Category: LEAD

Virginia Republicans in Rep. Bob Good’s District Prefer Trump Despite DeSantis Endorsement, Could Flip to John McGuire in 2024: Poll

Tom Pappert

A new poll conducted by Battleground Connect, provided to The Virginia Star by the congressional campaign of Delegate John McGuire (R-Goochland), indicates the majority of Republicans in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District will support former President Donald Trump over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in March 2024, and may choose McGuire over Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) when voters return to the polls in June.

The survey reported that 71 percent of Republicans in Virginia’s 5th district hold a favorable opinion of Trump, compared to just 15 percent who hold an unfavorable opinion. Just 43 percent of those respondents reported a favorable opinion of DeSantis, while 34 percent had no opinion.

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Promises Bills Banning TikTok for Minors, Restricting Social Media Data Gathering for Kids

Tom Pappert
Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) said in a Friday news conference that he will introduce legislation to the Virginia General Assembly to ban TikTok for minors, restrict other social media from gathering data about children, and expand state-funded mental health initiatives in public schools and colleges.

Youngkin revealed four new legislative efforts he intends to champion during the upcoming legislative session, after first calling for an additional $500 million to address youth mental health in a Friday press release.

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Virginia Teacher Fired for Not Using Student’s Preferred Pronouns Wins Major Victory

Virginia Star Staff
Peter Vlaming

In a gratifying win for religious freedom and free speech, the Virginia Supreme Court concluded Thursday that embattled Virginia high school teacher Peter Vlaming, who had been fired over his refusal to use a student’s preferred pronouns because of his religious faith, was protected by the free exercise and free speech clauses of the Virginia Constitution.

In 2018, Vlaming, then a West Point High School French teacher, consistently referred to his transgender student (a biological female) by the student’s preferred name. However, he carefully avoided the use of third-person pronouns when referring to the student so as to not violate his religious beliefs. This wasn’t good enough for the West Point School Board, which ordered Vlaming to use the student’s preferred pronouns, too.

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Commits to Supporting Trump if He’s Republican Nominee

Tom Pappert

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said on Wednesday that he will support former President Donald Trump if he secures the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.

Youngkin confirmed to CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that will support Trump, should he first become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.

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Rep. Morgan Griffith Becomes First Virginia Congressman to Endorse Trump for 2024 Election

Tom Pappert

Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09) formally endorsed former President Donald Trump and his 2024 campaign for the White House on Wednesday, becoming the first congressman from Virginia to endorse the former president’s bid.

Griffith made his endorsement during a radio interview with John Fredericks, the publisher of The Virginia Star, who called it “a huge endorsement” for Trump.

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Wants $90 Million for Research at Virginia Universities with Antisemitism Controversies

Tom Pappert

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) revealed on Monday he will seek $90 million in his December 20 budget to fund new research at three Virginia universities that have all suffered from antisemitic protests and demonstrations on their campuses, accusations of antisemitic posts from faculty, or claims of failing to accurately reflect Israel’s position in its defensive war against Hamas at university events.

Youngkin announced in a press release Monday that he is seeking “a total of $90 million in one-time funds to the University of Virginia’s Manning Institute for Biotechnology, Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, and the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medicines for All Institute” that will require them to work with the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority to increase “commercialization and startup support” for the institutions.

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Denies Campaigning on Abortion Was Mistake, Acknowledges Americans ‘Living Paycheck to Paycheck’

Tom Pappert
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) denied that Virginia Republicans suffered from his political action committee’s heavy campaigning to restrict abortion during the November elections during a Monday interview. However, the governor also acknowledged the majority of Americans are “living paycheck to paycheck” in remarks that follow a leadership challenge against his allies in the House of Delegates, which was reportedly orchestrated due to frustrations over Republicans’ failure to campaign on the economy.

