Virginia

National Landing just made a huge mistake.

Plus, Jon Kyl the sherpa.

Plus, is Trump everything Republicans worried Obama was?

Hosted by Charlie Sykes.

Can a GoFundMe Bring Back a Beloved Theme Park? Probably not. But that’s not stopping a man in my native Cleveland who wants to bring back the famous Geauga Lake theme park. He’s started a GoFundMe to raise $20 million bucks to start bringing the park back. That’s a fraction of price you’d need to…

Fun times in Richmond! As regular readers are aware, yesterday Chris Deaton reported on the Virginia House of Delegates race that was ultimately decided by one vote. Or was it? Republican David Yancey went into the recount leading by 10 votes over Democrat Shelly Simonds. But then seemingly lost by…

Pending certification on Wednesday, a recount of a Virginia House of Delegates race has resulted in a one-vote win for the Democratic candidate, turning what was once ca 66-34 Republican majority into a 50-50 split.

On November 7, Democratic lieutenant governor Ralph Northam became the governor-elect of Virginia, beating Republican Ed Gillespie by a nine point margin. Two days later, the political world shifted almost all its focus to Alabama. Various news outlets have now reported that while Republican…

Widespread allegations of sexual harassment have in recent weeks rocked legislatures across Europe and North America. In London, harassment claims have brought down one cabinet minister and are threatening to bring parliamentary business to a standstill. In Brussels, the European parliament has…

This week on the Confab, executive Fred Barnes and senior writer Michael Warren talk with host Eric Felten about the anti-Trump wave that threatens Republicans in 2018.

On Tuesday night, as the Virginia returns were coming in, I wasn’t surprised—at all—by Ed Gillespie’s loss. He finished right around where Ken Cuccinelli did while running for governor and where Donald Trump, Mitt Romney, and John McCain did in Virginia while running for president. Virginia is a…

Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., said Friday she believes allegations about Roy Moore and demanded this type of misconduct end.

Ed Gillespie ran a perfect campaign for an election that didn’t happen. Ralph Northam ran a sloppy campaign with the same election in mind. Northam won, no thanks to his own efforts, and will become governor of Virginia in January.

More Election Day Fallout—The White House pushed back Wednesday on the conventional assessment that the Democratic wave election in Virginia and elsewhere reflected poorly on Donald Trump: The president’s party always faces “headwinds” in elections in the first year; Virginia was trending…

More Election Day Fallout—The White House pushed back Wednesday on the conventional assessment that the Democratic wave election in Virginia and elsewhere reflected poorly on Donald Trump: The president’s party always faces “headwinds” in elections in the first year; Virginia was trending…

Last night, Democrats scored some significant wins in Virginia’s House of Delegates. Some of the best handicappers said that Democratic control of the chamber was highly unlikely, but once every race is called, Democrats may end up taking the chamber.

Unless you live in Virginia’s Prince William County, you have no idea who Rich Anderson is. Anderson is a fine fellow who was a capable, moderate local politician whose career was cut short last night. And his story ought to set off warning bells to elected Republicans, at all levels, across the…

Republican Ed Gillespie didn’t just lose his race for governor in Virginia on Tuesday. The former George W. Bush aide and Washington lobbyist led the GOP ticket in what ended up being a huge rout for the party. From gubernatorial nominee Ralph Northam to the lieutenant governor and attorney general…

With a week to go before Virginia’s governor’s election, Democrats were wringing their hands.

(This post has been updated to account for additional vote returns reported Wednesday.)

The doubts are gone now about Virginia: It really is a Democratic state. The election of Ralph Northam, a bland and ideologically fuzzy candidate, as governor is all the proof that was required.

The following is an archival version of our Election Night 2017 live blog. Posts are in reverse chronological order.

Today on the Daily Standard Podcast, executive editor Fred Barnes talks with host Eric Felten about today's Virginia gubernatorial election and why it has Democrats worried.

If Ed Gillespie wins tonight, it’s proof that Trumpism is triumphant in the Republican party. Gillespie may have been a longtime establishment party-insider, but he spent most of his campaign fighting on populist cultural issues. If Gillespie wins, so does Trumpism.

Virginia and New Jersey—two states with a combined population of about 17 million—are voting today in the largest American elections since November 2016. Both states are choosing new governors and electing numerous state and local officials. So it’s worth asking: Who’s going to win? And what do…

Consider this imaginary situation: A new chief of staff can organize President Trump’s harum-scarum White House operation into a crack, disciplined, and loyal team, or he can stop the president from tweeting. eThe catch is he can do one of these but not both. Which should he choose?

In the Virginia governor’s race, Democrat Ralph Northam is leading Republican Ed Gillespie by 17 points, according to a newly released Quinnipiac poll. The survey shows 53 percent of likely voters backing Northam and only 36 percent supporting Gillespie. But last week, a Hampton poll showed…

Last week, Monmouth University published a poll showing Republican Ed Gillespie ahead of Democrat Ralph Northam by one point in the race for Virginia’s governorship. This poll shocked some political observers—some had likely looked at Virginia’s recent results on the presidential level and…

Mark Herring, Virginia’s attorney general, wanted to run for governor this fall. But Terry McAuliffe, the current governor, thought otherwise. And his endorsement of lieutenant governor Ralph Northam for the Democratic nomination for governor sent a blunt message to Herring: forget it.

