State and National Government
U.S. Senator Mark Warner is seeking a third term in next week’s election, facing a challenge from Army combat veteran and current college professor Daniel Gade. WFIR’s Evan Jones takes a closer look in this In-depth report:
Image: Liberty University
(from ABC News) Five individuals in Vice President Mike Pence’s orbit have tested positive for the coronavirus, including his chief of staff Marc Short and political aide Marty Obst. “Today, Marc Short, Chief of Staff to the Vice President, tested positive for COVID-19, began quarantine and assisting in the contact tracing process,” Devin O’Malley, press secretary for the vice president, said in a statement Saturday.
Sunday morning, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that in addition to an outside political ally of Pence’s four of his staffers have tested positive. One senior level source stressed that the three of the staffers have been quarantining since the middle of this past week. O’Malley said both Pence and wife Karen Pence tested negative for the virus on Saturday and a pool report indicated the tested negative again on Sunday morning.
We are down to the final week and a half before election day arrives, and WFIR Political Analyst Bob Denton says even with many votes already cast, the presidential race is still likely to tighten. Denton says Thursday’s debate could make a difference in some of the tightest battleground states, as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports:
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declined to sign into law a measure designed to discourage racial profiling of motorists by police, concerned that some language could prevent authorities from pulling over vehicles for serious safety concerns.
Northam supports nearly all of language in the bill, which was approved by the General Assembly in a special session focused on criminal justice and racial disparities within it.
But on Wednesday, he stopped short of signing the bill, which prevents officers from pulling drivers over on a wide array of equipment violations. The governor said officers must be allowed to pull over vehicles without working headlights at night or without brake lights, the Daily Press of Newport News reported.
Northam’s proposed amendments, which will be sent to the General Assembly for approval, says officers can still stop a vehicle “if it displays no brake lights” or “if it displays no lighted headlights” at night. The bill as presented to Northam also would block police from stopping vehicles for things like tinted windows, loud mufflers and even air fresheners dangling from a rearview mirror.
The measure also would prohibit an officer from searching vehicles “solely” on the basis that the officer smells marijuana coming from the car.
Del. Patrick Hope, an Arlington Democrat and bill sponsor, said it makes sense to address unintended consequences. Hope said he spoke with Northam’s office last week about removing the language the governor opposed.
“I will certainly concede that not having both your headlights on is a public safety risk,” Hope said. “We certainly don’t want to have unsafe roads or impact public safety in any way, shape or form. That wasn’t the intent.”
Del. Sam Rasoul
Roanoke Democratic delegate Sam Rasoul has filed the paperwork and will explore a run for Lt. Governor in 2021. That filing allows him to raise money as well. Rasoul says he’ll have more to say after the November 3rd election. He becomes the 10th candidate – Democrat or Republican – entering the race for Lt. Governor
Ian Price photo
With several votes expected in the US Senate over the next few days on COVID relief bills, supporters of Republican Daniel Gade – challenging Democratic incumbent Senator Mark Warner on election day – gathered for a protest around noon outside Warner’s Kirk Avenue office. Charlie Nave is chairman of the Roanoke City Republican Committee; he said he knows Daniel Gade “will listen to the people of Roanoke,” – claiming that Mark Warner has not been doing that.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Much like the presidential contest, the U.S. Senate race in Virginia has been heavily shaped by the coronavirus. Unlike the presidential contest, few people are paying attention.
Virginians are nearly two weeks away from deciding between two-term incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and Republican challenger Daniel Gade, a political newcomer, in a contest that’s become largely an afterthought.
Warner, who played a high-profile role as the highest-ranking Democrat overseeing the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential contest, is widely considered the favorite.
The pandemic and the presidential contest between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden has left little room for voters’ attention. And the highly contagious nature of the disease has prevented both candidates from the traditional stumping that defines traditional campaigns.
“It feels a little bit like a science fiction movie,” Warner said, referring to socially distanced campaign events he’s held outside with attendees wearing masks and face shields.
Both Warner and Gade say the virus is at the top of voters’ minds, and Trump’s response as been the key flashpoint in the race so far.
Gade, a retired Army officer who lost a leg in a Humvee explosion while serving in Iraq, said while there’s “certainly things we could have done better,” he thinks the Trump administration deserves the benefit of the doubt in how it handled a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.
“On balance, the president has done the best he could,” said Gade, who also criticized Warner for not voting for a second round of COVID-19 relief that Senate Republicans proposed.
Warner said he wants an additional relief package and is eager to work with the Trump administration to figure one out. But he said Gade is “fundamentally wrong” when he praises Trump’s handling of the virus. He said that seven months into the pandemic, the Trump administration has failed on a wide range of issues, from beefing up the domestic supply chain of personal protective equipment to implementing a national testing strategy.
“I don’t think that’s a record you want to be repeated,” Warner said.
Warner has numerous advantages over Gade. He’s a former governor who is well known by much of the electorate as a tech and business savvy moderate. He’s raised about $11 million this election cycle to Gade’s $1 million, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
Conservative national groups and donors are focused on saving vulnerable GOP senators in other states as Republican prospects for holding its 53-47 majority have been darkening for months.
Warner came surprisingly close to losing six years ago, but Virginia has tilted far more to the left since then thanks in large part to suburban voter disenchantment with Trump.
“There’s nothing in my outer imagination that makes me think Warner can lose this race,” said Quentin Kidd, a political science professor at Christopher Newport University.
Gade was Trump’s appointee to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission but withdrew his nomination after a lengthy delay in the Senate over his confirmation. He insists the race is much closer than people think and is ultimately winnable.
He has focused his message on trying to tag Warner as an ineffectual and disinterested career politician. Gade’s first negative ad includes video of a much younger-looking Warner declaring during a 1996 Senate bid that he would only ever serve two terms in the Senate.
Gade also mocked Warner for saying the most important job he’s ever had in public service was overseeing the intelligence committee’s Russia investigation. Gade said the committee’s bipartisan reports, which affirm the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusions that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election in a far-ranging campaign approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin and aimed at helping Donald Trump win the White House, were underwhelming.
“It’s a big fat nothing-burger,” Gade said.
Warner said the committee has done invaluable work protecting national security and improving election security from foreign adversaries. He said the committee’s ability to get such work done amid a largely dysfunctional Congress highlights his growing ability to get things done in a bipartisan matter. He said he was wrong when he advocated for term limits 24 years ago, saying it takes time to learn how to be effective in the Senate.
“These last couple of years, I put a lot more points on the board,” Warner said.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia lawmakers all but wrapped up a special legislative session Friday by approving a new state budget that gives bonuses to police, pays for a host of new criminal justice reforms, and extends moratoriums on evictions and utility shutoffs during the coronavirus pandemic.The budget now goes to Gov. Ralph Northam, who can propose changes before it is finalized. Friday’s budget vote marked the unofficial end of a special legislative session unlike any the General Assembly has seen in its more than 400-year history. The virus upended the regular course of business. The House of Delegates met remotely, often with technical problems. The Senate abandoned the Capitol for a large conference room nearby.
What was initially to be a short session focused on the revenues and spending affected by the virus instead went on for two months and expanded to include police reform and other issues after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Major new criminal justice reform bills passed, including a ban on no-knock search warrants, legislation that enables localities to establish civilian review boards with subpoena power and disciplinary authority, and changes that make it easier to decertify officers who commit misconduct.
On Friday, lawmakers gave final approval to a bill to establish community care teams around the state to respond to emergency calls involving people with mental health issues. The teams would be led by mental health providers, with police as backup support. The legislation is named after Marcus-David Peters, a teacher who was fatally shot after he charged at a Richmond police officer during a mental health crisis in 2018.
“This is a bill that’s going to save people’s lives, I have no doubt,” said Sen. Jeremy McPike, a Democrat.
Lawmakers also approved legislation that will end the practice of juries handing down sentences in criminal cases, turning that responsibility over to judges. Virginia is currently one of only six states that allows juries to sentence defendants.
As for the budget, lawmakers took much longer in passing a spending plan than initially anticipated. Part of the problem was a fight over whether to include budget language that would allow the implementation of a new redistricting commission if voters approved a constitutional amendment this Election Day. The proposed commission has divided Democrats. The final compromise include letting Northam send down a budget amendment with the language after the election if the referendum passes.
“Though it has take a number of weeks to get here, this is still a great budget for the people of the commonwealth,” said Sen. Janet Howell, chairwoman of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
The state has weathered the pandemic without need of painful cuts, but lawmakers have had to put off much new spending on things like teacher raises, a free community college program, and other priorities they approved earlier this year just before the pandemic hit.
The Northam administration announced in August that it was projecting $2.7 billion in lost revenues over the next two years because of the pandemic.
Virginia is relatively well off compared to other states, thanks largely to heavy federal defense spending. Lawmakers also had a little bit more money to spend than what Northam initially suggested, thanks to new savings and revenues. That includes higher-than-expected profits at the state-owned liquor stores during the pandemic.
Here’s a look at notable measures in the budget, which still needs the governor’s approval.
PUBLIC SECTOR PAY
Increasing pay for state employees and teachers has been a priority for the Democratic-led legislature, but the hit from the coronavirus has prevented them from going through with raises they approved earlier this year.
In this new budget, lawmakers approved $1,500 bonuses for state employees next September contingent on revenue projections holding steady. The budget also includes language directing the governor to include raises for teachers in next year’s budget proposal if extra funds are available.
Lawmakers did find nearly $11 million to give law enforcement personnel a $500 bonus in December.
MORATORIUMS
The legislation imposes moratoriums on evictions through the end of the year and puts new limits on evictions starting next year. A moratorium on utility disconnections also has been extended and requires Dominion Energy to forgive $127 million of customer debt.
LEE STATUE
Also included is a provision dealing with the planned storage and removal of the historic Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond.
Northam announced in June that the state-owned statue of the Confederate general would come down, but multiple lawsuits have tied up his plans in court. Lawmakers agreed to a budget amendment that says it repeals an 1889 Joint Resolution of the General Assembly that plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit rely on in arguing that Northam doesn’t have the authority to remove the statue. A trial is set for Monday.