Responding to criticisms that Virginia Republicans may have suffered due to Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC spending heavily in favor of restricting abortion during the 2023 elections, the governor told Bloomberg that campaigning on abortion “was not a mistake.” He seemed to argue the issue gave Republicans something to run on, telling the outlet, “I firmly believe that one of the challenges that we have had as Republicans is we haven’t been clear on what we’re going to do.”

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Urges Biden Admin to End Remote Work for Federal Workers to Save Metro Transit

Tom Pappert

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin sent a letter to two federal agencies within the Biden administration, urging them to require federal employees to return to the office in order to save the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) from a budget deficit he claims threatens the future of public transportation in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Youngkin urged the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM)and Office of Management and Budget to order its employees back to their offices “to infuse needed energy into the Greater DC regional economy and provide WMATA with a sustaining ridership level.”

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Virginia U.S. Rep. Bob Good Secretly Recorded Complaining About Trump’s ‘Baggage’ After Claiming He Never Criticized Former President

Tom Pappert

U.S. Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) raised complaints about former President Donald Trump, highlighting an alleged lack of conservative bona fides, before criticizing the criminal indictments against the former president as “baggage” in an undercover video posted to social media on Wednesday.

The video, which appears to be clandestinely shot, repeatedly features a clip of Good stating “you’re asking me privately, I don’t say this publicly,” before transitioning to clips of Good criticizing Trump.

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Wants $448 Million to Fund Childcare, After School Programs as Federal Funding Dwindles

Tom Pappert

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced his new Building Blocks for Virginia Families initiative a press event on Thursday, declaring the plan will allow the commonwealth to continue funding childcare and early childhood education after pandemic-era funding from the federal government is gone.

Promoting the initiative as part of his administration’s efforts to empower parents, raise the commonwealth’s educational standards, and bring more Virginians into the workforce, the governor promised during a Thursday press conference that the initiative will be “the great underpinnings to having the very best childcare and early education system in the nation.”

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YoungkinWatch: Williamsburg Festival Denies Hanukkah Celebration Ever Scheduled After Governor Condemns Cancellation

Tom Pappert

A Williamsburg music and arts festival is denying it ever scheduled a menorah lighting to celebrate Hanukkah after Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) condemned the group’s purported decision to cancel it amid Israel’s defensive war against Hamas.

News broke on Sunday that the 2nd Sundays Art and Music Festival in Williamsburg canceled a menorah lighting scheduled for its December 10 event, with The Virginia Gazette reporting that festival founder Shirley Vermillion “said 2nd Sundays are inclusive to different religions and cultures,” and reported that Vermillion stated the menorah lighting “seemed very inappropriate” due to what the outlet called “current events in Israel and Gaza.”

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Joins 16 States Urging Biden to Stop China-Linked Purchases of U.S. Land

Tom Pappert

Governor Glenn Youngkin joined a coalition of governors from 17 states who on Monday sent a letter to President Joe Biden that urged the administration to prevent “dangerous and adversarial governments to infiltrate our country” by purchasing “swaths of real property throughout the United States.”

Citing multiple reports that companies linked to China are purchasing large amounts of farmland, including near U.S. military installations, the governors wrote to demand the Biden administration “reckon with the fact that such entities are plain threats to our national security, our farmers, and our citizenry.”

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YoungkinWatch: Virginia’s RNC Committee Woman Calls for Trump to Oust Chair Ronna McDaniel as Governor Keeps Silence

Tom Pappert

Former President Donald Trump was urged to call for a replacement for Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on Monday by Patti Lyman, a Republican National Committeewoman representing Virginia. Lyman’s remarks follow claims from McDaniel that Governor Glenn Youngkin, or his representatives, told her that Virginia did not need additional funding prior to the Republicans’ electoral losses in November.

During an appearance on “The John Fredericks Show,” Lyman suggested Trump could be a deciding factor to determine new leadership at the RNC. She told host John Fredericks, who is publisher of The Virginia Star, Trump is the “one man” who could take “necessary” actions to “get new leadership at the RNC.”

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YoungkinWatch: UVA Did Not Promote, Advertise ‘Summit on Free Speech’ Governor Reportedly Spent Over a Year Planning

Tom Pappert

The University of Virginia (UVA) did little to promote Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) on Wednesday, even as he gathered officials from every public college in the commonwealth at for his “Higher Education Summit on Free Speech and Intellectual Diversity” at the school’s Newcomb Hall to discuss the importance of differing opinions in higher education.

Youngkin told attendees that, “when it comes to freedom of expression, we have to create an environment that protects the ability to challenge conventional thinking,” according to UVA Today. The governor added, “Challenging beliefs and fostering an environment for these debates is exactly why we all exist.”

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Report: Virginia Criminal Case Workload Nearly Doubled, Multiple Factors Blamed

The Center Square
Lawyers Working

A recent report revealed that Virginia’s criminal defense court-appointed and public defense attorneys are underfunded and that most cases are now taking twice as long to defend — leading to an even greater disparity between pay and hours worked.

The report, assembled by the commission that reviews the operation of the commonwealth’s policies and state agencies, attributed increased workload per case to changes in technology, mental health and a slew of policies ushered in by the previous governor’s administration.

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Places Third in Virginia Presidential Primary Poll, Trump and Biden Statistically Tied

Tom Pappert
Trump, Biden, Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) placed third in a Virginia presidential primary poll released on Thursday, while pollsters found the majority of voters favor former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. Trump was also statistically tied with President Joe Biden, despite Biden carrying the Commonwealth by 10 percentage points in 2020.

The Roanoke College poll, conducted between November 12 and November 20, found Trump to be the first choice of 51 percent of Virginia Republicans for the Republican candidate for president. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) placed in a distant, second place, with 14 percent of support.

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YoungkinWatch: Virginia Democrat Declines House Race, Cites ‘Slim Majorities’ in Legislature as Party Looks to Block Governor with ‘Brick Wall’

Tom Pappert

Virginia State Senator Jeremy McPike (D-Prince William) confirmed on Wednesday he will not run for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), who earlier this month announced she would not seek re-election and would instead run for governor. McPike noted Virginia Democrats’ “slim majorities” in the Virginia General Assembly amid Democrats’ promises to be a “brick wall” preventing the agenda of Governor Glenn Youngkin (R).

In a post to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the senator said he looks “forward to continuing to serve and fight for Virginians in the Senate.” Revealing he was urged to enter the House race, McPike (pictured above) stated “for now, with our slim majorities in the General Assembly, I will continue to fight to improve the lives of everyday Virginians.”

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Will Not Stop Skill Games Ban Enforcement After Bipartisan Letter from Lawmakers Pleading for Virginia Businesses

Tom Pappert

The office of Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) provided The Virginia Star with a copy of a letter written in response to a bipartisan group of Virginia lawmakers who requested the governor seek a delay on enforcement of the state’s ban on skill games.

After the Virginia Supreme Court reversed a stay on skill games in October, which are similar to slot machines but purportedly require skill to operate, 11 legislators sent a joint letter to Youngkin on November 7. The lawmakers informed Youngkin of their intention to regulate the machines in the upcoming legislative session, and according to Richmond Times-Dispatch, asked Youngkin to direct authorities to delay enforcement of the ban until the assembly could act.

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YoungkinWatch: Virginia Health Agency Cuts Deputy Commissioner in Push for Youngkin’s ‘Right Help, Right Now’ Program

Tom Pappert

Commissioner Nelson Smith, who was selected by Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) to oversee the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, announced in November that a deputy commissioner’s position is being eliminated from the agency in a bid for the agency to meet to the governor’s expectations.

Nelson told employees across the agency’s departments at some point in November that the position of deputy commissioner for administrative services was being eliminated as part of a broadcer reorganization effort, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The job cut will apparently help the agency enact Youngkin’s Right Help, Right Now reforms, which the governor stated will help those suffering from mental health crises in Virginia.

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Governor Hints GOP Will Revive Democrat-Thwarted Legislation, Target Fentanyl Dealers with Murder Charges

Tom Pappert

Governor Glenn Youngkin indicated to local media on Friday that Virginia Republicans will reintroduce a bill to charge fentanyl dealers and distributors with murder if their drugs result in a lethal overdose. Virginia Democrats successfully defeated the legislation in February.

Youngkin told 7 News on Friday, “if you’re a drug dealer and you do drugs and someone dies, you should be charged with felony homicide.” He stressed to the outlet, “[w]e cannot coddle drug dealers.”

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No Current Republican Frontrunners for 2025’s Virginia Gubernatorial Contest

The Center Square

With an early declaration from Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger that she will be running for governor in 2025 and Virginia’s one-term policy preventing Gov. Glenn Youngkin from running consecutively, Republicans can only speculate who their candidates will be.

Spanberger has said she declared early due to next year’s congressional races in which her seat will be reelected. She wanted to give interested parties time to prepare a strong campaign to keep District 7 blue.

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YoungkinWatch: More Than 80 Percent of Virginia School Divisions Join Governor’s ‘ALL In’ Plan to Fight Pandemic Learning Loss

Tom Pappert

More than 80 percent of Virginia school divisions have submitted plans to receive funding from the “ALL In” plan unveiled by Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) earlier this year. Youngkin created the funding opportunity with the Virginia General Assembly as schools as students continue to struggle, even years after the pandemic forced schools to go digital.

Superintendent of Public Education Lisa Coons said in a press release on Wednesday that Virginia’s education administrators in 110 school divisions “are making major efforts to find specific and meaningful ways to help their students tackle learning loss.” The agency reported the 110 participating school divisions “cover all regions of the commonwealth,” and include “large divisions such as Fairfax County and Virginia Beach,” and “some of the smallest such as Highland County schools.”

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YoungkinWatch: Democratic Speaker-Designee Wants Youngkin to Help Restore Voting Rights for Felons

Tom Pappert

Virginia Speaker-designee Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) said in an appearance on “Meet The Press Now” shared to social media on Monday that he expects Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) to sign Democrats’ forthcoming legislation to restore voting rights for felons, but added that he is ready to take the decision “away from the governor” if he resists their “opportunity” to “restore rights.”

“There are several issues we can work on, I think the governor’s already signaled that he’s ready to reset and ready to work with us,” Scott said, noting Youngkin’s previous suggestion the parties could work together on mental health, drug addiction, and other issues.

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YoungkinWatch: Governor Declares Virginia Must ‘Get Revenue Sorted’ Before Possible Tax Cut

Tom Pappert

Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) reportedly told reporters that Virginia needs to “get revenue sorted” before he can determine whether to move forward on his 2022 proposal to cut state taxes by $1 billion.

Youngkin spent nearly three hours speaking with the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates on Monday, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported, and came away from the meeting with uncertain remarks about tax cuts amid claims the state will suffer a $1.3 billion shortfall in its next budget.

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YoungkinWatch: Democrats Release Plan to Put Abortion in Virginia Constitution, Ban Guns after Governor Promises Bipartisan Agenda

Tom Pappert
Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly announced joint legislative plans on Monday to enshrine abortion access into the state’s constitution, raise the minimum wage, automatically restore voting rights for felons, and ban AR-15 rifles. The plans were released after Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) said he would pursue bipartisan legislation in the Democrat-controlled General Assembly.

Virginia Democrats in both chambers of the legislature say they submitted four bills on Monday, the first day of prefiling for the 2024 General Assembly Session, which seek to make good on the party’s campaign partisan campaign promises.

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YoungkinWatch: Sen. Tim Kaine Reportedly Claims Governor May Mount Senate Bid in Fundraising Email

Tom Pappert

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) reportedly warned donors that Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) could launch a campaign for his U.S. Senate seat in 2024 in a fundraising email on Friday. Youngkin is term limited, and cannot seek another term as the commonwealth’s governor.

In a fundraising email, Youngkin reportedly stressed the importance of maintaining the Democrats’ current Senate majority, citing the decision of Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) to retire, before addressing “speculation” about Youngkin’s future political ambitions, according to The Washington Examiner.

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Report: Virginia’s Court-Appointed Attorneys and Public Defenders Need More Support

The Center Square
Lawyer

Everyone is entitled to a defense, but those willing to serve as court-appointed lawyers in Virginia are growing scarce, and public defenders need more staff to serve their clients properly.

Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission presented a report to members of the General Assembly showing that state caps on court-appointed attorney fees are “embarrassingly low,” according to one judge, and there are neither enough public defenders to meet demand nor enough support staff.

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University of Virginia Hosted Lecture Teaching Med Students How to Open Gender Clinics

Virginia Star Staff

The University of Virginia (UVA) Medical School hosted an educational session on April 13, 2022, about starting a “gender-affirming” health program and offered a continuing education credit to healthcare professionals who participated, according to a video recording obtained through a public records request by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The session, “Starting a Gender Affirming Surgery Program,” was presented by the UVA School of Medicine Center for Health Humanities and Ethics and featured a lecture from “gender-affirming” surgeon, Dr. Rachel Bluebond-Langner. In the lecture, Bluebond-Langner described principles that led to the rapid growth of the transgender surgery program at NYU Langone Health and articulated the need for more gender health programs, saying that “more centers are needed to meet the demand.”

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YoungkinWatch: Virginia State Senator-Elect Challenging Rep. Bob Good Once Described as Governor’s ‘Prominent Surrogate’

Tom Pappert

Virginia State Senator-elect John McGuire, who announced on Wednesday he is launching a primary challenge against against Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05), was described as a “prominent surrogate” for Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) in 2021. 

McGuire, a former U.S. Navy SEAL who is currently finishing his term as a Delegate in the Virginia House before he moves to the Virginia Senate, was described by The Washington Post as “a prominent surrogate for Youngkin” who “often” introduced him at campaign events when Youngkin was campaigning in 2021.

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YoungkinWatch: Governor’s Allies Retain Virginia House Leadership Positions Despite GOP Losses

Tom Pappert

The Republican members of the Virginia House of Delegates chose legislators considered allies of Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) for party leadership last Sunday, including one who spent over $500,000 to win a district considered safe for Republicans after Virginia’s 2021 redistricting.

Virginia Republicans chose House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) to become the party’s new Minority Leader in the House of Delegates, and Delegate Amanda Batten (R-York) will retain her position as the Republican Caucus Chair.

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Soros-Backed Virginia Prosecutor Who Jailed Parent of Bathroom Assault Victim Loses Reelection by Just 300 Votes

Tom Pappert

Election officials determined on Tuesday that embattled Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj (D) narrowly lost her re-election. Biberaj fell short in her bid for a third term to challenger Bob Anderson, a Republican who served in the position from 1996 through 2003, by exactly 300 votes. Anderson received 68,068 votes – or 49.92 percent of the total – compared to Biberaj, who received 67,768 votes – or 49.7 percent of the total. A total of 518 voters wrote in a candidate for their ballots.

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YoungkinWatch: Democrat Memo Claims Party Won Virginia Because of Focus on Governor’s ‘Presidential Ambitions’

Tom Pappert

A memo released by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) on Monday credited Virginia Democrats’ recent electoral victories to the party’s commitment to state issues that impact voters in the Commonwealth of Virginia, primarily abortion, as well as the media’s simultaneous focus on the “presidential ambitions” of Governor Glenn Youngkin (R).

In the memo, DLCC Interim President Heather Williams wrote, “while national pundits focused on Governor Youngkin and his presidential ambitions,” Democrats sought to make the election “about state power and the future” of abortion.

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YoungkinWatch: Democrat Speaker Nominee Wants Relationship ‘Reset’ as Governor Promises Bipartisan Legislation

Tom Pappert

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) appeared to receive an olive branch from Delegate Don Scott Jr. (D-Portsmouth), who the Virginia Democrats elected as their Speaker-designee for the Virginia House of Delegates following Republican losses in last week’s elections, after Scott stated he wants “a reset” between the men during a Friday interview.

