Virginia Politics & News
Virginia news from The Daily Signal, covering state politics, education policy, election integrity, and the political shift between Northern Virginia and the Commonwealth’s conservative regions.
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opinion
The Left’s Priesthood: How DEI Offices Weaponize Virginia Universities
Those of us who work in the capital city I refer to as “Mordor” have slim pickings on where to live, and I chose Virginia, which I consider to be the most conservative option. Little did I know, the Old Dominion ranks first in the nation for applying the Left’s most effective tool in weaponizing… -
opinion
Virginia Parents Sue After School Board Fails to Adopt Model Transgender Policies
Two parents filed a lawsuit against the Virginia Beach School Board this week for voting down proposed policies that pertain to keeping parents informed about their child’s identity. The state’s Department of Education released the model policies in July and claimed that this step would “safeguard parent’s rights.” The school board opted out of adopting the policies… -
news
Virginia Tech DEI Director’s Effort to Oppose Pro-Youngkin School Board Candidates May Have Crossed a Line
A diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at a leading university in southwestern Virginia may have violated her school's policy by using work email to forward a message slamming conservative school board candidates as "hateful" and urging readers to canvass for the candidates' opponents shortly before early voting begins. One school board member targeted in the… -
news
Team Youngkin Addresses Future COVID-19 Restrictions: ‘In Virginia You Get to Choose’
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin won’t be mandating that Americans mask up or lock down to fight the COVID-19 pandemic any time soon, The Daily Signal has learned. Some schools, hospitals, and businesses have begun encouraging Americans to wear masks again amid a rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the country, sparking fears that lawmakers will once… -
news
Virginia Parents Have Right to Sue After District Adopts Transgender ‘Rights’ Violating Youngkin Policy, AG Says
A Northern Virginia school district just outside of Washington, D.C., appears to be in flagrant violation of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's model policies on transgender issues, potentially opening the district up for parents to file lawsuits. Fairfax County Public Schools published a document and an online survey outlining “Student Rights & Responsibilities” earlier this month. The… -
opinion
‘For Me, the Glass Is Always Half Full,’ Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears Says
“The American dream is alive and well,” Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, says, “but only if we work at it.” “We must continue to work,” Sears says. “We must make sure that our children understand that they must take their place in society, that their job is no less than preserving America for the next… -
news
In Woke Wars, Faith-Based Virginia Schools See Enrollment Jump
Schools rooted in a biblical worldview are seeing increased enrollment in Virginia, while public schools are faltering. According to a recent report, Catholic schools in Northern Virginia have seen a 10% increase in enrollment since 2019. The Catholic Diocese of Arlington covers the entirety of Northern Virginia, including Loudoun County, which has been at the heart of… -
news
A Virginia School District Upheld Parental Rights on Trans Issues. Why Is the Biden DOJ Getting Involved?
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—America First Legal is demanding answers after the Justice Department under President Joe Biden intervened in a Virginia school district's adoption of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's policies that center parental rights in transgender issues. "The Department of Justice seems to suggest that protecting the constitutional rights of parents and students will lead… -
opinion
In Virginia, School Choice Triumphs in GOP Primary Races
Virginia has trailed other states in adopting robust education choice policies. But after the results of last week’s GOP primaries in the commonwealth, that could change. The Virginia General Assembly is nearly evenly divided, with Democrats holding a slight majority in the state Senate (22-18) and Republicans holding a slight majority in the House of… -
news
Republicans Challenge ‘Dead Weight’ Tim Kaine as Youngkin’s Popularity Puts Virginia’s US Senate Race in Play
Republicans seem well positioned to win the U.S. Senate in 2024, since they have only 12 seats to defend compared to the Democrats’ 22. In Virginia, Republicans aim to unseat incumbent Senate Democrat Tim Kaine, slamming him as “dead weight” and noting the success of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican. “I think this race is… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Virginia Senate Candidate Makes Major Parental Rights Pledge After SPLC Attack
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A Republican candidate for the Virginia Senate has responded to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s attack on parental rights groups such as Moms for Liberty by pledging to introduce a Parental Bill of Rights Act in the Legislature should she win election in November. The SPLC last week added parental rights… -
news
Every State Is a Border State: How the Migrant Crisis Impacts Wisconsin, Alabama, Virginia
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Republicans in the House of Representatives voted Thursday to pass HR 2, a massive border bill. Many of them who represent states far removed geographically from the border told The Daily Signal how the crisis is impacting their states. “We have had a rash of fentanyl overdoses in the 3rd Congressional District in the… -
opinion
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Chief Diversity Officer Won’t Roll Over for the Left
Virginia state official Martin Brown is the latest reminder that DEI—“diversity, equity, and inclusion”—is a sham, a strategy to force systemic change and not to encourage equality, participation by all, or ideological diversity. “DEI is dead,” Brown said last week, and the keepers of the orthodoxy started calling for his head. Brown, chief diversity, opportunity,… -
opinion
Virginia Governor Elevates State’s Economic Partnership With Taiwan
“Together, we will continue to build a deep and lasting partnership.” That was the unmistakable, powerful message Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin conveyed Monday to President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan and the people of the Asian island nation. In his first official overseas trade mission for the commonwealth of Virginia, Youngkin made a notable visit… -
news
Abortion Clinic Drops Suit Against West Virginia’s Unborn Child Protection Law
A West Virginia abortion clinic on Monday dropped its lawsuit against the state’s pro-life law. In a federal district court filing, the clinic cited unavailability on the part of its two abortion doctors in seeking a “voluntary dismissal” of the case. The lawsuit was filed on Feb. 1 challenging the Unborn Child Protection Act, a law… -
news
Youngkin Signs Bill Ensuring Equal Status for Virginia Churches
On March 26, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, signed HB 2171 into law. This new statute ensures that houses of worship are not subject to unequal restrictions compared to those placed on other businesses, organizations, and activities in the commonwealth of Virginia. In sharp contrast to the limit of 10 people imposed on “nonessential” gatherings such as churches by… -
news
Violent Antifa Agitators and Transgender Activists Shut Down Students for Life Event at Virginia University
Violent transgender activists and Antifa agitators interrupted the final Students for Life “Lies Pro-Choicers Believe” Tour at Virginia Commonwealth University on Wednesday and shut the event down. Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins’ and student ambassador Isabel Brown’s speaking tour concluded at the Richmond, Virginia, public university in violence as police arrested protesters… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Virginia School District Boots 14 Sexually Explicit Books to County Libraries
A Virginia school district’s new superintendent decided Wednesday to remove 14 sexually explicit books from school libraries and donate them to the county government’s public library system. The 14 “young adult” novels to be removed from libraries in Spotsylvania County Public Schools by order of Superintendent Mark Taylor, on the job since Nov. 1, include:… -
opinion
Did Southern Poverty Law Center and James Madison Museum Team Up to Put ‘Anti-racist’ Curriculum in Virginia Schools?
The Albemarle County school district in Virginia has been subjected to two lawsuits related to its implementation of an “anti-racist” curriculum, which one parent said was “incubating a culture rooted in grievance, discord, and victimhood.” But parents in the school district near Charlottesville may be alarmed to discover that it is not just the school… -
news
‘Grave Misuse of Taxpayer Funds’: Education Advocates Slam Virginia County for ‘Transfer of Wealth’ to Nikole Hannah-Jones
Education advocates slammed public institutions in Fairfax County, Virginia, for spending more than $30,000 to bring The New York Times Magazine’s Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of “The 1619 Project,” to speak at a Black History Month event. During the Feb. 19 speech at the McLean Community Center, Hannah-Jones promoted her book and the New York Times…