State and National Government
Virginia US Senator Mark Warner was one of a handful of lawmakers that received a classified briefing last week about Unidentified Flying Objects – or UFOs. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Republican Party of Virginia’s top committee is backing a hardline conservative over a longtime incumbent in a pitched nomination battle for a state House seat.The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the GOP’s State Central Committee voted Saturday to affirm Scott Wyatt as the party’s nominee over Del. Chris Peace.Some conservatives want Peace out of his Richmond-area seat after he voted last year to expand Medicaid.Previously, Wyatt claimed victory after a local convention picked him while Peace said he was the legitimate nominee after winning a modified primary contest.Peace slammed Saturday’s vote but did not indicate whether he plans to sue or run as an independent.The committee also decided to pick the GOP nominee for the 2020 U.S. Senate race via a primary instead of a convention.
The head of University of Virginia’s Center for Politics says President Trump would benefit if Democrats are overconfident when selecting a candidate to run against him in 2020. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
Escalating tensions with Iran can be traced back to the nuclear deal that the U.S. withdrew from last year. A prominent Virginia lawmaker is discussing why that was a bad idea, as WFIR’s Ian Price reports:
An independent candidate who likens himself to a local version of Donald Trump is challenging State Senator John Edwards this fall. Steve Nelson says voters in the district deserve a choice, and he vows to make southwest Virginia great again. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
It’s now a done deal that this year’s General Assembly elections will be conducted under a redrawn election map, this following yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision. WFIR’s Clark Palmer has more.
Photo: Justin Fairfax Facebook
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Republicans are renewing their push to hold a bipartisan hearing into sexual assault allegations two women have made against the state’s Democratic lieutenant governor. Their effort looks doomed, as Democrats quickly opposed it and called it a political stunt. GOP Del. Rob Bell sent a letter to Democrats on Monday saying an upcoming special legislative session on gun laws could double as an opportunity for a bipartisan hearing on Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax’s behavior. Two women earlier this year publicly accused Fairfax of sexual assault and said they want to testify before the legislature, but only if both political parties participate. Fairfax has denied any wrongdoing. “We respectfully ask the Democratic Caucus to agree to something — anything — that would allow bipartisan public hearings to take place,” Bell said in his letter. Republicans currently control the General Assembly, but Bell said GOP leaders would agree to create a special committee equally split among Republicans and Democrats for the hearing.
Virginia lawmakers weren’t originally scheduled to return to the Capitol this year. However, in response to a mass shooting last month in Virginia Beach, Gov. Ralph Northam called a special session for July 9 to debate gun laws. Democratic leadership have previously rejected a GOP proposal for a hearing on Fairfax and quickly shot down Bell’s latest request. “We will not participate in House Republicans’ political games, nor will we turn such serious allegations into a partisan sideshow,” House Minority Leader Del. Eileen Filler-Corn said in a letter Tuesday.
In February Vanessa Tyson publicly accused Fairfax of forcing her to perform oral sex in his hotel room during the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004. Meredith Watson has also publicly accused Fairfax of sexual assault. She issued a statement accusing him of raping her two decades years ago while they were students at Duke University. The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they are victims of sexual assault, but both women have come forward voluntarily.
Democrats have been divided on how best to respond to those allegations, caught between supporting the only African-American elected official in statewide office and the #MeToo movement that gained steam after allegations of sexual misconduct arose against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Several Democratic House members have said they don’t believe the General Assembly is the best place to investigate the allegations and said they don’t want to impede possible criminal investigations. But other Democrats have said lawmakers should prioritize the wishes of the alleged victims and allow a public hearing.
UPDATE:Virginia’s upcoming state elections that could determine the control of the General Assembly will be held under a redrawn election map following a decision by the US Supreme Court. WFIR’s Clark Palmer has more.
Previous: The U.S. Supreme Court has just upheld a lower court decision that House Republicans in Virginia’s General Assembly “lack the standing” in their appeal of a case regarding a District Court’s remedial redistricting of 11 eastern districts that were ruled unconstitutional for being racially gerrymandered. It means the lines drawn by the District Court will stand and be in place for the November General Assembly elections. House Democratic Leader Eileen Filler-Corn and Caucus Chair Charniele Herring called it “a major win for voting rights and civil rights in our Commonwealth.” The Republican party of Virginia tweeted: “Today’s ruling from SCOTUS will make victory in November even sweeter. We are confident Virginians will choose the common sense leadership of House Republicans over the radical agenda of [House Democrats].
WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters will elect lawmakers to the Virginia House of Delegates using a map seen as favorable to Democrats, under a ruling from the Supreme Court. The justices’ 5-4 decision Monday was perhaps telegraphed by the fact they previously allowed election planning to go forward using the map. Virginia held its primary last week. Republicans control the House by a slim 51-49 margin. The Republican-run House had urged the Supreme Court to let the state use an election map previously struck down by a lower court as improperly factoring race into the drawing of some districts. This is the last time the state will use the map to elect lawmakers to the House because that map will need to be redrawn following the 2020 census results.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said over the weekend that marijuana should be legalized but what about the federal ban? WFIR’s Ian Price has more: