VA-02 Archives - The Virginia Star

Delegate Tim Anderson: Trump Presidential Campaign Would Be ‘Absolute Worst’ for Virginia Republicans

November 10, 2022November 9, 2022 Eric Burk

Delegate Tim Anderson (R-Virginia Beach) is calling for his fellow Virginia Republicans to break with Donald Trump after Republicans only flipped one of three competitive Democrat-held congressional districts in Virginia.

“While it appears likely Trump will announce he is running for President – I will not be supporting him,” Anderson said in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning. “While Trump was President, we lost a supermajority in the House of Delegates, a majority in the Senate and in 2019 Democrats controlled all state government for two years — radically changing Virginia. After Trump lost, the GOP gained Delegate seats back and won all three statewide offices. I call this the Trump effect. One thing Trump does very well in Virginia is mobilizing the left to vote against him and anyone who supports him.”

Kiggans Flips VA-02, Spanberger Holds On in VA-07

November 9, 2022November 9, 2022 Eric Burk

State Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) defeated Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) 51.99 percent to 47.86 percent in preliminary results. Also, Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) won her race against Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega 51.93 percent to 48.07 percent, and Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10) defeated Hung Cao 52.95 percent to 47.05 percent in preliminary results, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Youngkin Makes Final Pitch for Republican Challengers in Virginia

November 8, 2022November 7, 2022 Eric Burk

Governor Glenn Youngkin stopped at four rallies supporting five Virginia Republican candidates for Congress on Monday, making a final pitch alongside Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and Attorney General Jason Miyares for continued GOP wins in Virginia begun with Youngkin’s own victory a year ago.

“They said last year that no Republican could win statewide in Virginia. ‘I mean it’s too blue, suburbs are too strong,'” Youngkin said at a morning rally for Karina Lipsman, running for VA-08, and Jim Myles, running for VA-11.

589K Early Votes So Far in Virginia Elections

October 31, 2022October 30, 2022 Eric Burk

With a little over a week until Election Day, 589,627 voters had voted early as of October 29 in Virginia’s ongoing election, according to a graphic from The Virginia Public Access Project. That’s down from 2021, which saw over one million votes by election day, but which also had statewide elections and house races. In Virginia this year, only VA-02, VA-07, and VA-10 are competitive; the other congressional races are safe Republican or Democrat.

That’s not quite reflected in VPAP’s breakdown of early votes by district. VA-01 has the most early votes with 74,377, followed by VA-02 with 64,338, VA-05 with 59,987, VA-10 with 58,793, and VA-07 with 57,931.

Youngkin Campaigns for Virginia GOP Congressional Candidates

October 27, 2022October 26, 2022 Eric Burk

Governor Glenn Youngkin is campaigning heavily for Virginia’s congressional candidates, with a focus on VA-02, VA-07, and VA-10, but he’s also stopping in other areas. On Wednesday morning, he attended a get-out-the-vote rally for Representatives Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09) and Ben Cline (R-VA-06), and by Wednesday evening, he was in Wisconsin supporting GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels.

Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC, which has reported $4.75 million in contributions in 2022, announced his “Rally for Virginia Early Voting GOTV Tour” last week. The tour has 21 stops through November 7, including six stops supporting state Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) for VA-02, seven stops for Yesli Vega in VA-07, and four stops for Hung Cao in VA-10. Youngkin’s also spending money to support the candidates; his Empowering Virginia Parents PAC has spent $414,147 in the three districts, according to The Virginia Public Access Project.

Poll: Virginia 2nd Congressional Candidates Tied at 45 Percent

October 22, 2022October 21, 2022 Eric Burk

Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) and state Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) are tied at 45 percent in among likely voters in the race for Virginia’s second congressional district, according to a new poll from Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center that found that the district’s Democratic voters are most concerned about abortion and Republican voters are most concerned about inflation.

“Virginia’s second Congressional District has been known to switch back and forth between the major parties and it appears the seat is still highly competitive, despite new district lines that bring in more Republican voters,” said Dr. Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, Research Director of the Wason Center. “If this were a typical midterm election year, this district would likely favor the Republican candidate, especially given an unpopular sitting Democratic President and high inflation. Abortion and concern over threats to democracy appear to have energized Democrats and bolstered support for incumbent Rep. Elaine Luria.”

Kiggans and Luria Trade Blows on Abortion, Economic Policy

October 13, 2022October 13, 2022 Eric Burk

Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) and challenger Virginia Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) faced off in a Wednesday debate hosted by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. While many of the debate questions were more business-focused, the two candidates took repeated swings at their opponents’ weak points. Kiggans attacked Luria for aligning with Democrats and cited the economic impacts of their policy, and Luria warned that if elected, Kiggans would take a hard line on abortion and other reproductive issues.

The moderator asked Luria how she felt about the end of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and what the district should expect from Luria on energy. She responded by emphasizing the importance of nuclear power and added, “What they can expect from me: offshore wind development. You know, we’re not going to wake up tomorrow and stop using oil and natural gas. Of course we need adequate transmission of oil and natural gas to support our industry in the area.”

Virginia Congressional Delegation Splits on Party Lines over Continuing Resolution

October 3, 2022October 2, 2022 Eric Burk

All four of Virginia’s Republican congressmen voted against a continuing resolution to continue funding the government through December 16, 2022; the bill passed Friday with just 10 votes from Republicans nationally, sending the bill to President Joe Biden who signed the legislation the same day. In press releases, three of the Virginia Republicans criticized the bill for continuing Democratic spending. Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and Elaine Luria (D-VA-02), both in competitive elections in swing districts, criticized Congress’ use of continuing resolutions but said the bill is necessary to keep government open.

Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) cited similar good-governance concerns as his reason for voting against the bill.

He said Friday, “Today’s passage of a Continuing Resolution – an irresponsible stop-gap measure – is an unfortunate reminder of Washington’s ‘budget by crisis’ mentality.

Virginia Congressional Delegation Splits on Party Lines over Continuing Resolution

October 3, 2022 Eric Burk

Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) cited similar good-governance concerns as his reason for voting against the bill.

He said Friday, “Today’s passage of a Continuing Resolution – an irresponsible stop-gap measure – is an unfortunate reminder of Washington’s ‘budget by crisis’ mentality.

Del. Anderson Wants General Assembly to Create Book Content Ratings

September 1, 2022August 31, 2022 Eric Burk

Delegate Tim Anderson (R-Virginia Beach) wants to create a ratings system for books sold in Virginia, according to comments he made after a court dismissed an obscenity lawsuit against Barnes and Noble and Virginia Beach Public Schools.

“Every other medium has ratings associated with them, such as movies, music and video games,” Anderson said in a Tuesday statement. “Creating a rating system that warns purchasers and consumers that books contain strong sexual content will be a first step for the legislature to look into and I intend to start that conversation next year.”

VA-02, 07, 10 Incumbents Hold Lead in Congressional Fundraising; Early Fundraising Gives Preview of Competitive 2023 General Assembly Primaries

July 19, 2022July 18, 2022 Eric Burk

Incumbents are leading in fundraising in Virginia’s competitive congressional races, according to new second-quarter reports; Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) has about $4.9 million cash on hand, Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) has about $4.3 million cash on hand, and Representative Jennifer Wexton has about $3.6 million on hand. Luria’s Republican challenger State Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) has $413,279 cash on hand; Wexton’s challenger Hung Cao has $354,183 on hand, and Spanberger challenger Yesli Vega has $246,070, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Vega Wins VA-07 GOP Nomination, Kiggans Wins VA-02 Nomination

June 22, 2022June 21, 2022 Eric Burk

Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega is the GOP nominee to challenge Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), and State Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) is the GOP nominee to face Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02).

“I am honored the voters of Virginia’s seventh Congressional District have chosen me to be the Republican nominee in the general election this fall. As the first conservative Hispanic to win a Republican congressional primary in Virginia, this is a historic moment for Hispanics across Virginia and our nation. I want to thank my family, friends, volunteers, and all the voters who believe in our message of liberty, safety, and economic prosperity,” Vega said in a Tuesday night press release.

VA-07 GOP Candidate Anderson Launches New Ad, Democrats Highlight Jarome Bell in VA-02 GOP Primary

June 17, 2022June 16, 2022 Eric Burk

VA-07 GOP candidate Derrick Anderson launched his third ad of the campaign on Wednesday, highlighting his Trump-aligned policies on the border, guns, and abortion ahead of the nomination on Tuesday.

“Lawlessness on our streets. Abortion on demand. Joe Biden and the radical Democrats are destroying America,” the ad says. “Conservative warrior Derrick Anderson is ready to fight back.”

Del. Anderson and VA-02 Candidate Altman Seeking Injunction Against Barnes and Noble

May 20, 2022May 19, 2022 Eric Burk

Delegate Tim Anderson (R-Virginia Beach) is seeking an injunction against Barnes & Noble because the retailer doesn’t limit access to books with mature content. On Wednesday, a judge found probable cause that Gender Queer: A Memoir and A Court of Mist and Fury are obscene as part of a lawsuit…

VA-02 Primary: Trump Invites Jarome Bell Onstage; Sen. Kiggans Launches First TV Ad

May 6, 2022May 5, 2022 Eric Burk

Former President Donald Trump brought VA-02 congressional candidate Jarome Bell on stage at a rally on Monday.

“So Jarome, what are you running for? What and where,” Trump asked, according to a video of the event, where attendees vied to draw Trump’s attention to their candidacies.