allow the Israeli and Palestinian people to live side by side in security, dignity, and prosperity.” In lieu of that, it’s really hard to see how the people living “between the [Jordan] River and the [Mediterranean] Sea” are ever going to break out of this horrible cycle of violence, tragedy, disaster, etc. Of course, it’s not America’s responsibility to solve that problem for the people who actually live in that region, but on the other hand, we definitely shouldn’t be doing anything that makes matters worse, and to the extent that we have influence for the better, we should definitely be using it – starting immediately!
U.S. Senators Call on Netanyahu to Immediately Change Course in Gaza
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), Ranking Defense Appropriator Chris Coons (D-DE), and Ranking State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriator Brian Schatz (D-HI) released the following joint statement urging the Trump Administration to press Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to immediately change course in its war in Gaza:
“Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are appalling and unconscionable. This week, more than 100 NGOs—including Mercy Corps, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, and Oxfam—warned of mass starvation spreading across Gaza. Following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s nearly 3-month blockade of humanitarian assistance, three-quarters of the population is facing emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger.
“The handful of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites are wholly inadequate to meet the needs of this starving population. Widespread problems have made GHF aid delivery chaotic and dangerous, leading to the deaths of an estimated 700 people. Yet the Trump Administration recently approved $30 million for GHF, overriding established procedures and waiving consultation with Congress.
“While some established humanitarian organizations have been allowed to resume very limited operations, a number of restrictions and security challenges prevent them from fully functioning. To make matters worse, this week’s expansion of Israel’s military operation into central Gaza for the first time in the conflict has put at risk these few remaining operations. Moreover, the UN estimates that nearly 88 percent of Gaza is no longer accessible to civilians, leaving approximately two million people confined to a troublingly small remaining area.
“Meanwhile, hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, including American citizens, and three out of four Israelis are calling for an end to this war. Last September, the IDF assessed that Hamas had been largely defeated militarily from its peak strength when it heinously attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023 and is now effectively a “guerilla terror group.” As we know from our own experience following the attacks of September 11, 2001, there is no solely military solution to defeating a terrorist group. Continuing this war with no discernable end is not in Israel’s national security interest, and the lack of a viable “day after” plan has been a glaring mistake.
“We call on the Trump Administration to use its considerable leverage to press Prime Minister Netanyahu to:
Reach a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that releases the hostages as soon as possible.
Support a surge in humanitarian assistance that provides both a sufficient amount of humanitarian aid and credible mechanisms for effective distribution, including the verification and monitoring of assistance to ensure equitable distribution and to prevent Hamas from diverting assistance. Established humanitarian organizations like the World Food Programme have the experience and ability to renew their delivery of assistance without civil unrest. We must allow them to do their jobs.
Dramatically reform or shut down the Gaza Humanitarian Fund and resume support for the existing UN-led aid coordination mechanisms in Gaza with enhanced oversight to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in need.
Establish a “day after” plan for Gaza where Hamas does not retain power, Israel disavows annexation of the West Bank and further integrates into the region, a reformed Palestinian Authority is fostered and empowered, and regional partners are included in rebuilding.
Create a framework for a viable path back to a two-state solution that will allow the Israeli and Palestinian people to live side by side in security, dignity, and prosperity.”
From Fairfax County School Board member – and candidate for Braddock District Supervisor – Rachna Sizemore-Heizer:
RACHNA SIZEMORE HEIZER RELEASES STATEMENT ON EVENTS AT GMU
CALLS ON THE BOARD OF VISITORS, YOUNGKIN, AND TRUMP TO STOP POLITICAL PRESSURE CAMPAIGN
BURKE, VA – Regarding recent developments at George Mason University, Braddock District School Board member and candidate for Braddock Supervisor Rachna Sizemore Heizer, whose district includes GMU, released the following statement:
“As the Braddock District representative on the Fairfax County School Board, a former professor at George Mason University, and a longtime resident of this community, I am deeply alarmed by the actions of the Trump Administration, the Youngkin Administration, and the GMU Board of Visitors regarding President Gregory Washington’s leadership.
George Mason University is more than a campus in Braddock District; it is a cornerstone of our community’s identity, economy, and future. It is also an economic driver for our county and our Commonwealth.
I’ve seen firsthand the passion and dedication of Mason’s students, faculty, and staff to academic excellence, innovation, and inclusion. That’s why the politically motivated interference at GMU is so dangerous and unacceptable. Our students and faculty deserve honest leadership, not partisan power plays.
I have spent my career fighting for strong and equitable public education and I stand firmly for academic freedom, institutional independence, and leadership that reflects the values of our diverse community. Public universities must serve the public and educate the future, not cater to political agendas.
President Washington has led Mason with vision and integrity. The pressure campaign against him should end immediately. I stand with the students, educators, and residents of Braddock in demanding transparency, stability, and a recommitment to GMU’s mission. The future of our university must be shaped by those who know and love it, not political appointees with outside ambitions.”
From Del. Rip Sullivan’s Project Blue Dominion, which this week emphasizes that “The Virginia GOP is panicking about their weak candidates and unpopular policy positions.”
If we can mobilize and support candidates up and down the ballot, we will have a historic performance that secures our majority in the General Assembly and sends a message to the world about where we stand as a Commonwealth. Be sure to consider supporting these “Potential Flip” candidates, as in a historic democratic year many of these seats can be firmly in play.
We have four more great candidates to highlight for you in this week’s Flip and Defend-a-District. I hope that you can take a moment to learn more about them and support them however you can.
At Project Blue Dominion, we are committed to uplifting every Virginia Democratic candidate with our Flip and Defend-a-District newsletter. This week, we are highlighting:
With Virginia in the national spotlight, the stakes are higher than ever—and you have the power to help elect Democrats. Every candidate highlighted in this newsletter deserves your support. As we race to election day, we need to stay energized, stay united, and seize this historic opportunity.
Del. Joshua Cole
House District 65
Delegate Joshua Cole is seeking what would be his third term in one of the most closely watched races this cycle.
He is one of the four most targeted and closest races for the House Democratic Caucus in the entire state.
In 2019, Joshua became the youngest person and the first Black person elected from the Fredericksburg region to the General Assembly.
