Cruz Stumps for Vega the Day Before VA-07 Primary

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) was scheduled to appear twice on Monday with Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega, who is running for the GOP nomination for VA-07 in Tuesday’s primary. Vega is facing five other candidates including Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania), who raised the most cash and has the edge in name recognition, Special Forces veteran Derrick Anderson who has out-raised all but Reeves, and Stafford County Supervisor Crystal Vanuch whose fundraising never got off the ground despite her own $400,000 loan to her campaign.

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Virginia State Sen. Reeves Wants GOP Nomination to Restore Congress to Regular Order, Support Military, and Limit Spending

State Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) is running for the GOP nomination for Virginia’s seventh congressional district. Reeves said his experience in the General Assembly gives him the skills needed to enact his priorities: bringing Congress back to following the traditional legislative process, limiting spending, and making sure the military has necessary resources.

“I’d like to see us get back to regular order. I think it’s important for the country that Congress get back to a regular budget, not just a continuing resolution, on funding. We’ve got to get to where we have what’s called a single object rule, which means we can’t have these three- and five-thousand page bills where everything’s stacked into one thing,” Reeves told The Virginia Star.

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Conservative Organizations Launching Efforts to Influence Virginia Republican Policy in 2022 General Assembly

The Virginia Family Foundation announced its Vision for Virginia slate of policy priorities on Monday. That’s part of the organization’s push to influence legislators ahead of Virginia’s 2022 General Assembly session. The list highlights traditional conservative policies including traditional families, small government, and free markets.

“For the past several years Virginia’s government has walked away from time-honored principles, like religious freedom, individual liberty, and limited government, which can all be traced back to Virginia’s historic past,” President Victoria Cobb said in an email announcing the platform. “In Virginia, not only did we need new political leadership, we desperately needed a renewed vision for the people of Virginia to rally around.”

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Virginia House Moves to Expand Ballot Drop Boxes, Allow Ballot ‘Curing’

The Virginia House of Delegates passed a voting reform bill on Tuesday. Key provisions of HB 1888 require ballot drop boxes in all localities, allow voters to “cure” or fix errors on their own absentee ballots, and require elections officials to begin processing absentee ballots before Election Day. Additionally, it requires localities to provide ballot marking tools and  screen reader assistance technology for visually impaired voters.

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Republicans Pre-File Three Pro-Gun Bills in Virginia House of Delegates

In 2020, Virginia Democrats used their new majorities to pass sweeping gun control resolutions through the General Assembly, and Democrats will retain control during the upcoming regular session. But that isn’t stopping Republicans in the House of Delegates from trying to pass some pro-gun legislation. So far, legislators have pre-filed three pro-gun bills for the 2021 session that, if passed, will expand concealed carry handgun (CCH) rights and remove sovereign immunity in areas with government gun bans.

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Virginia Progressive Prosecutors for Justice Call for More Criminal Justice Reform

A group of Commonwealth’s Attorneys has released a letter to the General Assembly calling for more criminal justice reform. In the letter, the Virginia Progressive Prosecutors for Justice (VPPFJ) call for automated expungement of criminal records, ending mandatory minimum sentences, ending cash bail, abolishing the death penalty, and ending the “three-strikes” felony enhancement for petty larceny.

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Chase, Chesterfield GOP Allege Serious Irregularities in Provisional Vote-Counting

The Chesterfield GOP and Senator Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) have filed a court complaint alleging that the Chesterfield Registrar Constance Hargrove prevented a Republican representative from being present at a Friday meeting to evaluate provisional ballots. However, in a Tuesday hearing, Chesterfield Circuit Court Judge David Johnson dismissed the complaint, stating that he has no legal authority in the case, since it involves elected officials, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

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Rand Paul, Ted Cruz Stump for Virginia Republican Candidates

It was cold and rainy, but approximately 150 people attended the Chesterfield GOTV Rally in a covered arena at Keystone Acres on Sunday afternoon. Senators Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) headlined the event. Virginia candidates Nick Freitas, Daniel Gade, and Leon Benjamin appealed to supporters to not only vote, but to encourage friends and community members to vote.

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Spanberger and Freitas Square Off in Debate on COVID, Health Care and National Security

Incumbent Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and Republican challenger state Del. Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper) took part in their first debate Tuesday night, discussing a wide array of ongoing issues on the national and state levels.

The forum was moderated by Washington Week Managing Editor and a national political reporter for The Washington Post, Robert Costa, lasting a little less than an hour.

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TRUMPDATE: Latest From the Team Trump Virginia Campaign for October 12

Welcome to the Saturday edition of our daily Virginia Trump campaign update! We will provide our readers with daily updates on the Trump Virginia campaign from today to November 3 (and after…if need be!).

It’s officially 22 days until the election on November 3 – and 19 days until early voting in Virginia closes. The deadline to register to vote in time for the 2020 election is TOMORROW, October 13.

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Never-Trump PAC Gave $2 Million to Biden in Virginia

Anti-Trump conservative political action committee Defending Democracy Together (DDT) has given over $2 million to the Biden campaign in Virginia, placing them second-highest on a list of outside spending in Virginia.

“They’re just another bunch of loser never-Republicans frozen out of the greatest movement in America,” said Trump Virginia Delegation Chairman John Fredericks. “They want their old Republican party back.”

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State Delegate Nick Freitas Is Ready to Win Virginia’s Seventh Congressional District

At a small rally on the lawn of a local courthouse, Del. Nicholas Freitas (R-Culpeper County) exuded confidence in his ability to win Virginia’s seventh congressional district and reclaim the seat for Republicans.

Freitas is squaring up against incumbent Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), who recently became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019.

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TRUMPDATE: Latest From the Team Trump Virginia Campaign for September 16

Welcome to the Wednesday edition of our daily Virginia Trump campaign update! We will provide our readers with daily updates on the Trump Virginia campaign from today to November 3 (and after…if need be!).

It’s officially 49 days until the election on November 3, and 13 days until President Trump and Joe Biden square off in the first presidential debate.

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Republicans: Democrats Using Special Session to Pass Leftist Bills Without Bi-Partisan Support

The General Assembly has been in Special Session since August 18. Governor Ralph Northam’s announcement said the session was meant to pass a new budget in light of of COVID-19 and consider criminal and social reform laws. In the past three weeks, the Assembly has considered bills ending qualified immunity, eliminating minimum sentences for assaults on police officers, and allowing early release of violent offenders.

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Freitas and Good Will Appear on Ballots After Lawsuit Challenging Paperwork Filing Extensions Dismissed

Delegate Nick Freitas (R-Culpepper) and Bob Good (R) will appear on ballots this November after a circuit court judge dismissed a lawsuit that tried to block the candidates from the election. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) filed the lawsuit challenging the State Board of Elections’ (BOE) authority to grant filing extensions to the candidates. Freitas is running for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. Good is running for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.

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