State and National Government
RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced that total General Fund revenues rose 66.2 percent in May, the largest monthly revenue increase in more than 50 years. Over 85 percent of the growth in May can be attributed to a return to normal tax filing dates for estimated payments and a shorter extension this year for individual final payments. Governor Northam also announced the appointment of Joe Flores as Secretary of Finance and Carter Hutchinson as Deputy Secretary of Finance.
Rep. Ben Cline. Ian Price photo
The US Senate has hammered out a tentative bipartisan agreement on a scaled-down infrastructure bill, although the finer points are still being negotiated. But will it pass muster in the House? 6th District Republican Congressman Ben Cline was live in studio this morning. The compromise is about half the size of the original infrastructure package.
Hear the complete conversation with Congressman Ben Cline concerning budget issues below; or watch it on Facebook.
Calling China the most important challenge facing the US internationally right now, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine has partnered with a Republican colleague on a bill amendment calling for a boycott of the 20-22 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. The story from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
Mark Herring
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Attorney General Mark Herring will seek a third term from voters in November after beating back a strong challenge from Norfolk Del. Jay Jones.
Herring’s victory was a closely watched race among the down-ballot contests in Tuesday’s primary election. He will face Republican state Del. Jason Miyares in the November general election.
Democrats are also nominating a candidate for lieutenant governor from a field of six candidates. Both Democrats and Republicans are holding nominating primaries for some House of Delegates seats and local races.
Virginia’s off-year elections typically draw national attention as a possible bellwether for trends heading into next year’s midterms. Republicans chose their statewide candidates in a nominating convention last month. The GOP is looking to end a 12-year losing streak in statewide elections.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Last June, when Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced a plan to take down a 131-year-old statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, the move was met with widespread praise and relief from racial justice activists who had long seen it as a symbol of white supremacy.
A year later, the enormous bronze equestrian statue still towers over a traffic circle on historic Monument Avenue in downtown Richmond, kept in place by two lawsuits filed by people who believe it should stay right where it is. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of Virginia will hear arguments in the legal challenges.
Among the central issues to be decided by the court: Is the Commonwealth of Virginia bound by a decision made by state officials more than 130 years ago? Or can the state undo that decision because the public’s attitude toward Confederate symbols has changed drastically since then?
Attorneys for the plaintiffs will argue that the governor does not have the authority to remove the statue, while Attorney General Mark Herring’s office will ask the court to uphold a lower court’s rulings in favor of the governor.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s signature exuberance was on full display as he campaigned on Memorial Day weekend in downtown Petersburg, cracking jokes in a beauty salon, leading a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday,” and breaking into a dance on a sidewalk.
“I want everybody to know we are back here in Virginia, and we’re going to be stronger than we’ve ever been. We are going to lead the nation out of this COVID crisis,” he told a crowd of supporters and spectators that began chanting his name.
In his quest for a second term, McAuliffe heads into Tuesday’s five-way Democratic primary with an undeniable lead in public polling, name recognition, endorsements and money. But the question facing voters in the primary election is whether the political veteran with decades of experience is the right man for the moment in a state and nation deeply divided and in the throes of unsettling change.
In Virginia, Democrats assumed full control of state government in 2020, two years after McAuliffe left office, and pushed through sweeping change, from gun control to police reform to marijuana legalization to an increase in the minimum wage, transforming what was once a reliably red state into an outlier in the South.
A just released Roanoke College poll shows Former Governor Terry McAuliffe and incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring hold strong leads in their races for the Democratic nominations – each registering 49 percent support from likely voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary election. The late May statewide phone survey shows the race for lieutenant governor is still wide open, with Delegate Hala Ayala leading Roanoke Delegate Sam Rasoul 16 to 11 percent, with four other candidates trailing – and 45 percent still undecided. Senior Political Analyst Harry Wilson:
There are six Democrats on Tuesday’s primary ballot seeking the party’s nomination for Lieutenant Governor. We brought you three of them Wednesday, and today, we hear from the other three. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more in this Longer Listen:
Democratic party voters have plenty of choices at next Tuesday’s statewide primary, and our political analyst says there is a clear choice between establishment candidates and younger ones pressing progressive agendas even harder. There are five candidates on the Democratic ballot for governor, six for Lieutenant Governor, and two for Attorney General. Whoever wins the Democratic nod for governor will go up against Republican Glenn Youngkin, a political newcomer who won his party’s nomination even after entering the race later than the others. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more: