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☆ LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman and Microsoft's AI chief are backing Abigail Spanberger's 2025 Virginia governor run
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Two of the tech industry's biggest AI champions are backing Rep. Abigail Spanberger's run for governor of Virginia in 2025, campaign finance records show. Hoffman donated $250,000 on November 30, and Scott donated $125,000 on December 22. The donations, representing a total of $500,000 are the three largest individual contributions on record for Spanberger's campaign, which ended 2023 with over $3.6 million in funds received. Aside from their personal connections to the state, Virginia is home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world. Hoffman has previously donated over $300,000 to WinVirginia, a PAC that supports Democratic candidates in the state.

Persons: Abigail Spanberger's, Reid Hoffman, Kevin Scott, Hoffman, Scott, Shannon Hunt, Hunt, Prince William County, they're, Spanberger, Glenn Youngkin, Ohio US Sen, JD Vance, Joe Biden's, Nikki Haley, Ellen Thomas Organizations: Microsoft, Business, Democratic, Spanberger, University of Virginia, Culpeper ., CIA, Virginia Gov, Republican, LinkedIn, Ohio US, Trump Republicans, South Carolina Gov, PAC Locations: Virginia, Greylock, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Culpeper, Richmond, San Francisco Bay, Rural America, Silicon, Hampshire

HENRICO, Va. (AP) — Susanna Gibson lost her Virginia legislative race this month, but she may not be done with politics. But that is my plan.”Gibson said she had no idea the videos existed until they were brought to her attention by reporters. “What is newsworthy is abortion rights are on the line in Virginia,” she said. She won a competitive June primary and centered her message to voters on protecting abortion rights as the state's Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, pledged to enact stricter limits. Abortion rights groups and a leading LGBTQ+ advocacy group continued to support her campaign.

Persons: — Susanna Gibson, Gibson, I’m, ” Gibson, —, Daniel Watkins, ”, ” Ken Nunnenkamp, Roe, Wade, Glenn Youngkin, “, loitered, Louise Lucas, Gibson's, Han Jones, David Owen, Terry McAuliffe, Watkins, she's, Virginia’s, Mary Anne Franks, Franks, Matthew Barakat Organizations: Associated Press, Republican Party of Virginia, University of Virginia, Columbia University, Republican, Democratic Party, Virginia, District, Democratic, FBI, George Washington University Law School Locations: HENRICO, Va, Virginia, Henrico

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A high-profile Democratic prosecutor in northern Virginia who pursued progressive reforms and drew criticism from Republican Gov. Biberaj conceded a day after the Loudoun County Board of Elections finished counting all ballots. Late absentee and provisional ballots narrowed Biberaj's deficit from roughly 1,000 votes to just 300 votes out of more than 135,000 ballots cast. Anderson, who served as Loudoun's top prosecutor from 1996 through 2003, spent just $70,000 on his campaign, compared to more than $1.1 million spent by Biberaj, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. "I am honored to lead this office again as Commonwealth’s Attorney-Elect for Loudoun County and deliver on my promise of restoring transparency and protecting our community from violent crime,” he said in a written statement.

Persons: Glenn Youngkin, Republican Bob Anderson, Biberaj, George Soros, Smith, sheriff's, Youngkin, Anderson, ” Organizations: Democratic, Republican Gov, Republican, Loudoun, Virginia GOP, Washington , D.C, Biberaj Locations: Va, Virginia, Loudoun County, Leesburg, Washington ,

☆ Virginia's House and Senate are up for grabs, with abortion access at stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Republicans currently have a narrow 51-to-46 majority in the House of Delegates, while Democrats hold a slim 22-to-18 edge in the state Senate. If Republican majorities take over both chambers, they will almost certainly enact a controversial 15-week abortion ban proposed by Virginia Republican Gov. In the Senate, Democrats have pulled in $12.7 million in contributions, compared with the $10.6 million Republicans have raised. In the House, Democrats booked $14.2 million, compared with the Republicans' $8.4 million. The Republican victory suggested Virginia voters were shifting to the right, just a year after Joe Biden trounced Donald Trump in the state in 2020.