In Friday remarks to The Washington Post, the Speaker-designee described himself as a “pragmatic progressive” who is ready for “a reset” with Youngkin. The outlet reported Scott believes Democrats and Youngkin “can find common ground on areas such as education, mental health funding and creating good jobs,” and the publication noted Youngkin made similar promises in a press conference shortly after the electoral defeats of November 7.

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YoungkinWatch: Virginia Republicans Reportedly Sought to Punish Governor’s House Ally over GOP Losses

Tom Pappert

Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates reportedly sought to strip the leadership position of Speaker Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandowoah) on Sunday for his failure to caution Governor Glenn Youngkin against fiercely campaigning on abortion, and for demanding Virginia legislators appear at political events they reportedly said were part of a last minute presidential bid for the governor.

At least three Republican delegates anonymously told The Washington Post they planned to punish Gilbert, who was described as a “key ally” of Youngkin in 2022, for pushing legislators to comply with Youngkin’s demands”to appear at Youngkin-led rallies and other events,” which the legislators told the Post “were primarily meant to promote his last-minute bid for president.”

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Virginia Senator Calls for IG Probe of FBI Headquarters Selection: ‘Clear Political Interference’

Just the News

Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner on Thursday blasted the Biden administration’s handling of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters selection process and called for an General Services Administration (GSA) Inspector General probe of the matter.

FBI Director Chris Wray also said on Thursday that he has “concerns about fairness and transparency in the process and GSA’s failure to adhere to its own site selection plan.”

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Federal Government Chooses Maryland over Virginia as New Headquarters for FBI

The Center Square

The federal government has finally selected Greenbelt, Maryland, as the location for its new FBI headquarters, concluding a search process that began more than 10 years ago.

Congress authorized the General Services Administration to start looking for a new site for the FBI headquarters in 2012 after a decade of complaints about the security, technological capabilities, “deteriorating infrastructure,” and other issues with the current facility in Washington, D.C. The GSA narrowed its search to Greenbelt and Landover, Maryland, and Springfield, Virginia, in 2014, and state lawmakers and officials from both states have actively pursued the selection of their state throughout. 

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The Battle for Virginia: Youngkin Falls Short as Democrats Take Both Chambers

Neil W. McCabe

Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin failed in his epic attempt to put both legislative chambers of the General Assembly under GOP control, closing out November 7, Election Day, one of the boldest campaigns in the modern history of the Old Dominion’s off-cycle elections.

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In Battle for Control of Virginia Legislature, Republicans Test New Commitment to Early Voting

Just the News

Early voting has become a central issue in the Virginia legislature election, which is set to conclude on Tuesday and determine whether Gov. Glenn Youngkin will have a Republican majority to pass legislation.

The state Senate is currently controlled by Democrats, 22-18, with the state House controlled by Republicans, after winning 52 seats in 2021 to Democrats’ 48, according to Ballotpedia. Republicans gained control of the state House in 2021, when Youngkin won the governorship, Winsome Earle-Sears won the election for lieutenant governor, and Jason Miyares won the attorney general race.

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The Battle for Virginia: Youngkin, Obama Struggle for Control of Old Dominion

Neil W. McCabe

The future of the Commonwealth of Virginia hangs in the balance as Democrats, backed by former President Barack Obama, are desperate to stop Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin from winning the state government trifecta, control of both chambers of the General Assembly in addition to governor’s office—all coming to a head on the November 7 Election Day.

“I’m calling to remind you that today is Election Day in Virginia. The people we elect in the State Senate and House of Delegates will make decisions that affect your everyday life. Now’s the time to make our voices heard,” said Obama in one of the robocalls he recorded for Virginia Democrats to target some 100,000 Democratic voters.

