Republicans
- Warner seeks a final term as Mizusawa makes his case for change
Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (left) faces Republican challenger Bert Mizusawa in his bid for a fourth term in the Senate.
- Virginia votes Tuesday: Everything you need to know about the 2026 primary elections
Voters on Tuesday will choose nominees for U.S. Senate and congressional races across the commonwealth.
- Vindman faces crowded field and economic pressures in Virginia’s 7th District Congressional race
Pictured from left are candidates for the seventh congressional district race in Virginia: U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Woodbridge, Republican Douglas Ollivant and Libertarian Taner Lopez.
- Luria and Kiggans rematch in Va.’s 2nd Congressional District among most-watched races in nation
From left to right: U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, Democrat Elaine Luria, and independents Bishop Staten and Matt Baker.
- When Virginia’s congressional candidates don’t debate, voters get sound bites instead of substance
Basic civic literacy, which debates and candidate forums promote, is not even an afterthought for many political candidates in Virginia and other states, columnist Jim Spencer writes.
- Recall Petition Targets Fairfax County Prosecutor Following High-Profile Murder Case
Cheryl Minter, mother of Stephanie Minter, has filed a recall petition against Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano.
- Virginia to receive $353 million in landmark Meta child-safety settlement
Facebook parent company Meta has agreed to pay Virginia at least $353 million and adopt new safeguards for young users under a proposed multistate settlement over allegations that its platforms harmed children.
- 41,085 Declined ICE Detainers Nationwide — Arlington Held Up as Democrat Sanctuary Case Study
House Judiciary: sanctuary jurisdictions declined at least 41,085 ICE detainers Oct. 2022–early 2026 and 17,864 in Trump’s first 12 months back; Arlington’s Democrat Trust Policy is the Virginia deep dive.
- Virginia Republicans urge Spanberger to call special session for fuel-tax holiday
Republican lawmakers are urging Gov. Abigail Spanberger to call a special session to suspend Virginia’s gasoline and diesel taxes for 90 days to ease fuel costs for families and businesses.
- Democrat CA Called Laken Riley Act a “Heinous Bill,” Said Murder Had Nothing to Do With Immigration
House Judiciary report: Parisa Dehghani-Tafti stood by calling the bipartisan Laken Riley Act “heinous” and said Laken’s murder was unrelated to immigration — while the killer was an illegal alien released in sanctuary jurisdictions.
- Democrat Trust Policy Bars Arlington Police From Calling ICE — Even for Violent Felons, Gangs, and Terrorists
House Judiciary report: Democrat-run Arlington County Board Trust Policy blocks ACPD from contacting ICE for violent felons, gang members, traffickers, or terrorists; ACSO honored only 2 of 310 ICE detainers (0.65%).
- Jason Ballard House Bill 103 Seeks to Extend Vital Early Intervention Services for Virginia Infants and Toddlers
A bill introduced by Delegate Jason Ballard would extend Virginia’s Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers for children with disabilities.
- Wittman and Taylor Clash in VA-01 as National Spotlight Hits Virginia Midterms
Healthcare votes, H.R. 1 fallout and data-center costs define a district Trump won in 2024 but Spanberger carried in 2025.
- The battle over data centers isn’t just about data centers, but they’re the battleground we have.
Marvell data center in Culpeper County, Virginia.
- Virginia’s Democratic Trifecta Passes 49 Election Bills as Felony Voting Rights Head to November Ballot
Ballotpedia counts a 250 percent jump in election measures; ranked-choice voting is now permanent, Virginia joined the National Popular Vote compact, and automatic rights restoration awaits voters November 3.
- Attorney General Jones Says DHS May Have Violated Virginia Election Law
Letter to Homeland Security demands written confirmation and preservation of voter-lookup access logs after a whistleblower report.
- With United States House control hanging in the balance, Wittman faces Taylor in contentious Virginia-01 race
U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, left, is running for reelection in Virginia's 1st Congressional District, as Democratic challenger Shannon Taylor aims to unseat him.
- Names of Criminal Aliens Arlington Released Instead of Transferring to ICE
Judiciary staff detail Ricardo Castro Ramirez, Soukouly Mohammad Hashi, Johslin Ariel Lopez-Rodas, a gang member with a 57-page history, a felony hit-and-run case, and an abduction/family-assault defendant released under Democrat sanctuary rules.
- Tim Kaine and Jennifer McClellan Say Voters Could Move Congress to Revisit House Resolution 1 Healthcare Overhaul
U.S. Sen.
- Rob Wittman, Running Again in Virginia First Congressional District, Supports Trump’s $1.5 Trillion Defense Spending Budget
U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, is backing President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense spending budget, as the nation marks its eighth month in a war with Iran that Trump launched without congressional approval.
- Victor Angry Says Local Governments Should Lead on Collective Bargaining
In 2020, the General Assembly made a deliberate decision: it lifted Virginia’s longstanding prohibition on public-sector collective bargaining and gave local governments the authority to decide whether and how to implement it. That framework was intentional.
- Kelly Convirs-Fowler House Bill 188 Millionaire Income Tax Stalls in Committee
RICHMOND, VA – A proposal to impose a new 10 percent income tax bracket on earnings exceeding $1 million stalled in the House Finance Committee during the 2026 Virginia General Assembly session, after being incorporated into a broader tax measure that also failed to advance. House Bill 188, introduced by Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler of Virginia
- David Reid House Bill 182 on High School History Substitutions Clears Assembly
RICHMOND, Va. — House Bill 182, a measure altering high school graduation requirements by permitting substitutions in history and social studies credits, has successfully navigated the Virginia General Assembly and now awaits action from Governor Abigail Spanberger. The bill, introduced by Delegate David Reid of the 28th District in Loudoun County, seeks to provide students
- Loudoun County Supervisors Hear Bill Integrating Environmental Justice Into Comprehensive Plans
The speaker told the board, chaired by Phyllis Randall with Vice Chair Mike Turner and members including Juli Briskman, that the bill would update comprehensive planning to include strategies for addressing disproportionate environmental and health risks in certain communities. T
- Louise Lucas Presses Data Center Tax Repeal After Virginia Senate Vote
RICHMOND (VA) (AP). Nearly 20 years ago, Virginia offered tax breaks to tech companies on software and equipment.
- Marcia Price Bill Extending Landlord Eviction Wait Passes Senate, Heads to Abigail Spanberger
RICHMOND, Virginia – In a closely divided vote, the Virginia Senate approved House Bill 15 on March 10, 2026, by a tally of 21-19, sending the measure to Governor Abigail Spanberger’s desk.
- Housing Bills to Boost Supply, Protect Tenants on Way to Abigail Spanberger's Desk
While some of the most progressive housing bills did not survive this year’s legislative session, many housing proposals are on their way to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk — some of which she has already stated she will sign into law.
- Brace yourself for brutal, expensive campaigns in Virginia congressional swing districts this fall
If you live in or near the media markets serving Hampton Roads, the Peninsula up to the Northern Neck and Richmond and its suburbs, prepare for the most acrid, expensive and desperate congressional campaigns you’ve ever endured. Depending on how rancid the winds of current events blowing in from across the Potomac become, you could […]
- Amid major federal shifts, McMahon urges Virginia universities to reform practices, restore public trust
As students prepare to return to class, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is asking Virginia’s college and university presidents and governing boards to review how they operate and make changes, with a specific focus on whether universities are delivering affordable, high-quality education while maintaining free speech, academic standards, and accountability to the public. McMahon […]
- What candidates have planned for Virginia’s coast could decide a key congressional race
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. With Virginia’s Aug. 4 primaries in the rearview mirror, the ballot is set in one of the nation’s most competitive congressional districts. In the state’s second congressional district, Republican […]
- Rural Virginia has been kind to the GOP, yet Trump’s GOP allows rural healthcare to suffer
It would be easy to blame Republicans — especially the present White House occupant — for the steady atrophying of healthcare that’s readily accessible to Virginians in rural areas. You wouldn’t be wrong. You wouldn’t be totally right either. Policies put in place during President Donald Trump’s second term contribute substantially to the declining availability […]
- Congressional Candidate in Virginia’s 10th District Dave Beckwith Highlights Service Record
Dave Beckwith is running for the United States House of Representatives in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. In a recent statement, he noted that he swore an oath to defend the Constitution three decades ago and maintains that commitment in his current campaign. The district encompasses areas in northern Virginia where voters are preparing for primary […]
- More states ban child marriage, including Virginia, though it’s still legal in most of the United States
After authorities rescued 16 children last month who had been confined to a single room in a home in rural Ohio, attention turned to their mother, who had been 15 and pregnant when she married their father. The child endangerment case has recharged a national conversation around child marriage, which is defined by the United […]
- Alongside Jen Kiggans, United States House Speaker says Virginia’s 2nd District ‘will determine the fate of the country’
As part of an 18-state tour through more than 30 congressional districts, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said Monday that “Virginia’s 2nd District will determine the fate of the country because this will be a close election.” As Johnson stumped for U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, at the Cavalier Hotel on Monday, he […]
- Virginia voters could gain a bigger voice in choosing the 2028 presidential nominees
Virginia is on track to become the sixth and final early-voting state in the 2028 Democratic presidential nominating calendar under a proposal unveiled last week, a move that could bring presidential candidates, campaign spending and national attention to the commonwealth in the weeks before Super Tuesday. The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee recommended […]
- Virginia legislator Louise Lucas was allowed to use campaign funds for her defense. So she did.
State Sen. Louise Lucas, the powerful Portsmouth Democrat, used $300,000 in campaign funds to contribute to her legal defense fund and hire a law firm following an FBI raid in May on her businesses in Portsmouth. That’s a sizable amount. What The Virginian-Pilot article should have noted higher in the story was that Lucas was […]
- Even without a new map, Buttigieg says Va. Dems can win with focus on healthcare, affordability
Virginia Democrats lost the congressional map they hoped would help them win as many as four Republican-held seats in this year’s midterm elections. Pete Buttigieg says they may not need it. The former U.S. transportation secretary and 2020 presidential candidate said Democrats can still make significant gains under Virginia’s existing map if they field competent […]
- Governor Spanberger Commits One Billion Taxpayer Dollars to Backfill Federal Budget Cuts
Governor Abigail Spanberger recently finalized the Virginia FY2026-2028 Biennium Budget, which includes a massive one billion dollar reserve fund designed to offset anticipated federal spending reductions. State officials claim this protective investment is necessary to shield Virginia from massive cuts stemming from President Donald Trump and his tax reform legislation. However, conservative watc
- Virginia marijuana budget language triggers legal confusion, political fallout
Virginia’s decision to revive legal cannabis sales through the state budget instead of standalone legislation has triggered several days of confusion over the commonwealth’s marijuana laws, with lawmakers, local prosecutors, Virginia State Police and legislative officials offering differing interpretations of when key provisions take effect. Much of the confusion focused on two issues: whether Vi
- Democrats challenge Beyer in Va.’s 8th Congressional District, marred by federal layoffs
Everyone in Northern Virginia knows someone who was “DOGEd,” either laid off or otherwise impacted by sweeping cuts initiated through President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Virginia is home to nearly 200,000 federal workers; over 20,000 of them lost their jobs last year. The pain of those losses runs […]
- Hindu Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill celebrates America 250. Bipartisan support from Congressional Reps against rising Hinduphobia and Hate
Draws Bipartisan support from Congressional Reps Against Rising Hinduphobia CoHNA event brings together lawmakers, community members and scholars, Hindu youth, and allies Washington DC, July 3, 2026: The Coalition of Hindus of North America’s (CoHNA) 5th Day of Advocacy, hosted by Capitol Hill, featured bipartisan concern about rising Hinduphobia as well as the voices of […]
- John McGuire faces primary test as Democrats eye more competitive 5th District race
U.S. Rep. John McGuire may have breathed a sigh of relief after courts last month invalidated Virginia’s voter-approved redistricting amendment, which would have made the state’s 5th congressional District more favorable to Democrats. But the Goochland Republican still enters his first reelection campaign facing turbulence, including accusations that he has done little for constituents and […]
- Do data centers impact our physical health? Studies are few and far between.
Data centers fuel the ever-growing demand for social media, artificial intelligence and streaming services, allowing people to access a plethora of entertainment options and streamline everyday tasks. And their numbers are growing — another 80 proposed projects cataloged by the Data Center Proposal Tracker would more than double the current 71 active sites in the […]
- Spanberger signs assault weapons ban, package of criminal justice and energy bills
Gov. Abigail Spanberger late Thursday signed a sweeping package of legislation approved during the 2026 General Assembly session, including a ban on the future sale and manufacture of assault-style firearms, new restrictions of weapons in hospitals, marijuana sentencing reforms, voter roll maintenance changes and protections for immigrant workers. The assault weapons measure, one of the […]
- Virginia General Assembly approves Spanberger’s budget amendments, ending monthslong impasse
With less than 48 hours remaining before the start of Virginia’s new fiscal year, the General Assembly on Monday approved a package of amendments proposed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger to the state’s two-year budget, formally ending a budget fight among the Democratic majority that had dragged on for months. The House of Delegates and state […]
- Hakeem Jeffries Signals Democratic Push to Reinstate Virginia’s Rejected Congressional Map for 2028
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has indicated that Democrats plan to pursue restoration of a congressional redistricting plan in Virginia that was struck down by the state’s Supreme Court, aiming for implementation ahead of the 2028 elections. The comments, made during an appearance at the Center for American Progress, come in the wake of […]
- NAACP asks US Supreme Court to overturn Virginia redistricting decision
A Fairfax County voter receives a sticker after casting a ballot. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury) The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Advance Project on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse Virginia’s high court ruling striking down the state’s redistricting referendum, arguing the decision nullified the votes of […]
- Virginia Democrat Suhas Subramanyam Weigh Dramatic Court Changes After Supreme Court Strikes Down Voter-Approved Redistricting Map
CHANTILLY, Va. — In the wake of a Virginia Supreme Court ruling that invalidated a newly approved congressional redistricting map, some Democrats are exploring aggressive legislative responses, including potential changes to the composition of the state’s highest court. U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), who represents Loudoun County, has publicly stated his support for taking significant […]
- Virginia House Debates SB727: Bill Banning Assault Firearm Carry in Public Passes Amid Controversy
Tom Garrett described initial shock upon reading the text, which bars carrying such weapons ‘about his person’ in public areas. He employed a Venn diagram to demonstrate overlaps: Northern Virginia pickup truck owners, rural firearm owners, and recreational shooters/hunters. A limited exemption for hunting or target practice, he argued, fails to exempt most scenarios, like […]
- Supreme Court of Virginia strikes down redistricting amendment, keeps current maps in place
The Supreme Court of Virginia in Richmond on April 27, 2026. (Photo by Samantha Willis/Virginia Mercury) The Supreme Court of Virginia on Friday struck down the voter-approved redistricting amendment, upholding a lower court ruling that had declared the measure unconstitutional less than 24 hours after last week’s special election and briefly halted its implementation. The […]