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Early voting wraps in Virginia, with higher turnout than 2021

SUMMARY:

  • More than 1.4 million early votes were cast in Virginia
  • That’s 300,000 more early votes cast than in the 2021 election
  • Republicans trailed Democrats by about 100,000 for in person

 

— People waited in lines on the last day of early voting to cast their ballots for Virginia’s first female . Several said the race was too important to them to chance something coming up on Election Day that might keep them from the polls.

Over 1.4 million early votes were cast in Virginia as of Nov. 2, which is almost 300,000 more than the 2021 election, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project.

Polling places in Richmond and Henrico were bustling on Nov. 1, the final day of early voting.

There was about a 10-minute wait at the Richmond Office of Elections in the early afternoon. A fish and chips truck was there to reward voters with lunch, compliments of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. The organization was hosting its annual “Souls to the Polls” event.

The line to vote stretched outside the building at the Western Government Center in around 3 p.m. Voters waited in line for nearly 40 minutes.

Party Split on

Early voting remains popular among Democratic voters, but is trending in popularity among Republican districts, according to VPAP data.

Republicans trailed Democrats by just over 100,000 votes for early voting in person, but a larger gap remained with mail-in ballots, according to VPAP data from Oct. 30.

Stephen Farnsworth, professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, stated that early voting has grown more popular since COVID-19. President

cast doubts on the legitimacy of early voting, which left Republicans needing to work harder on Election Day to match early Democratic votes.

“Some people are traditionalists and they like voting on election day,” Farnsworth stated in an email. “They like running into their neighbors and chatting with them and with campaign workers stationed outside the voting venue.”

The Republican National Committee launched the “ Your Vote” campaign in 2023, initially endorsed by Trump, to encourage more Republican voters to vote early. That same year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin launched the “Secure Your Vote” initiative in Virginia, to encourage Republican voters to vote early and sign up for the permanent absentee voter list. Trump announced on social media in August that he wanted to get rid of mail-in ballots because he believes they allow for voter fraud. No-excuse, mail-in voting is available for 28 states, including Virginia, according to The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law.

Virginia does not require signature verification on mail-in ballots, but does require the voter to sign the ballot and fill out the last four digits of their social security number, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

From the Polls: Thoughts on Early Voting

Henrico GOP table outside Henrico Western Government Center on Parham Road. Photo by Emily Grinstead/Capital News Service.
Henrico GOP table outside Henrico Western Government Center on Parham Road. Photo by Emily Grinstead/Capital News Service.

Richmond resident Brenda Mahoney voted early on the last day of the 45-day period. She usually votes on Election Day, but did not want to take a chance of the lines being too long. She said the Trump administration makes her feel more confident in the voting system.

“I always come in person,” Mahoney said. “I know my vote is counted if I come in person.”

Virginia’s early voting period is one of the longest in the country, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Richard Roberts and Deb Giffin volunteer with the Henrico County Republican Committee. They manned a table at the registrar’s office off Parham Road on the final day of early voting.

Roberts said early voting does not allow voters to have all the facts before casting a ballot. He mentioned that both the gubernatorial and attorney general debates took place after early voting began.

“I have a faith in people that if they knew the facts on the table, they wouldn’t vote the way they did,” Roberts said.

Giffin said the long voting period costs the county too much money to staff, particularly in special elections. Giffin would rather see Election Day be a holiday or the early voting period reduced to 15 to 30 days. State employees do have the day off.

“The enthusiasm of compressing it into a shorter period of time may actually drive more people,” Giffin said.

Scott Shepherd, a volunteer with Henrico County Democrat Committee, noticed a lot of enthusiasm Saturday. He said a lot of people showed up in the last few days of early voting. Shepherd thinks the early voting period should be more widely publicized, so that lines could be shorter.

Meredith Hanbury, a Richmond resident and elections officer, voted early so she can focus on helping her neighborhood and community on Election Day.

Hanbury chose to vote in person over concerns about absentee ballots being lost in the mail and never reaching the voter. In this case, the elections office would mark the ballot as received, and the voter would then vote provisionally on Election Day until the office can confirm the absentee ballot was never received.

“It’s another element of convenience, but early in person is way more effective in my opinion than having the paper absentee ballots,” Hanbury said.

Richmond resident Bryan Distin usually votes early so he does not have to take time off of work on Election Day. He likes that there is more voter accessibility.

“[Early voting] gives more access and availability for people that do have more stricter jobs and absentee balloting is very, very important,” Distin said. “So I think it does play an important role to make sure everyone has access to vote.”

Virginia Interfaith Center held their annual Souls to the Polls event at two Richmond voting locations.

Ramón Zepeda Ramos, an economic justice organizer with the organization, said the event originates from a tradition of congregations voting together after Sunday service. Since Richmond City did not offer Sunday hours this year, volunteers were out on Saturday.

