0:02News StoryFifth Congressional District Republican Candidate Denver Riggleman campaigns at Richmond International Airport with Vice President Mike Pence in 2018. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Gillespie lost in 2017 to current Gov. Ralph Northam , a crushing defeat the Gillespie campaign attributed largely to a voter backlash against the Trump White House.Primary voters will also be choosing a congressional nominee to run in the Virginia Beach-anchored 2nd District, where former U.S. Rep. Scott Taylor is considered a favorite and would get a rematch against U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria,...…0:02News StoryFifth Congressional District Republican Candidate Denver Riggleman campaigns at Richmond International Airport with Vice President Mike Pence in 2018. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Gillespie lost in 2017 to current Gov. Ralph Northam , a crushing defeat the Gillespie campaign attributed largely to a voter backlash against the Trump White House.Primary voters will also be choosing a congressional nominee to run in the Virginia Beach-anchored 2nd District, where former U.S. Rep. Scott Taylor is considered a favorite and would get a rematch against U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria,...WW…

0:01News StoryHouse Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, declared victory at his election night party in 2019. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Xby Graham Moomaw, September 21, 2020by Graham Moomaw, September 21, 2020When Kirk Cox lost his Republican majority in his first and only term as speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, he seemed like a man who just wanted to avoid attention.He had survived his own race in a district for a Republican due to court-ordered redistricting. But with the speaker’s office gone, he gave up leadership duties, going back to being a regular delegate instead...…0:01News StoryHouse Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, declared victory at his election night party in 2019. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Xby Graham Moomaw, September 21, 2020by Graham Moomaw, September 21, 2020When Kirk Cox lost his Republican majority in his first and only term as speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, he seemed like a man who just wanted to avoid attention.He had survived his own race in a district for a Republican due to court-ordered redistricting. But with the speaker’s office gone, he gave up leadership duties, going back to being a regular delegate instead...WW…

0:01News StoryFormer Gov. Terry McAuliffe (Scott Elmquist/Style Weekly)Carroll Foy, a millennial who flipped a formerly Republican seat when she was first elected in 2017, is pitching herself as a progressive newcomer with less allegiance to the status quo.For McAuliffe to take the historically rare step of running for a second term after McClellan and Carroll Foy have stepped up, Sales said, would be “disrespectful.”In an interview, Lucas called the issue “heart-wrenching” and said she’d love to see a Black governor. But in an unprecedented crisis, she said, she’s more concerned with...…0:01News StoryFormer Gov. Terry McAuliffe (Scott Elmquist/Style Weekly)Carroll Foy, a millennial who flipped a formerly Republican seat when she was first elected in 2017, is pitching herself as a progressive newcomer with less allegiance to the status quo.For McAuliffe to take the historically rare step of running for a second term after McClellan and Carroll Foy have stepped up, Sales said, would be “disrespectful.”In an interview, Lucas called the issue “heart-wrenching” and said she’d love to see a Black governor. But in an unprecedented crisis, she said, she’s more concerned with...WW…

0:01News StoryVoters in suburban Henrico’s Short Pump precinct cast their ballots. The area saw a surge in Democratic voters after Trump’s 2016 election. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Xby Graham Moomaw, May 14, 2020by Graham Moomaw, May 14, 2020With many government offices in Virginia closed for face-to-face business due to the coronavirus pandemic, new voter registrations in April plummeted from levels typically seen in high-interest presidential election years.The state saw just 5,467 new voter registrations in April, a 73 percent drop from the same month in 2016 and an 81 percent decrease...…0:01News StoryVoters in suburban Henrico’s Short Pump precinct cast their ballots. The area saw a surge in Democratic voters after Trump’s 2016 election. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Xby Graham Moomaw, May 14, 2020by Graham Moomaw, May 14, 2020With many government offices in Virginia closed for face-to-face business due to the coronavirus pandemic, new voter registrations in April plummeted from levels typically seen in high-interest presidential election years.The state saw just 5,467 new voter registrations in April, a 73 percent drop from the same month in 2016 and an 81 percent decrease...WW…

0:01News StoryA few dozen protesters gathered on Capitol Square to protest Gov. Ralph Northam’s stay at home order Thursday. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)The text of the Virginia GOP’s April 20 press release opposing COVID-19 shutdowns.A version of the anti-shutdown post that appeared April 18 on a Facebook page opposing Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. The original source of the text is unclear.“Trump speaks and people listen,” tweeted U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Alexandria. “We are in a really dangerous time and it is more important than ever that Virginians STAY HOME. Trump is going to get people...…0:01News StoryA few dozen protesters gathered on Capitol Square to protest Gov. Ralph Northam’s stay at home order Thursday. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)The text of the Virginia GOP’s April 20 press release opposing COVID-19 shutdowns.A version of the anti-shutdown post that appeared April 18 on a Facebook page opposing Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. The original source of the text is unclear.“Trump speaks and people listen,” tweeted U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Alexandria. “We are in a really dangerous time and it is more important than ever that Virginians STAY HOME. Trump is going to get people...WW…

0:03News StoryValerie Butler, President of the Isle of Wight Chapter of the NAACP, spoke in April across the street from a gas station in Windsor where town police pepper sprayed an Army lieutenant during a traffic stop. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Attorney General Mark Herring for a range of information Monday from the Windsor Police Department. “He believes that the manner in which the officers of the Windsor Police Department conducted themselves was dangerous, unnecessary, unacceptable and avoidable,” his office said in a statement. Herring’s opponent in the Democratic primary, Del....…0:03News StoryValerie Butler, President of the Isle of Wight Chapter of the NAACP, spoke in April across the street from a gas station in Windsor where town police pepper sprayed an Army lieutenant during a traffic stop. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Attorney General Mark Herring for a range of information Monday from the Windsor Police Department. “He believes that the manner in which the officers of the Windsor Police Department conducted themselves was dangerous, unnecessary, unacceptable and avoidable,” his office said in a statement. Herring’s opponent in the Democratic primary, Del....WW…

22:39News StoryThe Democratic candidates for governor on state at Virginia State University for their first debate.The first televised debate of Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial primary started out tame Tuesday evening, with almost 25 minutes of civil discussion about the COVID-19 pandemic and how the five candidates onstage plan to lead the state out of it.The second half took a sharper turn, with several attacks against former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, veering into a more pointed discussions of race, guns police tactics and government accountability.Running as a quasi-incumbent, McAuliffe...…22:39News StoryThe Democratic candidates for governor on state at Virginia State University for their first debate.The first televised debate of Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial primary started out tame Tuesday evening, with almost 25 minutes of civil discussion about the COVID-19 pandemic and how the five candidates onstage plan to lead the state out of it.The second half took a sharper turn, with several attacks against former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, veering into a more pointed discussions of race, guns police tactics and government accountability.Running as a quasi-incumbent, McAuliffe...WW…

0:04News StoryVirginia’s Executive Mansion, where the governor and his family reside. (Virginia Department of Historic Resources)McAuliffe launched his comeback in December as the presumptive frontrunner and has shown big advantages in early polls, fundraising and endorsements. The first two candidates to announce last year were Carroll Foy, who resigned from the House to focus on her campaign, and Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, both of whom would be the first Black woman elected governor of any state.Wilder has not endorsed in the governor’s race.Xby Graham Moomaw, March 22, 2021by...…0:04News StoryVirginia’s Executive Mansion, where the governor and his family reside. (Virginia Department of Historic Resources)McAuliffe launched his comeback in December as the presumptive frontrunner and has shown big advantages in early polls, fundraising and endorsements. The first two candidates to announce last year were Carroll Foy, who resigned from the House to focus on her campaign, and Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, both of whom would be the first Black woman elected governor of any state.Wilder has not endorsed in the governor’s race.Xby Graham Moomaw, March 22, 2021by...WW…

0:03News StoryVoters in suburban Henrico’s Short Pump precinct cast their ballots. The area saw a surge in Democratic voters after Trump’s 2016 election. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Xby Graham Moomaw, March 12, 2021by Graham Moomaw, March 12, 2021When the federal Voting Rights Act passed in 1965, Virginia was one of nine states that drew special attention due to its history of racist election laws. That burden was lifted in 2013, when the U.S. Supreme Court enough time had passed that Virginia and other states could stop following an old rule requiring federal permission for changes that...…0:03News StoryVoters in suburban Henrico’s Short Pump precinct cast their ballots. The area saw a surge in Democratic voters after Trump’s 2016 election. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Xby Graham Moomaw, March 12, 2021by Graham Moomaw, March 12, 2021When the federal Voting Rights Act passed in 1965, Virginia was one of nine states that drew special attention due to its history of racist election laws. That burden was lifted in 2013, when the U.S. Supreme Court enough time had passed that Virginia and other states could stop following an old rule requiring federal permission for changes that...WW…

0:05News StoryBett, one of around 20 border collies helping herd birds at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, poses in a pair of goggles that protect against sun and sand. (Photo courtesy of Rebecca Gibson)The 25,000-bird colony of various avian species has been a part of the island since the 1980s. Because threatened species have legal protections, the springtime return of the gull-billed tern had potential to bring work to a halt on a project meant to ease congestion in one of the state’s most traffic-choked regions.To resolve the issue, Gov. Ralph Northam put allowing the Department of Game...…0:05News StoryBett, one of around 20 border collies helping herd birds at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, poses in a pair of goggles that protect against sun and sand. (Photo courtesy of Rebecca Gibson)The 25,000-bird colony of various avian species has been a part of the island since the 1980s. Because threatened species have legal protections, the springtime return of the gull-billed tern had potential to bring work to a halt on a project meant to ease congestion in one of the state’s most traffic-choked regions.To resolve the issue, Gov. Ralph Northam put allowing the Department of Game...WW…