State and National Government
A new statewide poll suggests that about two-thirds of Virginia voters believe President Biden’s victory was legitimate. That is a historically low number, and it varies dramatically by party affiliation. The Wason Center at Christopher Newport University polled more than 1,000 Virginians on the question. Overall, 68% say the Biden victory is legitimate; every Democrat questioned say it is, but among Republicans, 61% say it is not. Poll Research Director Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo says there is no precedent in polling for this much distrust of presidential election results. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
NEWS RELEASE: While 68% of Virginia voters say President Joe Biden’s election was legitimate, 26% say it was not, according to a survey released today by the Wason Center for Civic Leadership at Christopher Newport University. Fully 61% of Virginia Republican voters surveyed say Biden did not win legitimately.
“This is the new Lost Cause in Virginia politics,” said Dr. Quentin Kidd, academic director of the Wason Center. “A solid majority of Republican voters’ refusal to accept the legitimacy of Biden’s election is bound to stir up the contest for the Republican nomination for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.”
Comparing Donald Trump to past presidents, a majority of Virginia voters say Trump is definitely worse than most (54%); 10% say he is not as good as most; 18% say he is better than most; and 15% say he is one of the very best. The partisan gap is stark, with 93% of Democrats saying Trump is definitely worse than most presidents and 78% of Republicans saying he is better than most (41%) or one of the very best (37%).
A majority of Virginia voters surveyed say Biden will be a successful president (56%), but partisan differences are clear in the responses, as 69% of Republicans say he will be unsuccessful compared to 2% of Democrats and 33% of independents. 91% of African-American voters say Biden will be successful.
On a series of policy issues, the survey asked if voters believe Biden will go too far, strike the right balance, or not go far enough. A solid plurality or better said Biden will strike the right balance on these issues: COVID-19 pandemic (64%), racial inequality (53%), economic recession (46%), climate change (46%), health care (45%), and immigration (44%). “The pandemic and racial inequality were top of mind for voters during the election, and Biden has signaled that both are top priorities,” said Wason Center Research Director Dr. Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo. “So it’s not surprising that the highest number of voters expect him to handle those issues well.”
More than twice as many voters blame the federal government (46%) than the state government (20%) for the slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccinations. That appears to look back at the Trump administration, as Biden receives his highest marks on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic (67% approve to 25% disapprove).
Overall, two out of three Virginia voters (67%) say 2021 will be better than 2020.
MGN
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — State lawmakers gave final approval Monday to legislation that will end capital punishment in Virginia, a dramatic turnaround for a state that has executed more people in its history than any other.
The legislation repealing the death penalty now heads to Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, who has said he will sign it into law, making Virginia the 23rd state to stop executions.
Virginia’s Democratic majority, in control of the General Assembly for a second year, pushed the repeal effort, arguing that the death penalty has been applied disproportionately to people of color, the mentally ill and the indigent. Republicans raised concerns about justice for victims and their family members, and said there are some crimes that are so heinous that the perpetrators deserve to be executed.
Historically, Virginia has used the death penalty more than any other state, executing nearly 1,400 people since its days as a colony, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, Virginia, with 113 executions, is second only to Texas.
While a recent poll shows former Governor Terry McAuliffe leading a crowded Democratic field of candidates for his old job, pollsters say he’s “a long way from closing the deal.” WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
Sen. Amanda Chase Facebook
(AP) A judge has ruled against GOP state Sen. Amanda Chase in a law suit she filed challenging the Virginia party’s plans for this year’s nominating contest. The Republicans have a tentative plan for a statewide convention May 1 to choose nominees for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. But mass gatherings remain banned for public health reasons and party leaders haven’t agreed on how to adjust.
Chase wanted a judge to rule out an assembled convention. But the judge ruled today that the candidate for governor lacks standing to bring her claim, effectively agreeing with the Republican Party of Virginia to dismiss the case.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Most voters are undecided but some key contests emerge as Virginia Republicans and Democrats begin to sort out their party’s nominations for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, according to a survey released today by the Wason Center for Civic Leadership at Christopher Newport University.
In the Democratic primary contest for governor, former governor Terry McAuliffe leads among Democratic voters with 26%, followed by Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (12%), former Prince William Del. Jennifer Carrol Foy and Richmond Sen. Jennifer McClellan at 4% each and Manassas Del. Lee Carter (1%). Almost half of Democratic voters are undecided (49%). “New Democratic faces and priorities have emerged since Terry McAuliffe was governor,” said Wason Center Academic Director Dr. Quentin Kidd. “He opens with a head start, but he’s a long way from closing the deal.”
