View from Coffin Corner
Extreme position on House floor enjoys a storied history.
As a freshman delegate in 1978, Ken Plum was assigned a desk in the far corner on the Democratic side of the House of Delegates — seat 17. It wasn’t the best vantage point in the House because about a third of the Republican members were totally out of view. The senior members took the seats at the back of the chamber near the center, sticking Plum in the corner.
Virginia Lawmakers Play Whack-A-Mole with Predatory Lenders
Senate panel takes action limiting one kind of high-interest loan, leaving loophole for another.
By this time next year, high-interest lenders may be prohibited from making consumer finance loans — at least ones they find profitable at 200 percent interest. So that loophole may be closed by the end of the General Assembly session. But it seems likely lawmakers will leave Richmond this year creating no restrictions on open-end lines of credit, raising concern among some that lawmakers are playing a game of whack-a-mole.
Town Hall in West Springfield Told of ‘Chaos-Causing Trump Effect’
Fairfax County NAACP hosts Town Hall gathering with Kaine.
Northern Virginia Lawmakers Push for Menstrual Equity
General Assembly to consider bills providing feminine hygiene products in schools and prisons.
For one Alexandria woman who was booked into the Fairfax County jail a few years ago, the stress of the criminal justice system wasn't just about prosecution and detention. It was also about shame. Deputies confiscated her underwear because it wasn't white, the only color inmates are allowed to wear at the Fairfax jail. So she started worrying about what would happen when she started menstruating.
From Medicaid to Broadband, Northern Virginia Lawmakers Prepare for Raucous Session
Democrats plan to use new numbers to accomplish wide-ranging agenda.
This year’s General Assembly will be like no other. For starters, members walking the halls of the Capitol will look different. The crop of freshman includes the first transgender woman to serve in the Virginia General Assembly, the first lesbian, the first Asian-American women and the first two Latinas. Gone are the 12 Republican members who were unseated, all white males. Also gone are the three members who got out before the bloodbath that flipped their seats from red to blue, also all white males. In their place is a diverse and young group of new members who are eager to make their mark on the commonwealth.
Following the Money from High-Interest Lenders to Virginia Lawmakers
Campaign cash helps undermine efforts to create consumer protections.
Recent years have seen increased scrutiny of high-interest lenders, businesses that offer a variety of loans at interest rates that often exceed 300 percent. Now campaign finance disclosures show the industry is spreading its influence across the political spectrum with about $800,000 in political contributions this election cycle according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project.
On the Ballot
A look at statewide candidates and where they get their money.
Voters across Virginia will be headed to the polls Tuesday Nov. 7. Here’s a look at what’s on the ballot.
Shifting Political Battlefield for Virginia General Assembly
Solid blue urban areas separated by political beltway from solid red exurbs.
Northern Virginia has more competitive seats than any other part of the commonwealth, a ring of districts that forms a beltway of sorts separating the inner solid blue in Arlington and Alexandria from the solid red in rural and exurban seats in Loudoun and Prince William. That puts Fairfax County squarely in the driver’s seat this November, when Democrats hope to pick up seats in an election that has balanced local issues like schools and roads with the ongoing reaction to President Donald Trump.
House District 40 Shows Republicans Still Competitive in Clinton Districts
Democratic newcomer Donte Tanner faces uphill climb against incumbent Tim Hugo.
Democrats are energized, and they’re targeting Republican-held House districts that Hillary Clinton won last year. But House District 40 shows what an uphill climb this year will be for them.
Rorschach Politics
Candidates for governor present inkblots on everything from the economy to Confederate statues.
The campaign for governor is a bit like a Rorschach test as the candidates close in on the final stretch toward Election Day. Democrat Ralph Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie are presenting a series of inkblots to voters about everything from the health of the economy to the value of Confederate statues.
Fighting the System or Ineffective Leadership?
Republican Linda Schulz challenges incumbent Del. Jennifer Boysko.
Democratic incumbent Del. Jennifer Boysko (D-86) is a leading voice of the resistance to Republican leadership. But is she getting anything done in Richmond? Her Republican challenger doesn't think so.