After losing reelection in 2021 (the year Youngkin defied the odds and carried the blue-tinged district), Joshua was reelected to the General Assembly in 2023 by less than 2,000 votes. With a razor-thin House majority of one seat, nobody on our team is taking this competitive seat for granted. It is a MUST win.
Joshua knows not only what challenges people face in his district, but also understands what it means to truly serve his constituents. Born and raised in the community he represents, Joshua is a local pastor who understands the struggles of people who are raising a family or simply fighting to stay afloat.
He knows there’s more work to do, and he’s running for re-election to continue to deliver results.
About House District 65 (Fredericksburg with portions of Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties)
While House District 65 includes all of Fredericksburg, the bulk of the population is actually in Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties.
While 2024 saw comparatively high Democratic performance in the district, Governor Youngkin won the district in 2021 and used that victory to run up his numbers statewide.
About His Opponent
Joshua is set to take on local Marine veteran and small business owner Sean Steinway this November. While Joshua has outraised Steinway nearly 2-1, Steinway has still managed to build a sizeable war chest.
As a veteran and father watching his boys grow up in the Shenandoah Valley, Shane Boswell has seen firsthand critical challenges in his community that demand immediate attention from Richmond.
Shane grew up in Virginia, helping his family manage their small business and family farm. He enlisted in the US Navy 11 months after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and served 7 years as an Aviation Maintainer, deploying to the Southern Border and a Joint Service combat tour in Iraq.
Today, Shane’s focus is Workforce Development and Training in the Infrastructure space and is well known in the District as a long time Officer of Elections. On the campaign trail, he is focused on the kitchen table issues he sees GOP leaders ignoring: lowering the cost of living, improving rural healthcare, preserving agricultural heritage, supporting education, and most importantly, listening to all of his neighbors, not just the most powerful.
Like the rest of the statewide Democratic ticket, he has committed to rejecting Dominion influence
About House District 31 (Clarke County with portions of Warren and Frederick Counties)
Located Southeast of Winchester along the West Virginia border, House District 31 has seen rising Democratic performance since 2021.
While Trump carried the district by double digits in 2024, strong environmental conditions and an equally strong candidate may well bring the seat into play this cycle.
About His Opponent
In the November election, Shane is set to take on incumbent GOP Delegate Delores Oates. Oates was elected to the House of Delegates in 2023 after leading the charge on the Warren County Board of Supervisors to defund and shut down the award winning Samuels Library.
In that time, she has been one of the most consistent votes for GOP party bosses in Richmond, voting in lockstep with the party and laser focused on national dog-whistles rather than practical solutions..
A US Army Veteran, teacher, and Fauquier High School graduate, Jacob “Jac” Bennington is running a grassroots campaign that believes in the power of
collaboration and embracing change.
Before his military service, Jac started his career as a church Youth Director in Alexandria. In the Army, he served as a Logistics Officer in Korea and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2007, where he served alongside Afghan soldiers.
Upon returning to the US, Jac secured a teaching position at Fauquier County Public Schools in and moved back to his hometown, Warrenton. Seeking additional ways to serve, he joined the Virginia National Guard in 2010, later becoming a Lakota helicopter pilot. Now, he’s running to bring proper representation to the people of Virginia’s 61st House District.
About House District 61 (Rappahannock County with portions of Fauquier and Culpeper Counties)
While relatively close to both Washington and Fredericksburg, House District 61 is distinctly rural.
With small towns, active churches, and historic agricultural communities, Democratic victory in the district depends on strong local connections.
About His Opponent
Jacob is set to face GOP incumbent Michael Webert in the November election. First elected in 2011, Webert has been an impediment to growth in Central Virginia. He has been a consistent vote for GOP party leaders in Richmond, including key votes on legislation to protect marriage equality, voting access, and reproductive rights in the Commonwealth.
Atoosa Reaser’s family fled Iran during a revolution that took freedom away from many, especially women. They wanted to ensure she could grow up in a free country, where she would have equal access to education and equal opportunity in the workforce.
After graduating from George Mason University Law School, Atoosa chose a career in public service and has made it her mission to give back to the community that has given her so much. She’s called Loudon County home for over 20 years.
Atoosa was first elected to the General Assembly in 2023 and previously served on the School Board representing the Algonkian District. During her first term in the General Assembly, 15 of Atoosa’s bills were signed into law. They focused on ensuring economic opportunity, providing our children with a world-class education, and strengthening public safety.
Additionally she has been a leader on the PTA, a substitute teacher, a merit badge counselor for her son’s Scouts BSA troop, and a volunteer for LINK Against Hunger.
About House District 27 (Portions of Loudon County)
House District 27 runs along the Fairfax/Loudoun border from the Potomac River to Dulles Airport. It contains parts of the Algonkian, Sterling, and Dulles magisterial districts.
While the district is very blue and has come out for Democrats up and down the ballot, Delegate Reaser is putting in the work to talk with constituents, elevate their concerns, and communicate her vision for a second term.
About Her Opponent
This November, Atoosa will face GOP nominee Junaid Khan. An IT professional who has lived in Loudon for ten years, Junaid is running hard on conservative social issues. While his positions don’t align with those of Loudon voters, he has managed to raise much more money than other NoVa Republicans.
That’s it for Volume 8 of our Flip and Defend-a-District Friday series. We’ll be back next week and every week until Election Day to share more about our great candidates. In the meantime, I encourage you to review this email and future editions to find a candidate or candidates whom you would like to support with your time or financial resources.
Project Blue Dominion is committed to supporting Democratic candidates in every corner of the Commonwealth. Join us. The fight to protect and expand our House majority is on.
Trump Redefines the Washington Scandal (“In a Presidency where everything is an outrage, what does it say that MAGA’s revolt over the Jeffrey Epstein files is the one crisis that really might hurt him?”)
Donald Trump Is in a Tailspin (“The Epstein scandal is making an unpopular president even more unpopular, and there’s no sign that this will end anytime soon.”)
Trump’s ‘South Park’ Problem (“It’s the latest sign that Trump has lost control of the Epstein narrative and that the saga has broken Washington containment.”)
Pallone Blasts Blatant Corruption in Skydance-Paramount Acquisition (“With this announcement, it’s clear that the FCC is in Trump’s pocket and that Skydance and Paramount have been engaging in a quid pro quo for months. If there was any doubt, it’s now obvious why Paramount threw 60 Minutes and its number one rated late night talk show under the bus. Trump demands allegiance from everyone around him and it’s disgusting to see companies like Skydance and Paramount bowing to his endless and illegal demands. This is a dark day for anyone who believes in the rule of law and the First Amendment.”)
How Hulk Hogan came to endorse Trump in 2024 (“While Hogan became a favorite of the MAGA base, his own political history is mixed. He supported Barack Obama in the 2008 election, but later changed his tune. In the 2012 election, Hogan supported Republican Mitt Romney over the incumbent Democrat.”)
Court considers the role of developers in Arlington ‘missing middle’ housing suit (“Once the appeals court decides how to handle Wilsons Ventures, the case will continue, either back at the trial court or in the Court of Appeals. The homeowners and county officials both believe the fight could go all the way to the Virginia Supreme Court.”)
See below for video and some highlights from today’s press conference, at which, “in response to growing political interference from President Trump and Republicans in Virginia’s public colleges and universities, House and Senate Democratic [were] joined by Governor L. Douglas Wilder for a press conference to stand united in defense of Virginia’s world-class education system and universities.” Participants, in addition to Gov. Wilder, were: Senator L. Louise Lucas (Senate President Pro Tempore); Delegate Charniele Herring (House Democratic Leader); Delegate Kathy Tran (House Democratic Caucus Chair); Senator Scott Surovell (Senate Majority Leader); Senator Mamie E. Locke (Senate Democratic Caucus Chair); Speaker Don Scott (Virginia House of Delegates).
Sen. Louise Lucas: “Good morning and thank you all for being here today. I am so proud to stand with my colleagues from the Virginia House and Senate and with our 66th Governor L. Douglas Wilder as we defend Virginia’s top ranked public colleges and universities from the political attacks coming from the Trump and Republican administration. That’s right. Virginia’s education system is ranked number one in the nation. According to CNBC, our number one competitive strength is our educational system – and we earned that ranking. We’ve invested big, over $2 billion last year and now another $787 million this year, thanks to the leadership of our Democratic majority. But what does the Trump and Virginia Republicans do when they see successful systems? They try to tear it down. But make that make sense. It’s disturbing. Republicans appointed boards of visitors coordinating campaigns to oust strong effective university leaders. Trump’s Department of Education and Department of Justice pressuring presidents to resign. Threats to withhold funding and outright executive overreach. What happened to the so-called party of small government? Thomas Jefferson and George Mason must be rolling over in their graves. Let’s not forget what this is really all about. It’s about the people. It’s about our students. It’s about the next generation. In Virginia, we put our money where our values are, investing in students and preparing young people for a brighter future. Our worldclass schools don’t just serve Virginians. They attract students from across the country. And Republicans want to destroy all of it just to prove or shove Project 2025 down our throats. We didn’t vote for Trump. We didn’t vote for Project 2025. And we’re not going to let them hijack our public institutions. Now, let’s be clear. This is a coordinated political campaign. They started with General Wins at VMI. Then they came for President Ryan at UVA. And now they’ve set their sights on President Washington at George Mason. Well, let me tell you something. You don’t stop a bully by backing down. You stop a bully by punching back. And luckily for us, I always carry my box of gloves in the trunk.”
Del. Charniele Herring: “I am a proud alumni of George Mason University. I’ve said many times that without the education of George Mason University, I would not be standing here as the first Black person and first woman to ever serve as a majority leader in the House in Virginia’s history. George Mason has a proud history of giving non-traditional students an opportunity to achieve…I know firsthand what a George Mason University education can do. I was homeless in high school. My education and future was impacted by that economic turn, despite coming from a hardworking family, I thought college would be impossible to reach. But through its Step program, George Mason gave me a shot, the resources and the support to demonstrate that college level work was well within my reach and it changed my life. I earned my degree in economics, went on to law school, and with the foundation of George Mason, they provided me with the opportunity to continue to work at a prestigious law firm dealing with infrastructure and communications and family law and so much more. I volunteered for my community. And it is with the foundation of George Mason University education that I ran for office to make the voices of my community heard and to uplift those who have too long and too often been silenced. My story is not the only one that comes from this university. Now, President Trump and his Republican allies want to politicize the opportunity that was given to me, to so many first-generation students, and to diverse perspectives which enrich our college institutions and our college education. It is…all while punishing successful leaders like President Washington for doing his job to uplift every student, challenge them and give them a shot at a better future no matter their zip code, their background, how much money their family has, or their age. These Republican attacks aren’t just about a president. There are about the thousands of George Mason University students that are walking across campus right now who are watching us right now and wondering why their future is being used as a disingenuous political game. These attacks are attacks on their future and the future of Virginia’s children. Their lives are not a game. Unlike Virginia Republicans, I will not stay silent while extremists with an agenda try to muffle the voices of educators in an effort to dismantle the institutions that helped shape me. In Virginia, we believe in facts. We believe in freedom. And we believe in the future of our students. This generation of students deserves better than to be caught in the crosshairs of a partisan lawfare. They deserve investment, not interference. They deserve opportunity, not obstruction. And they deserve degrees, not delusions. And as someone who once walked the campus with a simple dream of a better future, and not much more. I owe it to the students, to my family, and to the constituents to stand up and fight back. George Mason gave me my start, and it is my heart. I will not let Trump, Virginia Republicans, or anyone erase the most precious of starting lines that our Commonwealth has to offer.”
Sen. Scott Surovell: “First I just want to talk to you about what public education does. I’m a 13th-generation Virginian. First 12 generations of my kin didn’t go to college because they didn’t have a state-supported college, higher education system or a public education system. My grandfather wasn’t able to make it past 8th grade because Franklin County didn’t have a high school. Neither did my grandmother. My mother was the first one in the family to go to college. She went to Longwood University and studied to be a teacher because public education was finally available at that time. I went to a public elementary school. I went to a public intermediate school. I went to a public high school. Taxpayers invested in my education at JMU and taxpayers invested in my education as an attorney at UVA law. I would not be here today but for the money that taxpayers have invested in my education, my ability to do what I did today. By the way, they also made it possible for me to serve as a governor’s fellow to Governor Wilder in 1993. Just so you understand the full breadth of our system. Virginia’s colleges and universities enroll 524,000 students across public and private institutions in our state. Our community college system serves approximately 144,000 students alone, which is four times the enrollment of either George Mason or Virginia Tech. Northern Virginia Community College has 53,000 students by itself. Our 15 four-year institutions enrolled 211,000 full-time students last year. In terms of economic impact, our public higher education system – higher, not secondary, higher education system – has a total economic footprint of 52.4 billion dollars in our Commonwealth. Every dollar spent on public higher education results in additional $1.89 of state revenue and $25.9 of additional state gross domestic product. UVA alone contributes $7.2 billion in GDP and $576 million in annual state tax revenues. International students which the Trump administration is threatening contributed $87 million to Virginia’s higher education learning institutions in the 2023 and 2024 academic period. and Virginia’s institutions collectively received about three billion dollars in tuition and fee revenue and more than two billion in state general funds in 2023. Okay, this is a massive system that is currently under attack by the Trump administration that our Republican colleagues in Virginia are refusing to do anything about. What’s happening today in our state is the Republican Party is bowing down to their dear leader, President Trump, and refusing to do anything. I want to make clear that in Virginia, our board of visitors run our universities. The General Assembly controls our universities, as it said, is in the Virginia code, not President Trump and not the United States Department of Justice. We’ve now heard from outraged alumni, teachers, students of our number system in America. You’ve heard it. CNBC, when they looked at our business rankings, said that one of the main reasons the pillars underscoring the foundation of why we get these rankings is because of our education system. We have the number one education system in America. Just yesterday, you heard the business community in Northern Virginia speak out. The Northern Virginia Technology Council, the Northern Virginia Chamber, the Loudoun Chamber, the Prince William Chamber all signed a letter and said, ‘Leave George Mason alone. It’s a critical pillar of our economy, not just in Northern Virginia, but the entire state.’ George Mason, I want to just note aside from the fact that UVA I believe is not number four but actually the number one institution in America, public institution in America, George Mason is ranked number one by US News as being number one for best value for internships and for upward mobility. So I just would ask if you get a chance to ask a Republican, if you see one on the street, if you can find anybody that will speak on the record you about this, I would ask them what exactly is the purpose attacking the best public higher education institution in the country that we have here, the crown jewel in our state? What’s the point of attacking it? And what is the point of attacking the number one school in upward social mobility in the country the best value in the country? What exactly is the point? What’s the motive? You fill in the blank. But ask that question. And I can tell you that if the Republicans aren’t going to stand up to to defend our system, we will. And that’s why we’re here today. And that’s also why we’re in court tomorrow.”
Sen. Mamie Locke: “I’m honored to be here with Governor Wilder and my Senate and House leaders and colleagues, but I’m saddened to be here to address the issue that has brought us here today. I have spent well over half my professional life in higher education, both in the classroom and as an administrator. As a member of the Senate, I serve on the education and health committee and as chair of higher education. In these roles, I have come to know leaders, administrators, faculty, and students in Virginia’s institutions of higher education across this commonwealth. Consequently, I’ve witnessed first hand the remarkable progress George Mason University has made under President Washington’s leadership. The investigation launched by the Trump administration’s Department of Justice not only is unwarranted, it is deeply disturbing and damaging. GMU’s students and faculty have worked tirelessly to create a campus that embraces innovation, academic excellence, and belonging. GMU is a community where first-generation college students, immigrants, students of color, and people from every background can thrive. To see that community come under attack by Donald Trump because they dare to live out the mission of being altogether different is disheartening. This baseless politically motivated probe by the DOJ has the complicit support of Glenn Youngkin, Winsome Earle Sears, and Jason Miyares. By aligning themselves with Trump’s agenda and refusing to stand up for our institutions, they are signaling that political ideology matters more than academic excellence, more than our students, more than our faculty, and more than the university community. This investigation is a distraction to our campuses, demoralizing to our faculty, and is sending a chilling message to students who simply want to learn in a supportive environment. Virginia is the number one ranked public higher education system in this country. And yet, we’re being targeted for doing exactly what good schools should do. Educate, include, and lead. We stand with President Washington and the George Mason University community and we will not allow political fear mongering to derail the future of our students or this marvelous institution.”
Gov. Doug Wilder: “They said so many nice things. Everything I say will be bad. I told my good friend Mamie Lock that I was glad to see to what’s going on. Donald Trump doesn’t run Virginia. He’s not in office in Virginia. He doesn’t appoint people in Virginia. I’m reminded of reading relative to Roman history and how the Senate, Cicero, he spoke in the Senate, he would end his speeches by saying and Carhtage must be destroyed – a constant reminder this is what needs to take place. That’s why we I want to thank the members of the assembly and citizens and those across to the town. I spent the better part of my trying to expand opportunity in the commonwealth. I know the power of public education because I’ve lived it. I also know the pain of being locked out. I was eight blocks away from my home was eight blocks away from where Henry made his famous speech, St. John Church. Give me liberty or give me death. And I would ask my father, he said that we’re coming here to this church to look at how great a man he was, what did he do? My father said he went back up to Ashburn and maintained his plantation of slaves. Doesn’t that tell it all? You’re not elected to be in office. You’re elected to represent the people. Speak for the people. They can’t do anything to you. If they don’t reelect you, so what? You’ve said what you needed to say. I know the power of publication. I know the pain of being locked out. I attended Virginia University, Virginia Union. I had no option. I didn’t have the money to go to Virginia state. That was the quote state school. My father made clear that there would be one way transportation. Give you a bus ticket, street car ticket to go up. You want to use it to go home. Now, I’m not going to be able to give you a bus ticket, too. What was the tuition at Virginia Union? $90 a year. $150 a year. And they give you a scholarship if you maintained a B average? That was the value of education. There were people who knew that Virginia Union was broke and poor and got nothing from the state. Nothing….And so I went to Howard University School of Law. Why? I couldn’t go to a school of law. Why? Because I looked like this. I looked like this. Don’t forget that education is the great equalizer. It’s the key that unlocks the door. But only if it’s protected. Only if it’s defended. I said it before, I say it again. It unlocks the door. But what we’re seeing today is not about policy differences. It’s about a pattern, a coordinated effort to silence, punish, and erase. At Virginia Military Institute, Youngkin sent one of his disciples up there to declare DEI is dead. And after the first Black superintendent, Wins, who was first Black president superintendent got rid of even though the Northam administration released a report shortly before that saying that racism and sexism still existed. at VMI. I know about the history of VMI. I was informed by my clerk when I was in the state senate. Guess what? As a state senator, you can send a youngster to VMI for a four-year scholarship. It’s in the code. What was a decent person, a good person, find me somebody? And I did. This young man was one of came to be one of the few ever to go to VMI as a Black person. I also know what it’s like in terms of racism and sexism to women. I also appointed the first Black person to serve on the board of VMI. First woman, I’m sorry. Did she catch it?…And when I was governor, my attorney general when I was making a very famous speech was her. She said, “Let VMI be VMI. Don’t worry about women.” My own attorney general. I had to go in fact my secretary of education. He knows exactly what I had to get outside counsel to represent me back then. I’m not talking 100 years ago. So don’t think it won’t creep back creep up and eat you if you let it do it. George Mason University, the largest public institution in Virginia…publicly and baselessly accused of promoting anti-Semitism. One of my very dear friends…he happens to be Jewish…Where is the evidence? Where are the facts for this man to be kicked and drawn and fired? That’s what’s where it’s trying to get. Jim Ryan was targeted by investigations and resigned. I know at Virginia Commonwealth under the leadership of Mike R more than $100 million I’m not talking about of taxpayers dollars was wasted on a failed real estate project, one that never materialized benefit no money remains unexplained. I brought it to the governor’s attention and he told this is a wake up call. But he ain’t woke yet. And I mean woke in the truest sense of the word. What did he do about it? What has he done about it? Anyone in here in the media. Tell me where the money was and why it was absolutely wasted. I know people who raise big money at these universal stewardship and then turn a blind eye mismanagement at the top at other schools. And I must not forget the promise of proud board of education that decision wasn’t just about classroom seating. It was about constitutional equality. Constitutional equality that government would not segregate, silence or discriminate under any kind. What we are seeing now is a coordinated roll back, a strategic retreat from the promise that generations fought to secure diversity, equity, and inclusion. And I pressed their obligations under our constitution, met with group of young,,,,said “You look the same. I say I got a few years left. But then she went on to say that we believe in I tell the story sometimes about this young boy. I was in church minister everyone getting out and he wanted me to stand with him and shake hand at the I did and his son was running around. He said, “Son, be quiet.” And so the son came up at me and said, “I understand that. I was told who you were, but haven’t you been dead? That’s the truth….That’s why today I’m calling on Governor Youngkin and the Virginia General Assembly to act with urgency to withhold further funding from any public college or university including VCU that demonstrates gross financial mismanagement until a full independent forensic audit is completed. and made public. Over $500 million. Somebody know why don’t you want to know intimidation of the university leaders and reaffirm the independence of Virginia’s public institutions. We don’t need more questions. We need accountability. We need transparency. And I say this…Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just they are tools of fairness. They’re grounded in the constitution…what threatens us is unchecked power. I remind you now, Donald Trump is not living in Virginia. He’s not the president…not the governor of Virginia. He doesn’t do anything in Virginia but sometimes ask for money and cooperation. So let’s get the tire straight. Let’s make certain who we want to do what we want and say what it is we want and what really address threats us power and what we need is the voices of those elected by the people to represent the people by their action by their voices. Not just at election time. And I say this to the people when they say they’re going to run for office. I want your vote. I want your support. I used to ask a question. Some of you didn’t see me know what that question is. What have you done? What are you trying to do? What is it that you want to do in the goddamn way? When are you going to say after you get elected to speak at an event like this? I want you people here who would hear today particularly those in representative legislation. It doesn’t have to be a ceremony for you to speak. Speak as often as you can when a money bill comes up going to somewhere else for something else that you had no interest in other than to say that why couldn’t I get for this bring it to the attention of those who dispersion demand what’s right criticize what’s wrong and understand that people will be weak I can’t walk through streets people coming to me and saying can you come Can you run for something? I said, don’t you think I deserve a little rest? They said no. And they say this to me. They’ll say, “Can’t you get them, the rest of them, to do what you’re trying to do? Are they doing it?” And I say, “I think they want to, but sometimes you have to do the thing with them, too.” That’s what I’m going to say. The people Today I’m observing Virginia has always helped define the course of this nation. Now in 2025, an election year, we’re facing a defining moment once again. We see candidates running for office. We need to convey to the people how they will defend their rights, education, freedom, health in the future. The people are woke and the people are watching and the people will remember who stood up and who stood there. God bless you.”
Speaker Don Scott: “I think Governor Wilder said it best – you know, we only can deal with the things within our purview and what we can control is what happens in Virginia. And Virginia leadership has a responsibility to stand up. Here’s the issue. In our code, in statute, it clearly states that these boards, every single board that’s funded by public dollars, every single board is under the control at all times. That’s what the code says. It’s a quote – at all times shall be under the control of the General Assembly. So now we have the opportunity, the General Assembly, to take an in-depth view of what’s going on in all these public universities, especially in light of the fact that they have totally been politicized in a way that we’ve never seen before. What happened to Jim Ryan is a travesty. What’s happening to Greg Washington right now is a travesty. You know, some of the mismanagement and malfeasance that the governor alleges at VCU is a travesty. Now, the the General Assembly has an opportunity, I believe now, in this environment to step up to the plate and make sure that this this not only the federal overreach that we see, but there is state overreach right now. We have to look at every board…. I’m hopeful. I’m going to work with the Senate here in the state and talk about maybe forming a select joint committee to look at these boards to call in some of these past board members to see how we got here…hold them to account. We have the responsibility not only to the governor – he recommends, but we have to confirm their appointment. And so we have to start taking that responsibility a lot more seriously, in light of the fact that they’re doing things that we’ve never seen before. This is not just about governance. This is about pushing forward. This is not about policy. This is a political viewpoint. And I wonder what they think about, you know, going backwards. The opposite of equity is unequal. The opposite of of diversity is homogyny. They want everybody to be the same. You know, we can’t go backwards. Thomas Jefferson said it even when at time, he said, ‘I tremble at the thought that we serve a just God.’ And he knew in that time that there were things that were wrong that needed to be fixed. And so now we have an opportunity of the General Assembly to take a look at. I’m grateful what the Senate is doing some stuff, in a lawsuit I think that may be going on tomorrow I think to deal with some issues. But we have to make sure, this is not just about politics, this is about the Commonwealth as we move forward. And we have a responsibility right now, because there are people, real people being hurt right now, and people are using the pretext of anti-Semitism to attack We’ve all passed bills against hate crime. All of us here, that’s what we’ve done. We’ve stood up against anti-Semitism here. We voted for it. We passed the bills the governor signed. So don’t try to use that as a pretext. This is the time now to make sure that we’re protecting our students. We’re protecting our Commonwealth. We have the number, according to the business community, we have the number one public school education system and the number one higher ed system. These people are hurting our institutions and we have a responsibility now to take another look at it. We may have to even do a JLARC study to see how we got it and see if we need to reorient how we select board members, reorient how we approve. Obviously, we have a situation right now where the governor appoints people, they start serving before they’ve been confirmed. They start making votes and after we’ve told them they won’t be confirmed, which to me is malfeasance. You’ve been told you won’t be confirmed and you go on the board and sit and vote. So, we have a problem here. I hate to give you that long answer, but you asked. So, I have to answer with detail and specificity because that’s what the moment requires.”
Sen. Surovell: “Go look at what Thomas Jefferson said when when he was governor. At the time, I think Virginia only had one state university, which is William and Mary. And he said we needed to create more. And he said, ‘We need to create UVA.’ And part of the reason for that, he said that having a functional democracy is having an educated population. Higher education is key to having a functioning democracy. You want to know why Trump doesn’t like higher education? He doesn’t want a functioning democracy. That’s it. Okay. So, why are they why is this all under assault? That’s at the root base of it. In terms of what the Speaker just talked about, our current code says that these boards of visitors are charged with managing these universities. If they’re not going to manage the university, if they’re not going to defend their school, if they’re not going to fight for their school, the code says that the governor can remove boards for malfeasance or nonfeasance. Malfeasance is doing a bad job. Nonfeasance is not doing your job. You see, now the faculty at UVA and George Mason both write letters. The UVA passed a resolution saying they had no confidence in their board of visitors. George Mason just wrote a letter. Their faculty wrote a letter just a couple days ago saying that their boards of visitors are failing to defend their schools. Okay. That’s why we have to look at how we appoint these people and how how these boards of visitors – we’re going to reform that when we come back in January. I don’t think we need to wait for a JLARC study. I think we have plenty of ideas that we can act on when we get back in January. The other thing is these schools often don’t have a lawyer. You can’t fight another lawyer if you don’t have a lawyer. And unfortunately, the way representation works in our system, our schools don’t have a choice as to who they pick. They’re stuck with an attorney general who nobody can get to give a statement about it. And we tried to fix this two years ago. We tried to fix this by giving them the right to hire their own lawyer two years ago. The Governor vetoed. So, from my perspective, there’s been a deliberate, coordinated effort to get this done at the very beginning. You remember the first two things Jason Miyares did when he when he be when he became when he became attorney general, aside from firing 30 people in his office. He fired the lawyer UVA. He fired the lawyer George Mason and put in somebody who was Heritage Foundation connected. And now you look what’s happening. You know they don’t have a lawyer. So there’s some big reforms we need to do on the system to get around and I think you’re going to see some big changes. And we also have board of visitor nominations pending. We have eight people that we’re going to find out what happens about according to tomorrow and Monday. There’s, I think, 58 more nominations the governor has made that are still out there for us to decide whether or not we want to confirm or not. The Speaker’s right. We’re going to look at them really carefully. We’re going to decide whether these people are actually capable of exercising their own independent judgment and doing the job they’ve been nominated to do. Those are just things we can do in the short term and the medium term, but it’s clear we have to make some big reforms in our system that maintain our number one rating.”
Speaker Scott: “I mean it’s going to come down I mean this is actually the US Department of Justice coming down on this situation. So we’ll see. I mean we just saw yesterday Colombia University settled with the government…$200 million something crazy. I mean there is the type of assault on higher ed right now is crazy. And I understand you know there are some larger schools who have a history that these Heritage Foundation folks have had on their list to target forever. But George Mason…is not that. And if you look at George Mason, UVA, the applications are up, the schools are doing well, the funding is well, the alumni still support the school. I think all we can do right now is raise awareness, because the…federal government has put a target on their back and there’s nothing that the state legislature can do other than make sure that when…we have a board and we have attorneys that are actually fighting the federal government. Right now they have totally capitulated – Jason Miyares has capitulated, he has surrendered, in fact he’s cooperating today. And so we have a responsibility I think as we move forward to put in some guard rails and I think to do that we need the public support so we need to let them know what’s happening now so when we do make these changes, they’ll understand why we have to do them.”
…My view is that based at UVA and if they do anything to Dr. Washington at George Mason, they should probably…this board needs to listen very clearly. They probably should put a freeze on any hiring, because we will not support whatever it is that they do. This is an illegitimate board right now that has been appointed and been told that they will not be appointed permanently. So if they go about selecting a president when they know they they will not be there in January, that’s wrong. So I hope that they will put a moratorum and a freeze on any search for a president right now. They have an interim. They need to sit tight because we’re going to make changes in January. They should expect that. It would be totally irresponsible and they would be disrespecting, ignoring the will of the General Assembly. which is the will of the people. That’s right. If they go ahead and go forward with the president or appointment of a president of UVA.”
Sen. Surovell: “I’ve already publicly said the exact same thing weeks ago. I said they should not make any steps towards picking a permanent president of UVA. Right now, there are, I think, five vacancies on that board based on the actions the Senate’s already taken. There are, I think, four more people that are in play, now that the governor has nominated in addition to the five we’ve already rejected. And that means that come next July 30, next July 1st of 2026, when there’s a new governor, there’s the potential to have nine new members on a 16 member board, which means there would be a entirely different majority in all likelihood on that board of visitors deciding things. And so they shouldn’t make any permanent decision. Things are going to have long-term impact on that school right now. Because the changes are coming whether we act on changing the law or not, there’s going to be a different majority on that board.”
Speaker Scott: “If I were a president thinking about coming to UVA right now, I would think very twice about whether I’m going beyond. They probably ought to think about that if they think about taking a job there because we’re gonna try I tell you right now with this is an illegitimate board, we’re going to be trying to reverse that decision…They said [Dr. Washington] promoted first of all they said he promoted diversity, and then they said that he failed to combat anti-Semitism. That’s that’s the basis. We don’t have any proof of any of that. In fact, I think more than 50 Jewish professors came out in support of Dr. Washington…and all of the Jewish legislators support him. So, we just have to be thoughtful about what this pretext is that they’re doing, what this red herring is that they’re pointing to try to get an outcome that they want to remove the second Black president in less than a few months with General Washington and VMI. This is a pattern – and Dr. Washington at George Mason. So, we see it. We have a responsibility to call it out and hopefully we’ll be able to put some guard rails in place come January.”
If you’ve been following Winsome Earle-Sears at all, you know that she has been spewing out lunacy, extremism and nonsense for years now. Just a few examples to demonstrate what I’m referring to include:
Anyway, you get the idea – the woman is, let’s just say, “out there” in her views. And no, she hasn’t gotten any more “moderate” or sane over the years. Nor has she gotten any more factually accurate (or should I say, less factually INACCURATE). Check out her interview yesterday on hard-right WRVA Morning News, for instance, in which she said shit like the following (corrections in parentheses/bold/green by me):
“We must make sure that our businesses are safe, our inventories are safe, our employees are safe, you can walk down the street in your neighborhood. And my opponent of course would destroy all of that (note: in no way/shape/form would Spanberger do what Sears is claiming; it’s apparently just psychological projection by Sears because again, it’s complete bullshit), because she would get rid of qualified immunity (false again; in fact, Spanberger “supports the reform of qualified immunity, rather than its complete abolition“) . And of course, none of our law enforcement, Department of Corrections personnel will stay, we’ll have anarchy” (uh, no, we will not have “anarchy” with Abigail Spanberger as governor – again, weird psychological projection of some sort by Winsome Sears, very much a reflection of the warped way she thinks than of any sort of reality)
“Number three, are we going to create jobs? And my opponent has only job-killing ideas.” (100% false – in fact, Spanberger has a plan to create jobs and to restore Virginia to its #1 ranking as the best state for business, which we lost under Youngkin-Sears)
“[Companies] want to come to Virginia because they see common sense policies (note that whatever policies are in place in Virginia right now are the result of *Democratic* leadership, given that the last two governors, prior to Youngkin – and four of the last five prior to Youngkin – were Democrats, plus of course the General Assembly was controlled fully or in part by Democrats in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, so any laws that were passed had to have had Democratic approval) in place, not job-killing regulations, where my opponent would put back all 89,000 job-killing regulations (no clue where Sears gets this from, but the fact is, most regulations aren’t “job-killing,” but are there for the purpose of protecting workers, protecting our health, protecting the environment, etc. – and Sears wants to get rid of all that) that we’ve already gotten rid of. She will tell the businesses how much they will pay, what kind of benefits they will offer. And by the way, she will tax us half to death… (There is basically zero truth to the past two sentences by Sears, although obviously, Democrats support raising the minimum wage, so apparently Sears wants to not have a minium wage at all?)”
“I’m talking about her lieutenant governor nominee, Senator Hashmi, who has called women who have given birth to children ‘birthing persons’. (I checked, and as far as I’m aware, Hashmi has never referred to “birthing persons”) Well, I have never bought a Hallmark card that said ‘birthing persons day’. We are mothers and we are proud of our title. We’re proud of those women who have decided they will adopt other people’s childrens, and their mothers too. Don’t denigrate us. Don’t deny us. Don’t erase women.” (Obvoiusly, Hashmi hasn’t “denigrated,” “denied” or “erased” women – again, this appears to be 100% psychological projection and/or delusion of some sort by Sears…definitely nothing to do with reality.)
“We are the ones who created the economic successes…that we’ve had (This is WILDLY false, just a massive lie – in fact, the US economy staged a remarkable economic recovery under President Biden and the Democrats, one that’s now being seriously threatened by Trump and the Republicans. But regardless, in no way/shape/form were Youngkin-Sears responsible for Virginia’s economic successes the past few years – arguably, whatever successes we’ve enjoyed have been in SPITE of Youngkin/Sears – and Trump’s – idiocy.) It wasn’t my opponent. It wasn’t Hashmi. They were never in the rooms when any of this was happening. (No clue what this means, since Hashmi is a State Senator who absolutely was in the room crafting legislation; no clue what Sears was doing, other than ranting on right-wing radio, welcoming guests to the State Senate chamber, and occasionally breaking a tie vote, wuch as against guaranteeing women the right to contraception.) And so we need to make sure we get our Lieutenant Governor candidate, John Reid. We need to get our great attorney general, Jason Miyares. And we got to get the House back in.”
“I came back because I saw our kids weren’t being educated in the way that they were. They need to be. So many of them were failing. (In fact, Virginia has some of the best public schools in the country…) And I said to myself, somebody ought to do something. And that’s when you realize again that you’re that somebody. So, I came out of my private life back into public life.”