Persons: Glenn Youngkin, Youngkin, Virginia's, Terry McAuliffe, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden Organizations: Mart, Old Dominion, Republicans, Delegates, Democrats, Virginia Republican Gov, Democratic, Virginia, Senate, House, Dominion, GOP, Republican Locations: Fairfax , Virginia, Northern Virginia, Old, Virginia

☆ Virginia elections: Youngkin looks to prove that non-MAGA politics can be a winning Republican strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Jake Tapper | Arit John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Glenn Youngkin isn’t on the ballot this year, but his push for a new conservative direction for the Republican Party is. The discipline extended beyond the 10 candidates Youngkin endorsed in competitive primaries, so as to keep distractions at bay. Virginia Democrats, who would normally use such a post to put the entire GOP in an awkward position, did not apparently even notice. Still, there isn’t a lot of evidence that the Virginia Democratic Party sees Youngkin as any sort of liability for the GOP — he isn’t featured negatively in any of their ads, for example. “What we have found out over the last two years is that that vest-wearing, affable, basketball playing dad is really a MAGA Extremist,” said Virginia Democratic Party Chair Susan Swecker.

Persons: Glenn Youngkin isn’t, MAGA, He’s, Youngkin –, aren’t, that’s, Donald Trump, ”, “, Youngkin, “ I’ve, Joe Biden, ” Youngkin, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Youngkin’s, Mark J, Rozell, Roe, Wade, ” Rozell, Taylor Keeney, Bob McDonnell, Thomas Peterffy, Sen, Siobhan Dunnavant, Dunnavant, Del, Tara Durant, Matt Strickland, Emily Brewer, Hermie Sadler, Durant, Juan Pablo Segura, Jason Ballard, John McGuire, Bryce Reeves, Bill Woolf, Buddy Fowler, John, Lee Peters, Mike Dillender, McGuire, Reeves, Ballard, Daniel Squadron, Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, he’s, Susan Swecker Organizations: CNN, Virginia Gov, Republican Party, Democratic, Democrat, Republican, GOP, Privately, Trump, Commonwealth, Virginia Democrats, Schar School of Policy, Government, George Mason University . Virginia, Republican Gov, PAC, OB, Covid, NASCAR, Heritage Festival, Heritage Indian, The States, States Project, Democratic National Committee, Democrats, Republicans, Virginia Democratic Party, Virginia Democratic Locations: Virginia, Fredericksburg, “, Richmond, Chantilly, Sens

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — In a closing message to voters in this year's closely watched Virginia legislative elections, Republican Gov. Virginia is one of four states — the others are Louisiana, Mississippi and New Jersey — with legislative elections this year. The legislative candidates are running this year under maps redrawn during the last redistricting. He said he was “cautiously confident” about the possibility of a GOP trifecta — both legislative chambers as well as the governorship. Biden, who has not announced any plans to campaign in Virginia before Tuesday, recently sent a fundraising email on behalf of Virginia candidates and issued nearly two dozen endorsements.

Persons: Glenn Youngkin, Youngkin, “, we'll, ” Youngkin, Youngkin's, Virginia's, It's, Roe, Wade, there's, ” Sen, Monty Mason, Danny Diggs, Democrat Joe Biden, Diggs, Virginia doesn't, —, “ We're, ” Kay James, Rich Anderson, “ MAGA, “ MAGA Republicans ”, Donald Trump's “, Biden, ”, Heather Williams Organizations: Republican Gov, Republican, Democratic, Virginians, General Assembly, Supreme, Youngkin's PAC, GOP, Democrat, Republican Party of Virginia, Democrats, U.S . House, “ MAGA Republicans, Biden's, Republicans, Democratic Legislative Locations: RICHMOND, Va, Virginia, Louisiana , Mississippi, New Jersey, Southern, U.S, Richmond, Tidewater, Washington, Yorktown, Commonwealth

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn has decided against a bid for governor in 2025 and will instead run next year to represent the competitive northern Virginia congressional seat being vacated by a fellow Democrat, U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton. “This is an unfair, devastating reality that she now has to navigate,” Filler-Corn said, adding that she had discussed her plans with Wexton. The open seat dynamic in the Loudoun County-centered 10th District — Filler-Corn said she lives just outside it — could set up a competitive race with implications for party control of the U.S. House. Filler-Corn is a strong fundraiser who led the Democratic House caucus during the national scandal and party strife that exploded after the 2019 discovery of a racist photo in former Gov. Neither has publicly committed to a run and both have also said they are focused on this year's legislative races.