Vying for the top of the Republican ticket, Chesterfield Sen. Amanda Chase leads a crowded field with 17%, followed by former Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox (10%) and entrepreneur Pete Snyder (6%). A majority of Republicans (55%) are also undecided in this very unsettled race. “The underlying friction between Chase’s fervent Trumpism and Cox’s Reagan Republican credentials could crack the party and open the door for Snyder or another contender,” said Wason Center Research Director Dr. Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo.
Here are the highlights of the other nominating contests:
· No Democratic candidate in the crowded field for lieutenant governor has made a significant impression on voters, with almost four out of five Democrats undecided (78%).
· Virginia Beach Del. Glenn Davis (8%) leads the field for the Republican lieutenant governor nomination, but most Republican voters are also undecided (71%).
· Seeking the Democratic nomination to a third term, Attorney General Mark Herring (42%) holds an imposing lead over Norfolk Del. Jerrauld “Jay” Jones (3%), but half of Democrats remain undecided (50%).
· Virginia Beach lawyer Chuck Smith (10%) leads the race for the Republican attorney general nomination, but two-thirds of Republican voters are undecided (68%).
Del. Sam Rasoul
ROANOKE – Delegate Sam Rasoul (D-11) announced today that his campaign staff, in a historic first for a Virginia lieutenant governor’s campaign, have voted to form a union and will be represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 666.
Campaign manager Brenna Crombie formally recognized the union and began the bargaining process on Monday, February 15.
“A campaign should live the values it advocates for, and our campaign believes in the power of workers, and the right of workers to build power through collective action,” said Rasoul. “I am proud of my staff who organized together to form a union, and I thank IBEW Local 666 for their representation in this process. The labor movement has a long history of protecting workers on the job, building the middle class and safeguarding democracy, and we’re proud to be a small part of it.”
“We look forward to getting to work right away negotiating in good faith with our newly unionized staff,” said campaign manager Brenna Crombie. “A campaign is only as strong as its staff, and we believe an agreement that ensures fair compensation and good benefits, and provides the environment for our staff to do their jobs well, makes our campaign even stronger.”
WASHINGTON (NBC News report)— Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will vote to acquit former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, according to an email the Kentucky Republican sent to his GOP colleagues and obtained by NBC News. “While a close call, I am persuaded that impeachments are a tool primarily of removal and we therefore lack jurisdiction,” McConnell wrote. McConnell had been tight-lipped throughout the process about how he would vote and, as the most influential Republican on Capitol Hill, his announcement that he will vote to acquit Trump for incitement of insurrection is a strong sign for how other members of the party will vote. Politico was first to report the news. McConnell said in his email that criminal prosecution of the former president remains an option.
(AP photo)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Supreme Court of Virginia said Friday it will take up appeals in two lawsuits that seek to prevent Gov. Ralph Northam from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond. The court granted a petition of appeal from a group of Richmond residents and from a descendant of signatories to a 1890 deed that transferred the statue, pedestal and ground they sit on to the state. It was not immediately clear how soon the court might take the matters up.
Pat McSweeney, an attorney for the group of Richmond residents who live near the statue, said he was not certain when the cases might be heard. An attorney for William Gregory, the plaintiff in the second case, could not immediately be reached. Attorney General Mark Herring, who is representing Northam in court, has previously sought to expedite the proceedings in the matter. “Attorney General Herring remains more committed than ever to removing this symbol of Virginia’s racist past from it’s place of prominence in our community, allowing Virginians to begin to heal and move forward to a more equitable future,” his spokeswoman, Charlotte Gomer, said in a statement.
Northam, whose term as governor ends next January, announced his decision to take down the statue after George Floyd’s death last year in police custody in Minneapolis. But the governor’s removal plans have been tied up in court since then. The massive statue is among the nation’s most prominent Confederate tributes. It sits on state property, soaring over Richmond’s renowned Monument Avenue. The city of Richmond, which was the capital of the Confederacy for most of the Civil War, has removed more than a dozen other pieces of Confederate statuary on city land since Floyd’s death, which sparked a renewed wave of Confederate monument removals across the U.S. The statues’ critics say keeping them in prominent places glorifies efforts to preserve slavery. Others say their removal amounts to erasing history.
The Virginia General Assembly resumes its work today on bills that so far have made it through either the State Senate or House of Delegates. Our political analyst says some of the proposals receiving relatively little news coverage to this point demonstrate the path state lawmakers are taking. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones: