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Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s eventful four-year term included a blackface scandal, the global COVID-19 pandemic and 2020’s racial justice protests. Photo by Associated Press/Andrew Harnik
Dec 31, 2021

A dramatic shift

Four years ago, no one would have guessed Gov. Ralph Northam would lead the most progressive Virginia administration in modern memory. A native of Onancock on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, as well as a pediatric neurologist and Army veteran, Virginia’s 73rd governor was eyed by some Democrats with suspicion after acknowledging he’d voted twice for President […]

(L to R, foreground) Virginia Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares, Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin and Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears led a red wave in the November 2021 elections that saw the GOP regain control of the House of Delegates. Photo by Associated Press/Steve Helber
Dec 31, 2021

The great divide

Virginia’s business community faces a strangely familiar and yet uncertain state government headed into the 2022 General Assembly session, which begins Jan. 12. Republicans rolled to victories across the board in the November 2021 election as Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin led a GOP sweep of all three statewide offices, and Republicans also won a narrow 52-48 […]

Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin retired as co-CEO of Washington, D.C., private equity company The Carlyle Group in 2020, just months before launching his successful gubernatorial campaign — his first run for public office. Photo by Stephen Gosling
Dec 31, 2021

The outsider

A former CEO who has never held political office, Glenn Youngkin will take the reins as Virginia’s next governor, having harnessed political tailwinds to a Republican sweep of statewide offices and GOP control of the House of Delegates. The electoral success ended eight years of Democratic victories, but Virginia’s 74th governor will have to contend […]

Virginia Business held its 15th annual Political Roundtable event at the Richmond Marriott on Nov. 3. Photo by Shandell Taylor
Nov 29, 2021

2021 Political Roundtable: Surfing Va.’s red wave

The day after Election Day, Virginia Business’ six Political Roundtable panelists hashed out what they think the next year will be like in a Richmond where Republicans are roaring back to power. Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, a first-time political candidate and multimillionaire former private equity CEO, defeated former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, leading a GOP sweep of […]

Nov 3, 2021

Youngkin wins tight governor’s race, defeating McAuliffe

After a nine-figure avalanche of TV commercials, slick mailers and high-powered political rallies, The Associated Press declared Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin as Virginia’s 74th governor Wednesday, leading a Republican sweep of statewide offices and the party’s possible regain of control in the House of Delegates. A political newcomer and former co-CEO of Washington, D.C.-based p[...]

Apr 22, 2021

McAuliffe has significant lead among Dems in latest poll

In a poll released Thursday, 47% of Virginia Democratic voters surveyed are backing former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s primary bid for his party’s gubernatorial nomination, according to data from Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Public Leadership. Two months ago, McAuliffe had 26% of the vote in another Wason Center poll. With six weeks until […]

Feb 1, 2021

Chase sues Senate over censure, claims civil rights violation

A week after being censured by the state Senate, Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield County, is suing the legislative body and its clerk for violating Chase’s civil rights, including her First Amendment right to freedom of speech, she announced Monday. Virginia Beach attorney Tim Anderson said Monday he has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Chase […]

AP Photo by Alex Brandon
Dec 30, 2020

Off and running

Updated Jan. 29, 2021 Conventional wisdom used to hold that all politics is local, but that’s not really the case anymore. The extreme polarization on display during the recent presidential and U.S. Senate and House races has infected state and local politics, and Virginia’s November 2021 gubernatorial election promises no respite from that. “The broad […]

The Senate chamber in the Thomas Jefferson-designed Virginia State Capitol will remain empty during the 2021 regular session. Senators will meet at the Science of Museum of Virginia, which provides greater social distancing.
Dec 29, 2020

Short and … sweet?

Even before the pandemic and ensuing recession took hold in Virginia, 2020 already had the makings for a novel year in the General Assembly. Having won majorities in both houses in the November 2019 elections, Democrats took back full control of the legislature for the first time in a generation. With Gov. Ralph Northam in […]

Virginia Business Political Roundtable 2020
Nov 5, 2020

2020 Virginia Business Political Roundtable

On Nov. 4, Virginia Business magazine held our 14th annual Political Roundtable event, sponsored by Cox Communications. Virginia Business Editor Richard Foster moderated a virtual discussion with a panel of five statewide political experts, who debated the latest developments in the November presidential election and what it means for Virginia and the nation. Hear what […]

The Virginia Executive Mansion will be occupied by a new (or possibly returning) governor in January 2022. Photo by Kira Jenkins
Sep 28, 2020

Election 2021: Who’s running for governor?

January 2021 update: See our updated gubernatorial race guide here Several candidates have already jumped into the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial race, and several more likely entrants are waiting to declare their candidacies until the 2020 election concludes. Virginia’s constitution limits governors to nonconsecutive four-year terms, so incumbent Gov. Ralph Northam can’t run for reelecti[...]

Dec 16, 2019

Poll finds voters support many Democratic agenda items

A poll conducted by Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Public Policy finds strong support for several legislative items supported by the General Assembly’s incoming Democratic majority, ranging from increasing firearms restrictions to raising the minimum wage. “This survey suggests there’s pent-up demand among voters for a lot of the Democrats‘ policy agend[...]

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