A look back at stories from this week
There was so much happening in Virginia politics.
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Amanda Chase announces run for governor
Former state Sen. Amanda Chase announced Wednesday night that she is seeking the Republican nomination to run for governor.
She said that if her supporters can collect enough signatures for her to make the ballot by April 3, which is 10,000 signatures, including 400 from each congressional district, she will run in the primary.
“In the past few days, I’ve learned that our only declared Republican candidate for Governor has encountered some pretty serious issues with her campaign,” Chase wrote in an email. “We now face an almost certain defeat in November, if we don’t find a candidate who can manage and organize a successful campaign against Spanberger.”
LaRock officially files paperwork to run for governor
Dave LaRock officially filed paperwork to run for governor — setting up a potential primary between him and Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears for the nomination.
New poll on Spanberger v. Sears
A new poll from Roanoke College shows Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger with a significant lead over her likely Republican opponent, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears.
The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research (IPOR) at Roanoke College interviewed 690 Virginia residents between Feb. 17 and Feb. 20, 2025. The survey has a weighted margin of error of 4.66%.
Party affiliation of respondents to the poll:
Democrat 35%
Republican 27%
Independent 25%
Other/None 12%
86% of the people polled said they were registered voters.
Commentary from Bill Bolling: “Sears is not a strong statewide candidate”
Former two-term GOP Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling commented on the recent polling from Roanoke College that showed Democrat Abigail Spanberger with a huge lead over Republican Winsome Sears in the race to be the next governor.
He started out by pointing out that Spanberger’s lead is likely not 15 points, but she is still the favorite.
“I seriously doubt that Abigail Spanberger’s lead over Winsome Earle Sears in the 2025 Governor’s race is 15%, but I have no doubt that Spanberger has a sizable lead,” he wrote.
Bolling then stated that Sears is not a strong statewide candidate.
Youngkin reaffirms support for Sears as candidates facing signature challenge
Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears has had an interesting week. After months of being the only candidate seeking the Republican nomination for governor, she is now facing two potential opponents, former Del. Dave LaRock and former state Sen. Amanda Chase.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who remains liked across the commonwealth, endorsed Sears last year after Attorney General Jason Miyares decided to run for reelection instead of governor. On Wednesday, after LaRock filed and before Chase announced her campaign, Youngkin put out another statement reaffirming his support for Sears.
A battle for DPVA chair
Earlier this month, Democratic Party of Virginia Chair Susan Swecker announced she is stepping down from her position after serving for 10 years. Shortly after, state Sen. Lamont Bagby announced his candidacy to fill her role.
Bagby is backed by a long list of party insiders and elected officials, and until Thursday, he was the only candidate for the position.
A new candidate, Josh Stanfield, announced Thursday that he has secured more than enough signatures to make the ballot and run for chair.
Democrats and Republicans kick off the 2025 campaign season with attack ads
The Virginia House Democrats launched attack ads against 12 vulnerable Republicans ahead of elections in November. This comes days after Republicans launched their own attack ads against Democrats.
Hoping to ride a similar wave as in 2017 when Democrats flipped 15 seats in the House one year after Donald Trump was elected, the ads tie Virginia Republicans to the White House policies.
“Look around us. It’s chaos,” the ad says. “And who’s gonna pay the price? Us. Our jobs lost. Our grocery prices up. Our housing unaffordable. Our benefits cut. All so billionaires can reap the benefits.”
The 12 Republicans targeted are in districts that Democrats believe they have the best chance to flip.
Dels. Paul Milde (Stafford), David Owen (Henrico), Bobby Orrock (Spotsylvania), Geary Higgins (Loudoun), Ian Lovejoy (Prince William), Kim Taylor (Dinwiddie), Mark Earley (Chesterfield), Carrie Coyner (Chesterfield), Chad Green (York), A.C Cordoza (Hampton), Amanda Batten (James City) and Chris Obenshain (Mongomery) all received a personalized attack ad.
“Families and especially veterans across the Commonwealth are struggling to keep up with rising costs and shrinking opportunities, and House Republicans continue to back policies that worsen the crisis,” Speaker of the House Don Scott said in a statement. “Putting Virginians and their livelihoods first means holding these politicians accountable for their failures—and that’s exactly what we intend to do.”
Who is running in the three most competitive House districts
All 100 seats in the House of Delegates are up for reelection this year, and Kamala Harris won or tied several seats that are currently held by Republicans.
VPAP provided an analysis of presidential votes cast in each of the House districts. Take a look below at the candidates running in the three most competitive seats according to that analysis.
Youngkin talks federal cuts and resources for fired employees, while Democrats want him to stand up to Trump
Gov. Glenn Youngkin held a press event Monday morning to highlight job options across Virginia for federal workers who might have already or are preparing to lose their jobs due to cuts in spending from President Donald Trump’s administration. While Youngkin said that these changes are what Americans voted for in November, Democrats point out that Kamala Harris won Virginia by 6 points and implore him to stand up to the president.
"I don't believe that the federal government downsizing is wrong, and in fact, we need to press forward and drive efficiencies in our federal government,” Youngkin said after the event. “And as a result of driving those efficiencies, I do expect that some Virginians will lose their jobs."
"And that's why it's so important that we provide alternative opportunities for them," he continued, citing multiple resources for federal employees who were fired can use.
Youngkin announced Virginiahasjobs.com, a website to help connect Virginians who need a job with an opportunity to find one,
Speaker Scott talks special session and Youngkin’s response to federal cuts
Speaker of the House Don Scott talked Monday about Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s response to federal spending cuts and how it will impact Virginia. He also gave an update on his plans for a special session to address those cuts.
“The number one issue that we have right now is that we have a governor who has basically abdicated his responsibility to look out for Virginians. And it's sad,” Scott said.
Youngkin held a press event Monday morning to highlight job options across Virginia for federal workers who might have already or are preparing to lose their jobs due to cuts in spending from President Donald Trump’s administration.
“I don’t believe that the federal government downsizing is wrong, and in fact, we need to press forward and drive efficiencies in our federal government,” Youngkin said after the event. “And as a result of driving those efficiencies, I do expect that some Virginians will lose their jobs.”
“And that’s why it’s so important that we provide alternative opportunities for them,” he continued, citing multiple resources for federal employees who were fired can use.
Bipartisan bill aims to improve prison education, reduce recidivism
By Stacy Watkins, VCU Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia lawmakers advanced a bipartisan prison education reform bill, but Senate revisions altered its original scope.
Del. Betsy B. Carr, D-Richmond, introduced House Bill 2158, which mandated the Department of Corrections to implement a consistent education system across its facilities, according to the bill.
Carr has worked on getting higher education and Pell grants into the prison system. The bill’s chief copatron Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chester, has worked to expand literacy education in prison, according to Carr. This led the delegates to work together on the bill.
“What we hope to do, is to provide more workforce for people coming out of the prisons, to reduce recidivism and to save taxpayers money,” Carr said.
The original bill required DOC to implement functional literacy, secondary and postsecondary education programs in all state prisons, along with other provisions. A Senate substitute scaled back those mandates and proposed a task force to study future actions.
Lawmakers hashed out the differences in a conference committee and reached a compromise that keeps some key provisions, including a Virginia Prison Education Task Force.
NOAA layoffs
Richmond-area meteorologist Sean Sublette recently wrote about the firings that took place by the Trump administration at NOAA. Read it below:
I’d rather not write this. But I have to write this.
Earlier this afternoon, there was a large layoff of weather professionals at NOAA, the federal agency comprising the backbone data infrastructure of all American weather forecasts. NOAA gathers data from ground sources, satellites, and radars — and develops computer modeling of the atmosphere from that data — to help protect life and property.
And their data is made freely available so private industry can put it to more specific uses. For decades, it has been a shining example of public-private partnerships in the country.
My heart is heavy with my colleagues who were unceremoniously let go solely to make a statement by this horrific administration.
Lawmakers tighten school cellphone policy, but teachers question efficacy
By Sarah Hagen, VCU Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. -- Twin bills seeking to limit the use of cellphones and smart devices in schools cleared the General Assembly, although some teachers wish the bills had more consequences.
Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, introduced House Bill 1961 and Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax introduced Senate Bill 738. Both bills cleared the House with clear bipartisan support and passed the Senate along party lines, after amendments.
The bills direct school boards to develop age-appropriate policies for restricting cellphone use and possession in the classroom, passing periods and lunchtime, to the fullest extent possible. All public K-12 schools will be required to implement the policies, with school administrators responsible for enforcement.
The goals of the bills are to reduce distractions, bullying and harassment in the learning environment.
Students cannot be suspended or expelled for solely violating the policy, but they can be removed from the classroom, according to the bills.
Fired federal workers descend on Senate to put human faces on Trump-Musk cuts
By MENNATALLA IBRAHIM, DARANEE BALACHANDAR, COLIN MCNAMARA, SASHA ALLEN and EMMA TUFO
Capital News Service
WASHINGTON — Nearly 40 recently terminated federal workers walked from Senate office to Senate office Tuesday, hoping to share their stories with senators and their staffs.
The visits were promoted through various channels, including a Signal group for terminated federal employees and the Fork Off Coalition, a grassroots group of current and former federal workers protesting the Trump administration’s recent firings of federal employees.
Almost 30,000 federal employees across the country have been fired since billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency began its work in late January, according to an analysis by Bloomberg Law.
“I’m hoping that we can shed light on what federal government workers accomplish and reverse course before it’s too late and all these departments really crumble,” said a 28-year-old Washington resident who asked not to be identified. She was a visual information specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before she was fired on Feb. 15.
In the late afternoon, Maryland Democratic lawmakers met with federal union leaders in the United States Capitol to denounce the Trump-Musk firings and program cuts.
Democratic lawmakers send Youngkin same minimum wage bill he vetoed last year
By Madison Parlopiano, VCU Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. – Democratic lawmakers passed a bill to increase the state’s minimum wage, although the effort might be thwarted again by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who previously said the bump stifles economic competitiveness.
Del. Jeion A. Ward, D-Hampton, introduced House Bill 1928, which amends the state’s current minimum wage law and increases it incrementally each year until 2027.
Proposal to provide luggage for foster care children fails over funding
By Jaila Hendricks, VCU Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. -- Lawmakers considered a proposal to provide luggage to youth moving through the foster care system, but ultimately the measure died over funding costs.
Del. Karen Keys-Gamarra, D-Fairfax, sponsored House Bill 1631, to require the Department of Social Services to find a better option from a plastic trash bag.