“We got to make sure that our energy policy is what it needs to be. My opponent is absolutely radical. (No, Spanberger isn’t “absolutely radical” – or “radical” at all, actually. Again, apparent psychological projection by Sears.) Now, she is trying to change herself, reinvent herself. You know, she’s calling herself now, I guess it’s a pragmatic Democrat (Yes, Spanberger is very much a pragmatic Democrat). Well, we have her on video saying she’s a progressive (the word “progressive” simply refers to making PROGRESS, which you’d think everyone – going back to Teddy Rooesevelt – would want to do, but not Sears apparently), but the media has been trying to paint her as this moderate (because, in fact, Spanberger was one of the most “moderate” Democrats in the US House). Not when you vote with Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden almost 97% of the time (no clue what Sears’ point is here, because Joe Biden certainly was no radical, nor was Nancy Pelosi; but the fact that Rs and Ds mostly voted with their parties is not exactly BREAKING NEWS or whatever). Not when you have an energy policy that says all you’re going to have is solar and wind. (Yeah, not a single member of the Democratic ticket has said anything like that. But even if they had, the fact is that the vast majority of Virginians support clean energy development and moving towards a cleaner energy mix) Well, what happens when the solar and wind it’s not happening? (This is one of the oldest, one of the most dishonest, and one of the flat-out STUPIDEST talking points around, disinformation coming out of the fossil fuel industry, and total BULLSHIT. Because, in fact, we have such a thing known as “batteries,” and energy storage more broadly; we also have sophiisticated techniques, applied in countries, states and regions across the world, to balance out power flows based on knowledge of when the sun will be shining, the wind blowing, etc. It’s working literally all across the world, yet Sears is completely ignorant of this? That ALONE should be a reason not to vote for her. Because she’s either willfully ignorant, lying or just completely clueless.) Of course, it’s nonsense. And businesses aren’t going to come to an area where they don’t have the energy that they need. So, that means she’s going to drive up taxes, because where else is the money going to come from?” (Again, this is ridiculous; zero basis in fact.)
“I’m talking about just common sense ideas. (When far-right-wingers like Sears, Trump, Youngkin, etc. talk about “common sense,” it’s a dead giveaway that what you’re going to hear is the opposite of common sense, a bunch of far-right policies and/or lies.) I’m talking about the barber shops. You know, folks want to open their own barber shops and you’re going to tell them that their employees are going to have to join a union and if they’re going to keep the job, they have to pay union dues. I’m talking about liberty. I’m talking about Abigail Spanberger, go ahead with your own life and leave us alone. (This is just weird.) I’m talking about simple things like just don’t erase women…so that you could have a biological male in with your girl children undressing in all their full regalia. (Sears will be happy to know that nobody on the 2025 VA Democratic ticket wants to “erase women,” or have “your girl children undressing in all their full regalia.” Again, though, the types of things Sears is unhealthfully obsessed with tells you all you need to know about the way she thinks.) To me, that’s sexual trauma. We cannot do that, we simply cannot do that.”
“…She’s reinventing herself. So don’t believe what she says. Believe her voting record because that my friends is what really matters. Who are you really? And she has said that she supports sanctuary cities. (In fact, Spanberger “said she does not support ‘sanctuary cities’ but also called the term ‘a campaign slogan a lot of people get caught up in.’ She added that it ‘degrades the value of the conversation if we’re not actually talking about what the real concern is.'”) We…are not going to give sanctuary to any criminals. We’re not going to give sanctuary to criminal illegals. You’ve got to go home. And she has voted to keep them here. (Link? What vote is Sears referring to here?) What about that makes any sense?…She is for nonsense where I stand for common sense. And she has voted against law enforcement, against our Department of Corrections personnel. How’d she do that? Well, she did that because she has voted for, well, to defund the police (this is a huge lie – in fact, Spanberger said she thought the whole “Defund the Police” slogan was “a terrible idea,” and “railed against members of her own party for playing into the GOP’s hands on ‘defund the police’ after the 2020 election”) and she has voted to get rid of their qualified immunity….She would create anarchy.” (Spoiler: Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer and postal inspector, will NOT “create anarchy” – far from it! – and it’s beyond laughable to even suggest such a thing).
“…she doesn’t have a real leg to stand on when it comes to common sense policies, common sense ideas. I mean, not again when you’re trying to get rid of the police. (Again, this is a huge, flat-out lie) Not again when you’re telling us the only education your child can ever have is public schools (Another huge, flat-out lie by Sears, as Spanberger never said your child can only attend a public school!)….We need everything. All of the above. I’m talking about public school, private school, parochial school, home school, whatever hybrid, whatever you want to do, you’re the parent. She has voted when it comes to education, especially that if your child is transitioning from some whatever biological person that they are, they hide that from you as a parent and that you don’t even know what the curriculum is being taught (This is a major distortion and oversimplification of a complex topic involving a bunch of issues…but Sears just wants to demagogue and fear monger on it, not be constructive in any way. That should be disqualifying – for Sears, that is!). That’s not what we want in Virginia. I mean, you name it, she has voted the other way.”
“Now, in my case, we have raised so much more money historically than any Republican ever has in the first quarter of their campaign and in the second quarter. (Huh? In fact, according to VPAP, Sears raised $13 million through June 30, far less than what Glenn Youngkin had raised at this point in 2021, and also less than Bob McDonnell had raised by this point in 2009 and than Jerry Kilgore had raised by this point in 2005) So, I see some of the press has decided to, you know, take her side on things. And look, this is my surprised face. Why the media would do that, I don’t understand. But we have raised record amounts of money. I don’t have, of course, what she has had because, you know, Democrats traditionally raise more. But, you see, my common sense message will prevail…I am common sense. She is for nonsense. She’s running away from her record. We can’t afford her. She’s going to raise taxes. [Any evidence for this?] She’s going to raise our utility bills. [Any evidence for this?] She’s not going to get rid of the car tax in the way that I will.” [Spoiler: Sears isn’t going to get rid of the car tax, a local tax that would have to be replaced to make localities whole – and that ain’t happening.]
Bottom line: If you enjoy the fact that Donald Trump and Glenn Youngkin are pathological liars, you’re going to totally LOVE Winsome Earle-Sears! Seriously, though, if you listen to this interview and you know anything about…well, just about anything, then you will immediately notice Sears’ distortions, b.s., right-wing talking points and flat-out lies. Just ask yourself, is that the type of person you’d ever want to govern Virginia???
