Virginia Democrat Ibraheem Samirah won the Virginia 86th District special election Tuesday with 59 percent of the vote, defeating Republican candidate Gregg Nelson and independent challenger Connie Haines Hutchinson. Samirah will replace Democrat Jennifer Boysko in the Virginia House of Delegates. Boysko was elected to the Virginia Senate, replacing Democrat Jennifer Wexton, who was elected to Congress in November. When…
Ed Note: Normally The Blue View prints original content only but we are making an exception in the case of a constituent letter dealing with the current turmoil in Richmond posted on Facebook by Del. Mark Keam (D- 35) on Friday, Feb. 15. We think Keam has done a public service by drawing a closely-reasoned road map through a complex…
The struggle for Virginia to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment is not over, although the chances for victory in the current legislative session are slight. According to VAratifyERA, an activist group, there are three paths to getting the ERA ratification to the floor of the legislature before the end of the session on Feb. 23. Pro-ERA groups are sponsoring a…
By Karen Kirk: After a second accusation of sexual assault against Virginia Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax was made on Friday, many Virginia and national public officials were calling for his resignation. Meredith Watson, who was a student at Duke University at the same time as Fairfax, has accused him of rape in the spring of 2000. Earlier this week,…
By William Berkson. Ronald Reagan’s small-government crusade led directly to our current era of slow growth and massive income inequality. But his vision still dominates the political landscape. Why? History shows that sustained, equitable growth only happens during periods of strong government investment in both the commercial and social welfare spheres—what I call the “Investment State”. Its opposite is the…
By Susan Laume Police were a visible presence Saturday at two town halls in Fairfax County on Saturday, including one that had been cancelled but nevertheless attracted hundreds of demonstrators. The unusual police presence highlighted the emotional nature of two issues state legislators are dealing with currently – a racist photo connected to Gov. Ralph Northam, and partisan vilification of…
By Karen Kirk: Despite multiple calls for his resignation, Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam refused to resign on Saturday after he first acknowledged then denied being in a yearbook photo that surfaced Friday showing one person in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan robe. “I believe that I am not either of the people in the photo,” Northam…
Updated 4:10 pm to remove reference to town hall, which has been cancelled Virginia Del. Kathy Tran (D-42) has apologized to constituents for misspeaking, while reaffirming her opposition to infanticide and clarifying that a bill she sponsored would not extend the time period for legal abortion in Virginia. Tran kicked up a firestorm last week in answering yes when asked…
Although the weather was cold, the reception was warm as 10 state lawmakers met with a delegation of 50+ Committee members, part of Fairfax County Democratic Committee, in Richmond on Jan. 17. The 50+ members discussed key issues for seniors with legislators, including mobile voting in long term care facilities, creation of an elder care abuse registry, and ensuring staffing…
Democratic voters in Virginia House District 86 will vote Saturday, Jan. 12, for a candidate to represent the party in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Jennifer Boysko, who recently was elevated to the state senate to replace Jennifer Wexton, who won a seat in Congress last November. Four candidates are competing in the caucus to gain…
Over 1,000 Fairfax County employees and invited guests filled the Government Center auditorium on Tuesday, Jan. 8, for the New Year’s Reception hosted by Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova. The outgoing chair has presided over this privately funded event every year during her two terms of office. It is the chair’s way of giving thanks to county employees and volunteers…
By Susan Laume: The Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club presented Virginia Del. Kathy Tran (D-42) with their Energy Freedom Award on Sunday, Jan. 6, citing her sponsorship of two bills in last year’s legislative session supporting solar energy. Although the bills did not pass, Sierra Club spokesperson Susan Stillman said in presenting the award that Tran’s sponsorship was important…
By Susan Laume: The Fairfax County state legislative delegation held a public forum on January 5, listening to citizens’ concerns in advance of the start of the 2019 Session of the General Assembly on January 9. Nearly 100 individuals and groups registered in advance for an opportunity to speak to their Virginia delegates and senators collectively. Presenters were allotted three minutes…
The heated topic of money in politics in Virginia drew a star-studded list of speakers and a large, boisterous audience to a forum on Nov. 28th at the Mason District Government Center. State legislators, candidates and activists took turns detailing the corrosive effects of corporate money on politics throughout the Commonwealth, calling out Dominion Energy, the NRA, the Koch industrial…