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.
The next Speaker of the House of Representatives will be on stage in Virginia in the final hours before Tuesday’s election. Both Democrat Hakeem Jeffries and Republican Mike Johnson will be in Virginia Beach stumping for candidates in the state’s 2nd Congressional District. Jeffries is scheduled to appear on Saturday alongside former Rep. Elaine Luria,…
Summary With four days to go until the end of Virginia’s 45-day election season, the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics updated its predictions made by “Sabato’s Crystal Ball,” a nickname that Larry Sabato earned in the 2002 midterm elections when he accurately predicted the outcome in 433 of the 435 contests for the House…
Election Day will also be a day of prayer and fasting for many across Virginia, as religious opponents of changing the state’s constitution make their case that voters should reject proposed constitutional amendment Questions 1 and 2. The first amendment would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution, and Ballot Question 2…
Former Rep. Tom Perriello, a Democrat who is seeking to return to Congress to represent Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, is focusing on domestic economic issues as the campaign moves through its final week. If elected, he promises to work to roll back President Donald Trump’s agenda right away. “We’re going to bring costs down by…
Summary Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin finished his term this year, but he hasn’t finished working. The Republican is hitting the campaign trail across the commonwealth to make the case for several candidates who are running in the midterms. Over the weekend, for example, he made a swing through the 5th Congressional District along with…
Summary News Alert! The congressional midterm election is this year. (Oh! That’s what all those ads I must watch before Instagram opens are all about!) More to come about those, but right now we need to look at why the 34 municipal school board elections in Virginia should be important to you. *A (Satirical) Editorial…
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones sent a memo to local election officials earlier this month warning about “armed federal agents” at polling locations during the 2026 midterm elections. Jones’ office and the Virginia Department of Elections sent the 10-page memo to local election clerks alleging “intimidation and interference,” and citing “concerns about potential actions by…
Rep. John McGuire, the Republican seeking reelection in Virginia’s 5th District, hit the road this weekend with campaign stops in Lynchburg, Danville, Powhatan, and Charlottesville. Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin also spoke at all four appearances. “People ask, ‘why do you work hard?’ and the answer is easy,” McGuire told an enthusiastic gathering in Charlottesville. “If…
More than 870,000 Virginians had cast an early ballot in the 2026 midterm elections as of two weeks before Election Day. That represents more than a quarter of the total voting turnout in 2022, the last time there was a midterm election without a presidential campaign to drive up turnout. According to the Virginia Public…
State Sen. L. Louise Lucas and six other people were charged Thursday with federal crimes involving an alleged conspiracy to sell marijuana and launder the resulting profits. Lucas, the president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana, and conspiracy…
The Virginia General Assembly was going to convene on Monday, Oct. 26, to nominate and vote on judges for the Court of Appeals. The process is backlogged, and four seats needed to be filled when state Sen. Scott Surovell announced the date. Here’s the boring part. This session didn’t have the restrictions of a gubernatorial…
Virginia’s federal elections will be finished in less than two weeks, but some state-based issues are likely to keep simmering long after Election Day. Examples include the state’s policies governing data centers and how the electricity to power those centers—and the homes of millions of citizens—is generated. A court in Goochland County hosted a pretrial…
Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg barnstormed through the commonwealth, making a stop to support three Virginia Democrat candidates who are attempting to flip tightly contested districts. Shannon Taylor in the 1st District, Elaine Luria in the 2nd District, and Tom Perriello in the 5th District were all on hand to speak alongside Buttigieg, a…
Rep. Rob Wittman said that when lawmakers return, they should prioritize the passage of a supplemental spending bill that would provide new revenue to the Pentagon. A key reason would be to replenish weapon systems that have been depleted during the ongoing war with Iran. “The reconciliation bill that passed out of the House has…
Virginia’s 1st Congressional District is shaping up as one of the tightest races in the country this year. At the end of September, the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics shifted the race into the toss-up category. It had been listed as “leaning Republican.” Republican Rob Wittman has represented the district since 2007, when he…
Data centers and land use issues will be on the docket in the Goochland County Circuit Court on Tuesday. Last year, the Board of Supervisors passed legislation that carved a Technology Overlay District out of a designated growth zone in an area called West Creek, near the county’s border with Henrico County. The county said…
Catholics in all 70 parishes of the Diocese of Arlington heard the same letter read from the pulpit last month. Bishop Michael Burbidge asked every priest to urge a “no” vote on the two amendments to the Virginia Constitution that voters will decide on Nov. 3. This is religious liberty at work, and in much…
Virginia could be on the cusp of significantly expanding voting rights for people convicted of felonies, even before they have served their full sentences. Question 3, on the ballot in November, is an amendment that would automatically restore voting rights to felons “upon release from incarceration.” Sentences for felony convictions frequently involve parole and fines…
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) are the two largest districts in Virginia. Central office administrators in each district appear to value transparency about their superintendents’ calendars very differently. On Sept. 30, I submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the calendar of Fairfax County Superintendent Michelle…
A new survey in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District shows former Rep. Elaine Luria with a narrow 3-point edge over Republican incumbent Rep. Jen Kiggans. That is within the poll’s 4% margin of error, meaning the race is effectively a dead heat going into the final weeks of the campaign. The poll of 702 likely voters…