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Abortion Looms Large in Virginia’s General Election

The Center Square

The issue of abortion has loomed large in this year’s General Assembly general election, as Virginia is the only state in the South not to impose additional restrictions on abortion after the release of the Dobbs decision.

As Virginia has a chance of a Republican trifecta after Nov. 7, Democrats this election season have captured national attention as they fight to preserve abortion freedoms in the state. 

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Virginia Students Walk Out over Continuing Policy of Allowing Biological Males in Girl’s Bathrooms

Just the News

High school students in a northern Virginia County on Wednesday protested a school policy that allows biological males in girl’s locker rooms and restrooms.

The protest occurred in Loudoun County, which in recent years has become a focal point over school policies regarding transgender students and the transparency of those policies.

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Youngkin ‘Fires’ Eventbrite After App Cancels Riley Gaines, Promotes Hamas

Neil W. McCabe

The Republican governor of Virginia directed his political organization and official staff to stop using the Eventbrite app after the company dumped a speaking engagement by superstar swimmer and feminist Riley Gaines — all the while, they promoted events supporting Hamas and its October 7 attacks on the Jewish State.

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Virginia Attorney General Opens Investigation into Radical American Muslims for Palestine Nonprofit

Virginia Star Staff

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced on Tuesday that his office’s Consumer Protection Section has opened an investigation into the Hamas-linked American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) for potential violations of the state’s charitable solicitation laws.

“The Attorney General’s Office has reason to believe that the organization may be soliciting contributions in the Commonwealth without first having registered with the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture,” Miyares said in a statement. “In addition, the Attorney General will investigate allegations that the organization may have used funds raised for impermissible purposes under state law, including benefitting or providing support to terrorist organizations.”

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Youngkin ‘Fires’ Eventbrite After App Cancels Riley Gaines, Promotes Hamas

Neil W. McCabe

The Republican governor of Virginia directed his political organization and official staff to stop using the Eventbrite app after the company dumped a speaking engagement by superstar swimmer and feminist Riley Gaines—all the while, they promoted events supporting Hamas and its October 7 attacks on the Jewish State.

“As governor, I have told our political committee that we will no longer use Eventbrite. The governor’s office is no longer using Eventbrite,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin on the October 30 edition of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.

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The Battle for Virginia: Youngkin Blasts Pro-Hamas College Students

Neil W. McCabe

The Republican governor of Virginia told the host of “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” he wants answers regarding why someone is teaching college students to support Hamas—not Israel—after the October 7 attacks on the Jewish State.

“The bottom line is I question what’s being taught on these college campuses. If we have students that don’t fully understand the brutality of a terrorist group,” said Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is limited to one term.

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Court Rules in Favor of Virginia AG Against Get-Out-the-Vote Group

The Center Square

A Virginia court has ruled in favor of Attorney General Jason Miyares against Look Ahead America, who had filed a lawsuit and a motion for an injunction and temporary restraining order against Miyares, alleging interference with the group’s First Amendment rights. 

The group, a get-out-the-vote organization, has been active in the weeks leading up to the General Assembly general election and received a cease-and-desist order from the attorney general’s office on Oct. 10 about some materials it had distributed as part of its efforts. 

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The Battle for Virginia: PAC Spends $1.5 Million Backing Pro-Life Candidates

Neil W. McCabe

A pro-life political action affiliated with Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is pouring $1.5 million into Virginia legislative races in the last days before the November 7 election, which will decide what party controls the commonwealth’s General Assembly.

SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said she backed the effort by Women Speak Out Virginia, which supports House of Delegates and State Senate candidates aligned with Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s proposed ban on abortions after 15 weeks—the point when unborn children feel pain.

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Virginia Saw Net Out-Migration in 2022

The Center Square

Virginia was the eighth-most popular state to move to in the U.S. – and the sixth-most popular to leave – in 2022. 

The commonwealth was not alone in this trend. Almost all of the top 10 states that gained the most new residents last year are among the most populous, while eight of those lost the most residents. 

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