Persons: Eileen, Jennifer Wexton, “, Abigail Spanberger, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, Wexton, Barbara Comstock, Ralph Northam’s, —, That's, Glenn Youngkin's, Spanberger, she’s, Wahoo, Connor Joseph, she's, Stoney, Kevin Zeithaml, Jason Miyares, Winsome Earle, Sen, Amanda Chase, Chase Organizations: —, Virginia, U.S . Rep, Virginia General Assembly, Associated Press, Richmond Mayor, Democratic, U.S . House, Republican Rep, Gov, Commonwealth, Republican Gov, University of Virginia, Democratic Party, AP, District, Republicans, Sears, U.S . Senate Locations: RICHMOND, Va, Virginia, Richmond, Washington, Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Congress, “, Spanberger

[1/3] A view of a sign supporting Democratic candidate for Virginia State Senate District 27 Joel Griffin on a lawn in Stafford, Virginia, U.S. October 3, 2023. Democrats argue even a 15-week limit is unacceptable and warn that Republicans might seek to restrict abortion further in the future. Every seat in the state Senate and House is on the ballot in November, and control in each chamber is likely to come down to a handful of competitive districts. Like other Democrats in the state, Griffin has made protecting abortion rights a pillar of his campaign. Reporting by Gabriella Borter in Stafford, Virginia and Joseph Ax in New York Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joel Griffin, GABRIELLA BORTER, Britainy Riggins, Riggins, Griffin, forestalling, Glenn Youngkin's, Donald Trump, Todd Gilbert, Susan Swecker, Monica Gary, Tara Durant, AdImpact, Griffin's, Durant, Zack Roday, Mary Jane Mitchell, Roe, Gabriella Borter, Joseph Ax, Colleen Jenkins, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Democratic, Virginia State, District, REUTERS, U.S, Virginia Republicans, Republican, Gallup, Democratic Party, States, Virginia Public, Republicans, Marine Corps, Twitter, Reuters, Youngkin's PAC, Democrat, Air Force, Wade, Thomson Locations: Stafford , Virginia, U.S, STAFFORD , Virginia, Republican, Virginia, U.S ., Stafford, New York

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, a Democrat, announced Monday she won't seek reelection in her competitive district in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington after learning she has a severe form of Parkinson's disease. Wexton announced in April that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's and that she planned to continue her work in Congress. Wexton was a prosecutor and state legislator before she was elected to Congress in 2018. Virginia's 10th Congressional District, where Wexton serves, is centered in Loudoun County, an outer suburb of the nation's capital. Early symptoms of this disease are subtle and occur gradually, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Persons: Jennifer Wexton, Wexton, Parkinson's, ” Wexton, “, ”, Barbara Comstock, Donald Trump Organizations: — U.S . Rep, Democrat, U.S . House, Republican Rep, GOP, Virginia's, Congressional, National Institute, Aging, National Institutes of Health Locations: Va, Virginia, Washington, Loudoun County, Loudoun

☆ How a Sexual Assault in a School Bathroom Became a Political Weapon
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Charles Homans | More About Charles Homans | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Since 2021, at least eight states have signed into law bills restricting bathroom use. I asked Prior why these bills succeeded when similar legislation had so resoundingly failed not even a decade ago. Last fall, a Public Religion Research Institute survey found an 18-point shift in favor of restrictive bathroom policies among political independents since 2016, and a 17-point shift among all Americans. The Public Religion Research Institute survey found that while independents have soured significantly on transgender policies, the largest swing by far has been among Republicans. In another postelection study, TargetSmart, a Democratic data firm, matched Virginia’s 2021 election data to individual voters’ demographic information.

Persons: Ian, resoundingly, “ It’s, ”, ‘, ’ ”, “ Organizations: America, Religion Research Institute, Virginia, Democratic, Schools Locations: Loudoun County

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