Lieutenant Gov. Earle-Sears Won’t Support Trump If He Runs

Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears said Thursday that she won’t support Donald Trump in another presidential campaign. She credited Trump for low Black unemployment, funds to historically black colleges and universities, and pressure on NATO members to increase their financial participation in the alliance, but she called for Trump to step aside amid a lack of voter support.

“As a Marine, we’re looking at the mission, and you know, the voters have spoken, and they have said that they want a different leader, and a true leader understands when they have become a liability. A true leader understands that it’s time to step off the stage and the voters have given us that very clear message,” Earle-Sears said in an appearance on Fox Business.

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Delegate Tim Anderson: Trump Presidential Campaign Would Be ‘Absolute Worst’ for Virginia Republicans

Delegate Tim Anderson (R-Virginia Beach) is calling for his fellow Virginia Republicans to break with Donald Trump after Republicans only flipped one of three competitive Democrat-held congressional districts in Virginia.

“While it appears likely Trump will announce he is running for President – I will not be supporting him,” Anderson said in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning. “While Trump was President, we lost a supermajority in the House of Delegates, a majority in the Senate and in 2019 Democrats controlled all state government for two years — radically changing Virginia. After Trump lost, the GOP gained Delegate seats back and won all three statewide offices. I call this the Trump effect. One thing Trump does very well in Virginia is mobilizing the left to vote against him and anyone who supports him.”

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Kiggans Flips VA-02, Spanberger Holds On in VA-07

State Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) defeated Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) 51.99 percent to 47.86 percent in preliminary results. Also, Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) won her race against Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega 51.93 percent to 48.07 percent, and Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10) defeated Hung Cao 52.95 percent to 47.05 percent in preliminary results, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

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Youngkin Makes Final Pitch for Republican Challengers in Virginia

Governor Glenn Youngkin stopped at four rallies supporting five Virginia Republican candidates for Congress on Monday, making a final pitch alongside Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and Attorney General Jason Miyares for continued GOP wins in Virginia begun with Youngkin’s own victory a year ago.

“They said last year that no Republican could win statewide in Virginia. ‘I mean it’s too blue, suburbs are too strong,'” Youngkin said at a morning rally for Karina Lipsman, running for VA-08, and Jim Myles, running for VA-11.

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Poll: Republican Vega Tied with Incumbent Democrat U.S. Rep. Spanberger at 47 Percent Each

Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega are tied at 47 percent, according to a poll released Saturday by RRH Elections.

“In #VA07 we found Youngkin very popular (+17) and Biden not (-11). Spanberger leads with those who have already voted; Vega will be relying on strong Election Day turnout. Spanberger leads in Stafford County, Vega in Spotsylvania,” RRH reported on Twitter.

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589K Early Votes So Far in Virginia Elections

With a little over a week until Election Day, 589,627 voters had voted early as of October 29 in Virginia’s ongoing election, according to a graphic from The Virginia Public Access Project. That’s down from 2021, which saw over one million votes by election day, but which also had statewide elections and house races. In Virginia this year, only VA-02, VA-07, and VA-10 are competitive; the other congressional races are safe Republican or Democrat.

That’s not quite reflected in VPAP’s breakdown of early votes by district. VA-01 has the most early votes with 74,377, followed by VA-02 with 64,338, VA-05 with 59,987, VA-10 with 58,793, and VA-07 with 57,931.

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Youngkin Campaigns for Virginia GOP Congressional Candidates

Governor Glenn Youngkin is campaigning heavily for Virginia’s congressional candidates, with a focus on VA-02, VA-07, and VA-10, but he’s also stopping in other areas. On Wednesday morning, he attended a get-out-the-vote rally for Representatives Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09) and Ben Cline (R-VA-06), and by Wednesday evening, he was in Wisconsin supporting GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels.

Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC, which has reported $4.75 million in contributions in 2022, announced his “Rally for Virginia Early Voting GOTV Tour” last week. The tour has 21 stops through November 7, including six stops supporting state Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) for VA-02, seven stops for Yesli Vega in VA-07, and four stops for Hung Cao in VA-10. Youngkin’s also spending money to support the candidates; his Empowering Virginia Parents PAC has spent $414,147 in the three districts, according to The Virginia Public Access Project.

