State and National Government
The latest CNN Democratic Presidential Poll shows Former Vice President Joe Biden on top with 29%, despite recent mistakes he made while speaking in Iowa. A well-known Democrat from Virginia is still backing Biden saying that just because Biden misspoke doesn’t mean that he isn’t qualified to be President. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
MGN
The Virginia Crime Commission begins its second day of hearings today as it considers many proposals to reduce gun-related crimes in the state. What seems clear after day one is that any recommendations are not likely before election day. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story:
Mark Herring
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring says heavily armed private militias could be in violation of state law if they mimic police functions like crowd control.
Herring’s advisory opinion comes just days before lawmakers discuss gun laws at a Capitol meeting in what’s expected to be a contentious atmosphere.
A Democratic lawmaker asked Herring for the advisory opinion because she said private militia members intimidated gun-control supporters at a recent legislative session. Gun laws have become a top issue in Virginia after a mass shooting earlier this year in Virginia Beach.
Gun-rights advocate Philip Van Cleave said Herring’s advisory opinion unfairly villainized legal gun owners.
Armed militia groups patrolled a 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that erupted in violence. They said they were protecting free speech.
Virginia’s former Democratic Governor says he has concerns regarding election security ahead of the 2020 Presidential election. WFIR’s Clark Palmer has more.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – The largest LGBTQ-rights organization in the U.S. says it’s planning to invest heavily to help Democrats flip Virginia’s legislature. The Human Rights Campaign announced Thursday a new campaign to help mobilize Virginia voters who prioritize LGBTQ-friendly policies. HRC President Alphonso David said the group sees an opportunity to make an impact in Virginia’s elections. The campaign will include direct mail and field operations. Officials said spending would be in the “six-figure” range. Only four states are having legislative elections this year and Virginia’s is the only one where partisan control is up for grabs. Republicans currently have
a slim majority in both the state House and Senate.
Attorney General Mark Herring has filed suit to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s Affordable Clean Energy rule. Herring calls it the Dirty Power rule as WFIR’s Ian Price reports:
Democrats in Virginia are pointing to the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton as reasons to pass new gun laws in the state. Virginia Tech Professor Bob Denton says this comes just as a few swing districts could determine which party controls the General Assembly next year — and he says those districts generally have growing numbers of voters who identify as Democrats. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more: