Sen. Tim Kaine, running for re-election in the Nov. 6 election, recently stopped by to help Democratic Party volunteers “chase” absentee voters by mail. For readers not familiar with the term: An application for an absentee ballot is a public record, including name and address. Political parties obtain these records then contact or “chase” potential absentee voters to encourage them…
By Richard Cramond: The top personal concern for Fairfax County senior Democrats is healthcare, with environment number two, according to a survey by the Senior Affairs/Advocacy Committee of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC). The survey in July went to almost 1,000 FCDC members aged 50 or more, of whom about 1/3 responded. Health care was overwhelmingly selected as top…
You’re never too young to canvass, especially in an election as important as the one on November 6th. Aaron, aged 6, canvassed in Providence District with his mom and 3-year-old sister Hannah recently, and made it the highlight of his “Weekend News” homework assignment for his first-grade class. His text reads: “Over the weekend I went canvassing. Canvassing is reminding people…
By Karen Kirk: The fight for women’s rights is urgent. Who better to discuss it with than 203-year-old Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the famous suffragist leader? While Elizabeth is long gone, the next best thing is right here in Vienna, Va., where Leigh Kitcher brings her to life frequently at afternoon teas, a women’s rights editorial cartoon exhibit and other events…
By Karen Kirk: Cybersecurity, restoring respect for national security professionals and electing Virginia Sen. Jennifer Wexton to Congress were priorities discussed at a National Security Roundtable moderated by Wexton on Friday in Chantilly, Va. Sen. Mark Warner, one of six panel members, noted that CD-10 likely has the highest concentration of intelligence professionals in of any district in country and…
By Lainie Singerman: Two very different styles were on display when Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine (D) faced off against Corey Stewart, the Republican vying for his Senate seat, at a candidate panel at Congregation Olam Tikvah in the Mantua area of Fairfax on Sunday, October 14. Sen. Kaine was firm in his views but showed a positive manner and was…
By Brad Swanson: Organized labor and allies rallied Saturday morning against Trump Administration plans to deport an estimated 20,000 protected status immigrants from northern Virginia. “This is a cruel and vicious attack on families,” said Virginia Diamond, president of the Northern Virginia AFL-CIO. Many of these immigrants have been in the USA for a generation and have sunk deep roots…
By Vivian Thomson: Tens of thousands of Americans – including several hundred in northern Virginia – are spared from premature death by power plant air pollution limits that are under threat in the Trump Administration, according to a recent study by my University of Virginia research team. We wondered what might happen if the Trump Administration abandons two Clean Air…
By Linda Sperling: (Ed. Note: The author is a Democratic candidate for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Springfield District) The Equal Rights Amendment could finally become law in 2019, if the Virginia legislature ratifies it. The amendment needs approval from 38 states to become effective, and 37 have done so already. As most people know, the ERA would ensure that…
By Paul Davis: You cannot miss the current enthusiasm of young people for a new political direction. Fairfax Young Democrats (FYD) is one of the most active and committed youth organizations in this movement. Whether it is hosting speakers, canvassing, protesting or other displays of civic participation, FYD is there, representing the future — and many of the present —…
By Brad Swanson: Prominent historian Nancy MacLean warned Wednesday night that America faces an “existential threat to democracy” from a secretive plan by right wing plutocrats led by Charles Koch to subvert our political institutions and undo a century of social progress. MacLean, author of the prize-winning book Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan…
By Stephanie Witt Sedgwick: Volunteers packed the Sterling campaign of office of State Senator Jennifer Wexton (Loudoun-Fairfax), candidate for Virginia’s Congressional District 10, kicking off a day of canvassing Saturday for them and an even longer day of campaigning for Wexton and her staff. A crowd of over 140 people filled the office to capacity early Saturday morning and more…
By Wallicia Gill and Brad Swanson: Part II of a three-part special report on teen sex trafficking in northern Virginia. Part I gave background on the problem. Read it here. Janet B. has lived through a nightmare that no parent who has not experienced it can imagine: her teenage daughter Sophie (the family’s names have been changed) was trapped into…
By Karen Kirk: Virginia freshman Delegates Elizabeth R. Guzman, David A. Reid and Kathy Tran talked about what motivated them to run for office, what surprised them when they arrived in Richmond and their outlook for 2019 at the Blue Wave Forum held on Sept. 25 at James Madison High School in Vienna. State Sen. Scott Surovell, who asked the…