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Poll: Virginia 2nd Congressional Candidates Tied at 45 Percent

Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) and state Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) are tied at 45 percent in among likely voters in the race for Virginia’s second congressional district, according to a new poll from Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center that found that the district’s Democratic voters are most concerned about abortion and Republican voters are most concerned about inflation.

“Virginia’s second Congressional District has been known to switch back and forth between the major parties and it appears the seat is still highly competitive, despite new district lines that bring in more Republican voters,” said Dr. Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, Research Director of the Wason Center. “If this were a typical midterm election year, this district would likely favor the Republican candidate, especially given an unpopular sitting Democratic President and high inflation. Abortion and concern over threats to democracy appear to have energized Democrats and bolstered support for incumbent Rep. Elaine Luria.”

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CNU Poll: Youngkin Approval at 50 Percent, Democrats Slightly Ahead on Generic Ballot

Governor Glenn Youngkin has a 50 percent job approval rating but Democrats are slightly ahead on the generic ballot in a new poll released by Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center.

“When asked about the direction of the Commonwealth, 42 percent say Virginia is headed in the right direction, while 40 percent say the wrong direction. 50 percent of Virginians approve of the job Governor Youngkin is doing while 40 percent disapprove and nine percent indicate they don’t know,” the center reported Wednesday

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Virginia Congressional Delegation Splits on Party Lines over Continuing Resolution

All four of Virginia’s Republican congressmen voted against a continuing resolution to continue funding the government through December 16, 2022; the bill passed Friday with just 10 votes from Republicans nationally, sending the bill to President Joe Biden who signed the legislation the same day. In press releases, three of the Virginia Republicans criticized the bill for continuing Democratic spending. Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and Elaine Luria (D-VA-02), both in competitive elections in swing districts, criticized Congress’ use of continuing resolutions but said the bill is necessary to keep government open.

Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) cited similar good-governance concerns as his reason for voting against the bill.

He said Friday, “Today’s passage of a Continuing Resolution – an irresponsible stop-gap measure – is an unfortunate reminder of Washington’s ‘budget by crisis’ mentality.

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Spanberger Blasts House Democratic Leadership for Intentionally Killing Congressional Trading Reform, Vega Says It’s a Stale Pre-Election Routine

Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) criticized Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) and House Democratic leadership for moves that killed bipartisan congressional stock trading reform legislation, but her opponent in the election Yesli Vega said in a press release that the congresswoman “isn’t fooling anyone.”

“This moment marks a failure of House leadership. This moment is yet another example of why I believe that the Democratic Party needs new leaders in the halls of Capitol Hill — as I have long made known,” Spanberger said in a Friday press release.

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VA-07, VA-10 Candidates Discuss Policy Problems Faced by People with Disabilities, All Support Increasing SSI Asset Limit

The congressional candidates for Virginia’s seventh and tenth districts met in a virtual forum on Monday evening where they discussed policy problems faced by people with disabilities. At the beginning, moderator Connor Cummings said that the event was a sensory-friendly forum, not a debate, and instructed candidates to speak about themselves, not their opponents. As a result, the forum’s tone was professional and policy-focused, lacking the fireworks of traditional forums and debates driven by attacks and personality.

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Virginia Democrats Praise ‘Historic’ Inflation Reduction Act, Republicans Say the Bill Will Increase Costs for Americans

Virginia Democrats trumpeted the Inflation Reduction Act after the House of Representatives passed the legislation on Friday, putting President Joe Biden on the path to a key win on his goals ahead of the 2022 congressional midterms. At the same time, Republicans mocked the bill’s title and criticized its policies.

In a speech on the House Floor, Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA-08) compared the bill to landmark legislation from the U.S.’ past.

“This is our generation’s signature contribution to American history. Our Social Security Act. Our Civil Rights Act, even the Bill of Rights,” Beyer said.

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VA-02, 07, 10 Incumbents Hold Lead in Congressional Fundraising; Early Fundraising Gives Preview of Competitive 2023 General Assembly Primaries

Incumbents are leading in fundraising in Virginia’s competitive congressional races, according to new second-quarter reports; Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) has about $4.9 million cash on hand, Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) has about $4.3 million cash on hand, and Representative Jennifer Wexton has about $3.6 million on hand. Luria’s Republican challenger State Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) has $413,279 cash on hand; Wexton’s challenger Hung Cao has $354,183 on hand, and Spanberger challenger Yesli Vega has $246,070, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

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Rep. Beyer, Sen. Kaine Move to Rename Arlington House Lee Memorial; GOP Opponent Lipsman Says Beyer Is Focusing on the Wrong Issues

Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08) and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) have introduced legislation to rename the “Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial” to “the Arlington House National Historic Site.”

“As our country and our Commonwealth grapple with the history of racism and slavery and engage in a long-overdue reexamination of public symbols, we have an opportunity to make it clear that we do not revere Confederate leaders or condone the enslavement of human beings,” Beyer said in a press release.

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Rep. Wittman Again Calls to Cancel House August Recess

Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) wrote a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi encouraging her to cancel the House August recess, citing legislative priorities to fund the government.

“One of Congress’ most basic duties is to fully fund the government, yet with few legislative days remaining, lawmakers have found themselves unable to get the job done. Despite Congress’ failure to even consider the twelve annual appropriation bills on the house floor, Congress is set to adjourn for 6 weeks beginning in August. With so much work left to be done, it astounds me that Members of Congress feel justified in taking a month off,” Wittman wrote in the July 6 letter.

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At Rally, Rep. Good Blasts Virginia Republicans for Negotiating on Abortion, Del. March Drafting Life-At Conception Legislation Amid Contentious 2023 Primary Battle

RICHMOND, Virginia – Congressman Bob Good (R-VA-05) held a rally on the Virginia Capitol grounds on Saturday afternoon to pressure Republican lawmakers to pursue a from-conception abortion ban, about two weeks after Governor Glenn Youngkin and leading pro-life lobbyist organization The Family Foundation said that they’d push for a 15-week pain threshold bill, due to the politically difficult environment in the General Assembly.

“The timeline of abortion should not be negotiated, abortion should not be negotiated, it should be eliminated,” Good said in his speech. “I’m sorry to say Republicans here in Richmond are the worst negotiators of all. You want to play poker with these folks. They show you what’s in their cards, they tell you the highest bid, and then they fold anyway.”

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State Senate District 28 Candidate Allers: Sen. Reeves Lost VA-07 Nomination After Not Working ‘Nearly as Hard’ as Other Candidates

Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) came in third in the recent GOP VA-07 congressional primary. That’s a bad result for a candidate who entered the race with the most name recognition and ended the race with the most money, yet still came in second in Spotsylvania County and third in Culpeper County. Now, Reeves is expected to run for re-election the 28th state senate district, but he already faces an early challenger for the GOP primary.

“I actually thought he was going to perform much better, and so whether it provides an opening for me automatically, I don’t know,” candidate Michael Allers, Sr. told The Virginia Star, adding that it does show a chink in Reeves’ armor.

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Vega Wins VA-07 GOP Nomination, Kiggans Wins VA-02 Nomination

Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega is the GOP nominee to challenge Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), and State Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) is the GOP nominee to face Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02).

“I am honored the voters of Virginia’s seventh Congressional District have chosen me to be the Republican nominee in the general election this fall. As the first conservative Hispanic to win a Republican congressional primary in Virginia, this is a historic moment for Hispanics across Virginia and our nation. I want to thank my family, friends, volunteers, and all the voters who believe in our message of liberty, safety, and economic prosperity,” Vega said in a Tuesday night press release.

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Virginia U.S. Rep. Beyer Drafting Legislation for 1,000 Percent Tax on Assault Weapons

Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08) has a potential work-around to the Senate filibuster that blocks Democrats from significant gun control reform: he’s drafting legislation to enact a 1,000 percent tax on assault weapons, first reported by Business Insider.

“What it’s intended to do is provide another creative pathway to actually make some sensible gun control happen,” Beyer said, according to Insider.

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Republicans Nominate Navy Vet Hung Cao in VA-10, Renominate Good in VA-05, Nominate Lipsman in VA-08

Republicans in Virginia’s fifth, eighth, and tenth congressional districts met Saturday, nominating Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) for re-election and nominating Karina Lipsman to challenge Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08). In VA-10, Republicans held a firehouse primary, not a convention, and voting locations didn’t close until 4 p.m., so votes are still being counted as of press time. 10th District GOP Chairman Geary Higgins said they would probably post results from each round of ranked-choice voting on Facebook first, but didn’t expect results until Saturday night or Sunday.

“It’s ranked choice voting, and it’s going to all be hand-counted, that’s why it might take a little time,” Higgins told The Virginia Star shortly after voting closed.

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VA-07 Candidate Reeves Launches TV Ad Highlighting Service, Criticizing Biden, and Saying He’ll Finish What Trump Started

Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) is launching his first television ad in the VA-07 GOP nomination battle.

“My whole life has been about service: serving God on missions abroad, serving in the army and as a narcotics detective here at home. Putting people first is something Joe Bide doesn’t know a thing about,” Reeves said in the ad. “Inflation, immigration, and Ukraine: he’s got no plan.”

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South Dakota Gov. Noem Introduces Herself to Virginia GOP Insiders on Second Day of Advance

HERNDON, Virginia – Attendees at the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) Advance heard speeches from two GOP governors who are talked about as potential presidential or vice presidential candidates. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin gave the luncheon address on Saturday, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem gave a dinner speech that was part self-introduction, part exhortation to RPV insiders.”I cannot thank you enough for what you did here in Virginia last year,” Noem said. “I talk about you everywhere I go.”

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Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears Kicks Off 2022 RPV Advance with Stories from Her First General Assembly Session

HERNDON, Virginia – Republican Party of Virginia faithful are gathered at a Hilton outside Washington, D.C., to build on the momentum of their 2021 wins and help their 2022 congressional candidates. Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears kicked off the Advance on Friday at a reception held by the Virginia Federation of Republican Women.

Earle-Sears regaled the crowd with stories from the recent General Assembly session. Governor Glenn Youngkin once confused Senator Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) with Senator Mamie Locke (D-Hampton,) leading Lucas to rib Youngkin about it on Twitter.

“And then a curious thing happened: I started mixing her up with Mamie,” Earle-Sears said to laughter. “I would call, ‘The Senator from Hampton, Senator Lucas.’ They got mad.”

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Democratic Party of Virginia Re-Elects Chair Susan Swecker

The Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) re-elected Chair Susan Swecker for a four-year term with 80 percent of the vote on Saturday.

“I am incredibly grateful to Virginia Democrats for putting their faith in me to continue to lead the Party as we move forward. We have made so much progress as a Party and Commonwealth over the last seven years, and now is the time to protect and build upon that progress,” Swecker said in a press release.

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MN-2 Incumbent Democrat U.S. Representative Angela Craig Has Nearly $3 Million in the Bank

U.S. Rep. Angela Craig

With nearly $3 million in the bank, incumbent Democrat U.S. Representative Angela Craig is sitting on a major financial advantage in her race for reelection to Minnesota’s Second Congressional district.

Some of that money is leftover from her previous race. FEC records show that for the 2022 election cycle Craig has raised $2,635,506.03 and has a war chest of $2,921,566.22.

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After Redistricting, Arizona’s 6th Congressional District Seat Is a Prime Target for GOP Pickup

Arizona’s 6th Congressional District is believed to be a prime target for a GOP pickup, according to Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight political blog, which rates the newly-redrawn district as “Competitive R.” Seven-term incumbent Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, a Democrat, announced in early 2021 she would not seek re-election; and the area’s voting history suggests the new boundary lines favor Republicans.

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