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state politics

Apr 18, 2025

This 420, Virginians can possess marijuana but still can’t buy it

Rolling into a 420 weekend seems like a good time to do an overview of Virginia’s current marijuana landscape. In 2021, Virginia became the first state in the South to legalize marijuana. If you’re 21 years old or older, you can lawfully possess up to one ounce of weed and grow up to four marijuana […]

Jan 24, 2025

Spanberger leads Earle-Sears in early state polling

It’s still early days, but in Virginia’s 2025 gubernatorial race, Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger leads Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in a pair of new statewide polls. In the Virginia Commonwealth University Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs poll released Friday, former U.S. Rep. Spanberger has the support of 44% of people polled, and […]

Nov 20, 2024

Judge rules Youngkin’s RGGI exit was unlawful

A Floyd County Circuit Court judge ruled this week that Gov. Glenn Youngkin‘s decision to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was unlawful, but the governor plans to appeal the decision, according to a spokesperson. Judge Randall Lowe ruled that “the only body with the authority to repeal the RGGI regulation would be […]

Nov 18, 2024

Miyares declares run for 2nd term as Va. AG

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares declared Monday he will run for a second term in 2025, leaving Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears a clear path to the Republican nomination for governor. Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is prohibited by state law from serving consecutive terms as governor, endorsed both candidates following Miyares’ announcement. A former Virginia Beach […]

Like many universities, George Mason University is addressing the problem of how best to reduce costs for students seeking to avoid extreme loan debt. Photo courtesy George Mason University
Jun 28, 2024

Youngkin peppers university boards with GOP power players

With Gov. Glenn Youngkin‘s appointees slated to hold majorities on the state’s university boards beginning July 1, the governor announced dozens of last-minute university board appointments Friday afternoon, shortly before the members’ four-year terms take effect Monday. Although many of the new appointees are the usual mix of Virginia business leaders and former state legislato[...]

Jun 27, 2024

Not with a bang, but a whimper

This story has been updated since publication. Despite lofty promises from Democrats and Republicans, divided government in Richmond meant few wins or losses for either party during the 2024 General Assembly session — and few sweeping changes for Virginia in the year ahead. “The only thing that the legislature really did is the one thing […]

Apr 19, 2024

Va. casino gaming revenues total $65M in March

Virginia’s three casinos reported about $65.08 million in gaming revenues for March, according to Virginia Lottery data released April 15. Last month, the Bristol Casino: Future Home of Hard Rock reported about $16.27 million in adjusted gaming revenues (wagers minus winnings), of which about $13 million came from its 911 slots and about $3.26 million […]

Apr 9, 2024

Senate Dems criticize Youngkin’s budget amendments

Virginia Senate Democrats had a lot of criticism Tuesday for Gov. Glenn Youngkin‘s proposed reworking of the state’s 2024-26 budget but held back on saying whether they would vote yea or nay on his 233 amendments. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said late Tuesday afternoon that he and fellow legislators had not had time […]

Mar 28, 2024

Youngkin vetoes cannabis, minimum wage legislation

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed legislation Thursday that would have put Virginia on the path to a $15 per hour minimum wage and set up a retail cannabis market, killing bills that were important to Democratic state legislators he blamed for torpedoing the $2 billion Alexandria sports arena deal he’d championed. Amid a deepening partisan […]

Virginia State Capitol Building photo courtesy Virginia Tourism Corp.
Oct 17, 2023

CNU poll shows tight race for GA control

A poll of 800 likely Virginia voters shows a tight race for party control of the General Assembly, which is currently split between Democrats controlling the state Senate and a Republican majority in the House of Delegates. According to results released Tuesday by Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Civic Leadership, 42% of respondents say […]

Oct 28, 2022

Vested interest

Eleven months into his first term in elected office, Gov. Glenn Youngkin can boast of several economic development successes and a few legislative wins, but one thing a lot of observers are discussing is his national profile and what it could mean in 2024. Youngkin — and his careful campaign to win over not only […]

Republican Glenn Youngkin was sworn in as Virginia's 74th governor on Jan. 15, 2022. Photo by governor's office.
Jan 16, 2022

Youngkin sworn in as Virginia’s 74th governor

RICHMOND, Va. — Republican Glenn Youngkin was sworn in Saturday as Virginia’s 74th governor on the steps of the state Capitol. The political newcomer and former private equity executive is the commonwealth’s first Republican governor since Bob McDonnell, who took office in 2010. The commonwealth also made history in electing Republicans Winsome Sears as lieutenant […]

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