“I have a family, I have kids, and a job, so sometimes it’s really hard to go during the week or on Election Day,” Ramos said. “Having the option to vote on a Saturday is really nice because then I can take time to go when it’s convenient for me and my family.”

Ramos said the organization also connects with congregations that assist elderly voters who may not be able to drive themselves to the polls.

Election Day is on Nov. 4. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Communication. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.

Systems Planning & Analysis acquires Vienna analytics firm

Alexandria-based government contractor () has acquired Vienna-based data science and defense analytics and defense firm .

Founded in 1972, SPA provides data and analytics services designed to address national security challenges facing the United States and its allies. In September, SPA announced plans to invest $46.9 million to expand its headquarters, increase its presence in and create more than 1,200 jobs in the two localities.

Group W, founded in 2004, specializes in modeling, simulation and wargaming capabilities for the (currently being rebranded by President as the ).

Financial terms of the were not disclosed, and details were not made available about how Group W would be integrated into SPA. Representatives did not immediately return requests for comment.

“SPA has a long history of working with Group W, and today we unite the leading providers and users of widely-used modeling and simulation tools across the system, mission and campaign levels,” said SPA CEO Rich Sawchak in a statement. “We are delighted to have Group W join us as partners in our shared national security mission. The combination of the two firms creates the most robust analytical defense modeling and simulation company serving the global allied national security ecosystem.”

In a statement, Group W CEO Trase Travers said, “We have an exceptional reputation in the art and science of simulating modern warfare derived from our enduring innovation and collaborative expertise. We align impeccably well with SPA and their widely respected position of trust with the U.S. government for national security, defense, intelligence and homeland security programs.”

SPA has 23 office locations and more than 3,000 employees worldwide.

Microsoft to ship 60K Nvidia AI chips to UAE

WASHINGTON (AP) — said Monday it will be shipping ‘s most advanced chips to the as part of a deal approved by the U.S. .

The Redmond, Washington software giant said licenses approved in September under “stringent” safeguards enable it to ship more than 60,000 Nvidia chips, including the California chipmaker’s advanced chips, for use in data centers in the Middle Eastern country.

The agreement appeared to contradict President ‘s remarks in a “60 Minutes” interview aired Sunday that such chips would not be exported outside the U.S.

Asked by CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell if he will allow Nvidia to sell its most advanced chips to China, Trump said he wouldn’t.

“We will let them deal with Nvidia but not in terms of the most advanced,” Trump said. “The most advanced, we will not let anybody have them other than the United States.”

The UAE’s ability to access chips is tied to its pledge to invest $1.4 trillion in U.S. energy and AI-related projects, an outsized sum given its annual GDP is roughly $540 billion.

The UAE ambassador to the U.S., Yousef Al Otaiba, said in a statement earlier this year that the arrangement was “setting a new ‘Gold Standard’ for securing AI models, chips, data and access.”

Microsoft’s announcement Monday was part of the company’s planned $15.2 billion investment in technology in the UAE, which is says has some of the highest per-capita usage of AI. Microsoft had already accumulated in the UAE more than 21,000 of Nvidia’s graphics processor chips, known as GPUs, through licenses approved under then-President Joe Biden.

“We’re using these GPUs to provide access to advanced AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, open-source providers, and Microsoft itself,” said a company statement.

Richmond Fed launches center to support rural economies

SUMMARY:

  • Fed launches Center for Rural Economies
  • Research hub will share data and connect stakeholders
  • Initiative builds on ‘s rural-focused work

The of Richmond has launched the Center for Rural Economies, a research and convening hub designed to study and support the economic needs of small towns and rural communities across its service area.

The Richmond Fed introduced the center on Oct. 29, during the first installment of its new “Investing in Rural America” webinar series. The center will research economic conditions in rural communities within the Richmond Fed’s region, which includes North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and most of West Virginia. The center will share information with local business leaders and policymakers, as well as help connect stakeholders. It does not, however, provide grants or funding.

Daniel Davis, group vice president for regional economics and director of the new center, described the center’s launch as a “natural evolution” of the focus the bank has had on rural and small-town development under the leadership of Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin. Existing activities on this front, such as research, community outreach and data analysis,  will now be centralized and expanded under the center’s umbrella.

The center’s mission

Davis emphasized that the center’s role is not to provide direct financial resources to rural communities but to help those communities improve their decision-making through research and collaboration.

“We view ourselves as brokers of information overall,” he said. “We’re a nonpartisan, objective organization looking into data and insights.”

Data the center will collect and analyze includes demographic trends, population changes, education levels, income, unemployment rates and poverty rates. In addition to informing local businesses and communities, the data will also better inform the Fed’s monetary policy.

The other major part of the center’s work is bringing together rural stakeholders. That includes the Richmond Fed’s annual Investing in Rural America conference, as well as a new webinar series, ongoing conversations with people in rural towns and the Rural Investment Collaborative, an initiative that trains local leaders on how to develop strong project proposals and connect with funding sources.

“The overall aim of having a webinar series is to catch folks where they are, without asking them to pick up and leave their community where they’re doing diligent work on a regular basis,” Davis said.

One of the center’s guiding goals is to remove barriers that limit opportunity. In rural regions, Davis said, that obstacles tend to revolve around employment and access to capital. On the employment side, skills gaps limit job growth. However, other barriers preventing people from working include access to child care, broadband and transportation. On the capital side, Davis noted that rural areas often have fewer sources of funding and limited capacity to develop investment-ready projects, making it more challenging to secure funding for local improvements.

The new center will leverage current resources that the Richmond Fed already has, utilizing existing offices and staff, consolidating work the bank was already doing into a more coordinated effort. The center will be headquartered at the Richmond Fed’s facility at 701 East Byrd St. However, staff at the Richmond Fed’s Baltimore and Charlotte, North Carolina offices will also contribute.

Rural leaders, businesses and communities can access the center’s information on the Richmond Fed’s website and through email updates and in-person events.

“There has historically been a lack of information on rural areas,” Davis said. “It’s harder to get data at a disaggregated level, in a way that really helps to understand what the economic story is in rural places. And we wanted to be a part of helping to provide illumination of what’s actually happening in rural economies.”

OpenAI and Amazon sign $38B deal for AI computing power

SEATTLE (AP) — OpenAI and Amazon have signed a $38 billion deal that enables the ChatGPT maker to run its systems on Amazon’s cloud computing services.

OpenAI will get access to “hundreds of thousands” of ‘s specialized through Amazon Web Services as part of the deal announced Monday.

The agreement comes less than a week after OpenAI altered its partnership with its longtime backer , which is no longer the startup’s exclusive cloud provider.

California and Delaware regulators also last week allowed OpenAI, which was founded as a nonprofit, to move forward on its plan to form a new business structure to more easily raise capital and make a profit.

“The rapid advancement of AI technology has created unprecedented demand for computing power,” Amazon said in a statement Monday. It said OpenAI “will immediately start utilizing AWS compute as part of this partnership, with all capacity targeted to be deployed before the end of 2026, and the ability to expand further into 2027 and beyond.”

Xcelerate Solutions expands in Tysons

Defense and national security contractor is expanding its headquarters and workforce in .

The company has expanded its headquarters space from 7,759 square feet to 23,073 square feet, according to a Wednesday news release from the Authority. Xcelerate moved from a small office in the building at 8405 Greensboro Drive to an office occupying an entire floor, said Marta Czarnecki, Xcelerate’s director of integration communications.

Xcelerate has more than 1,400 employees, about 350 of whom work in Fairfax County. The contractor expects to double its workforce in 2026, according to Czarnecki.

“As someone who grew up in Fairfax County, I’m especially proud to see Xcelerate continue to grow and invest in this community,” Xcelerate CEO Mark Drever said in a statement. “Fairfax has long been a hub for innovation and national security talent, and expanding our headquarters in Tysons allows us to deepen our roots, create more high-quality jobs and strengthen our mission to protect and serve our nation.”

Xcelerate has acquired three companies since early 2024, and the company needed the new to accommodate its growing workforce, Czarnecki said. It merged with Virginia cybersecurity firm VMD in February 2024 and acquired General Dynamics Information Technology’s background investigation assets in September 2024. In October, Xcelerate acquired software development company clearAvenue.

“Congratulations to Xcelerate Solutions on this major and continued success in Fairfax County,” Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, said in a statement. “As you advance national security, you are also fueling economic growth and opportunity across our region.”

Xcelerate was founded in 2009 and became a McNally Capital platform company in January 2023. Its major clients include federal law enforcement, the (also known as the ), intelligence community agencies and the Transportation Security Administration. The company provides solutions in enterprise vetting and analysis, critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity and digital solutions.

Tylenol, Kleenex, Band-Aid and more put under one roof in $48.7 billion consumer brands deal

Summary

  • to acquire in a $40.3 billion cash-and-stock deal.
  • creates a $32 billion powerhouse.
  • Kenvue faces lawsuits tied to and baby powder claims.
  • Deal expected to close in late 2026 with $2.1B in annual savings.

Kimberly-Clark is buying Tylenol maker Kenvue in a cash and stock deal worth about $48.7 billion, creating a massive consumer health goods company.

Shareholders of Kimberly-Clark will own about 54% of the combined company. Kenvue shareholders will own about 46% in what is one of the largest corporate takeovers this year.

The combined company will have a huge stable of household brands under one roof, putting Kenvue’s Listerine mouthwash and Band-Aid side-by-side with Kimberly-Clark’s Cottonelle toilet paper, Huggies and Kleenex tissues. It will also generate about $32 billion in annual revenue.

Kenvue has spent a relatively brief period as an independent company, having been spun off by  two years ago. J&J first announced in late 2021 that it was splitting its slow-growth consumer health division from the pharmaceutical and medical device divisions.

Kenvue has since been targeted by activist investors unhappy about the trajectory of the company and Wall Street appeared to anticipate some heavy lifting ahead for Kimberly-Clark.

Shares of Kimberly-Clark, based in just outside of Dallas, slumped 13% Monday. Kenvue’s stock jumped more than 15%.

Kenvue and Tylenol have been thrust into the national spotlight this year as President and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promoted unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and the complex brain disorder autism.

Trump then urged pregnant women against using the medicine. That went beyond Food and Drug Administration advice that doctors “should consider minimizing” the painkiller acetaminophen’s use in pregnancy — amid inconclusive evidence about whether too much could be linked to autism.

Kennedy reiterated the FDA guidance during a press conference last week. He said that there isn’t sufficient evidence to link the drug to autism.

“We have asked physicians to minimize the use to when its absolutely necessary,” he said.

Kenvue has continued to push back on the Trump administration’s dialogue.

“Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products,” Kenvue said in a statement on its website. “We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with allegations that it does and are deeply concerned about the health risks and confusion this poses for expecting mothers and parents.”

In July Kenvue, announced that CEO Thibaut Mongon was leaving in the midst of a strategic review with the company under mounting pressure from activist investors.

Kimberly-Clark Chairman and CEO Mike Hsu will be chairman and CEO of the combined company. Three members of the Kenvue’s board will join Kimberly-Clark’s board at closing. The combined company will keep Kimberly-Clark’s headquarters in Irving, Texas, but there will be significant operations around Kenvue facilities and locations as well.

The deal is expected to close in the second half of next year. It still needs approval from shareholders of both both companies.

Kenvue shareholders will receive $3.50 per share in cash and 0.14625 Kimberly-Clark shares for each Kenvue share held at closing. That amounts to $21.01 per share, based on the closing price of Kimberly-Clark shares on Friday.

Kimberly-Clark and Kenvue said that they identified about $1.9 billion in cost savings that are expected in the first three years after the transaction’s closing.

The 2025 Virginia Icon Honors Awards

The 2025 Virginia Icon Honors Awards

The 2025 Virginia Icon Honors Awards

Enduring leadership shapes institutions, communities and workforces. Across Virginia, trailblazing executives, public servants, educators and philanthropists have spent decades building organizations, creating opportunities and mentoring

Read More »

ALAN S. WITT

In 1979, Alan S. Witt co-founded the firm known today as , and under his leadership, it became one of the nation’s top 100 accounting companies. Today it has 13 offices in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina.

A longtime force in and the region, Witt has sat on numerous boards, including spending more than two decades, many as chair, on the Riverside Health board. He also served on the board of visitors and as rector of Christopher Newport University, his alma mater. Witt is also a former chair of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

A former member of the Newport News City Council and the Industrial Development Authority, Witt was appointed by separate Virginia governors to serve on the Commonwealth Transportation Board and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Commission. Witt was also a member of the development group that built City Center at Oyster Point, a Newport News commercial and residential hub that opened in the 2000s.

In 2020, Witt retired from PBMares. Not one to spend his afternoons with “Judge Judy,” he went to work in 2021 as executive in residence at CNU. The following summer, he was named dean of the university’s Luter Business School, a post he held until July.

TONI TOWNES-WHITLEY

On Oct. 23, announced it had parted ways with . She joined the government contractor in 2023 as its chief executive and, at that time, was one of only two CEOs who are Black women.

Jim Reagan, former Leidos executive vice president and chief financial officer, was installed as interim CEO. SAIC, which has about 24,000 employees, reported fiscal 2025 revenue of $7.48 billion, an increase from $7.44 billion in fiscal 2023.

Townes-Whitley ranked No. 82 on Fortune’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Business list for 2025.

With a bachelor’s degree in public policy and economics from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, Townes-Whitley volunteered for the Peace Corps after college, serving as a village teacher in Gabon for three years. Before joining SAIC, she served as president of ‘s U.S.-regulated industries and president of CGI Federal, and she held management roles at Unisys.

Townes-Whitley serves on the boards of Nasdaq and Catalyst, a nonprofit supporting women’s advancement and inclusion. She also sits on the advisory board for the Princeton University Faith & Work Initiative.

USA Today named Townes-Whitley one of its 2024 Women of the Year, adding to her list of . In 2024, she also received Women in Technology’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award; Townes-Whitley is also a past president and past board chair of Women in Technology, which serves the Washington, D.C. area.