Abingdon, Va.

Mark Herring, Virginia’s attorney general, wanted to run for governor this fall. But Terry McAuliffe, the current governor, thought otherwise. And his endorsement of lieutenant governor Ralph Northam for the Democratic nomination for governor sent a blunt message to Herring: forget it.

Abingdon, Va.

The race for the Virginia’s governor’s mansion is tightening with three weeks to go. A Monmouth University poll released Tuesday shows Republican Ed Gillespie with a razor-thin lead over Virginia’s Democratic lieutenant governor Ralph Northam, 48 percent to 47 percent, Politico reports:

An 11-year-old boy from Virginia got his wish to mow the White House lawn after writing a letter to President Trump earlier this year.

In a series of tweets, the Republican Party of Virginia attacked Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam on Wednesday for calling for the removal of Confederate statues.

Updated, 10:45 p.m.: Violence around a planned white nationalist rally in Virginia left three people dead and over a dozen injured Saturday, multiple news outlets reported.

Twenty years ago the guy in charge of picking up the beer and pizza for the Prosperity Caucus—a group of socially awkward hill staffers, economists, and various D.C. denizens interested in issues related to growth and prosperity—decided to go back home and run for Congress. It was an unexpected…

Hampton, Virginia, has been promoting itself as a tourist destination with a campaign advertising the coastal region as a place to “Come Face-to-Face with Adventure.” Visitors are urged to “Discover the history, the attractions and the flavorful culture” of the city. In a display ad, the flavorful…

Democrats are lining up to challenge Republican congresswoman Barbara Comstock in the 2018 midterms in Virginia’s 10th district. The field includes Army veteran Daniel Helmer, former union leader Kimberly Adams, one-time Obama administration official Lindsey Davis Stover, and state senator Jennifer…

After Corey Stewart narrowly lost the Republican nomination for governor of Virginia to Ed Gillespie, he declared, “There’s one word you won’t hear from me, and that’s ‘unity.’” Apparently his supporters don’t agree.

Ed Gillespie, the Republican hope for a revival in Virginia, squeaked out a narrow victory Tuesday night over a populist Corey Stewart to win the GOP nomination for governor.

It wasn't exactly May vs. Corbyn, but Virginia's Democratic gubernatorial primary was a shocker in its own right. The race pitted Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (the heir to the Clintons' heir in the Old Dominion) against former representative Tom Perriello, a super-progressive who was attempting to sell…

In this episode of THE WEEKLY STANDARD Confab, Fred Barnes talks about the tricky balancing act of Virginia GOP gubernatorial hopeful Ed Gillespie; and Lee Smith explains the international politics of Wonder Woman.

Alexandria, Va.

In this episode of THE WEEKLY STANDARD Confab, Fred Barnes and Michael Warren discuss the James Comey firing fire-storm. Andrew Ferguson reports on the lurch to the left in Virginia's Democratic gubernatorial primary. And Ethan Epstein on the lurch to the left in the presidency of South Korea.

Arlington, Va.

Asked why Virginia has become a Democratic state or at least is Democratic-leaning, former governor Jim Gilmore had a one-word answer: "Fairfax."

Tom Perriello, the one-term Democratic congressman from Virginia, will run for governor in this year's election. Jonathan Martin at the New York Times reports:

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine—then a former governor and candidate for the Senate—was asked in 2012 what he would do about illegal immigration. Kaine responded that he would require illegal immigrants to identify themselves and force them to pay a hefty fine that would be used to…

The latest surveys of swing states in the election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton find the GOP candidate lagging in critical battlegrounds, with both nominees still sitting below 50 percent in expanded three- and four-candidate fields.

In this episode of THE WEEKLY STANDARD Confab, Fred Barnes tells host Eric Felten about the fight for Virginia and the big candidate showdown Monday night. Jonathan V. Last reports on the quixotic Evan McMullin quest to derail Donald Trump. And Ethan Epstein explains how D.C. got two miles of track…

Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Wash-ing-ton, addressed a local group in Fred-ericksburg, Virginia, last week and talked about Donald Trump’s chances of winning the state. A Trump supporter thought he was downplaying Trump's prospects and left in a huff,…

The WEEKLY STANDARD Podcast with executive editor Fred Barnes on battleground Virginia and its role come November.

Hillary Clinton is leading Donald Trump in the battleground states of Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and Colorado, according to four NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls released Friday.

Washington, D.C., isn't the only place where the separation of powers and constitutional forms are under attack. In Virginia, Governor Terry McAuliffe was rebuked by his state's Supreme Court on Friday for his attempt to circumvent the language of the Virginia Constitution—and the will of the…

The New York Times reports:

Some disputes simply cannot be resolved by rational debate but must be settled in the field, and by blood. Alabama and Auburn people can, for instance, argue 364 days of the year about which “program" is superior. Then, on the 365th, all the calls to Paul Finebaum's radio show will be forgotten and…

Two new polls of important swing states finds Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump among registered voters.

Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia decried having to "veto a so-called 'religious freedom' bill. It's such an oxymoron," on WTOP radio Wednesday.

The inner suburbs of Northern Virginia are not known for bleeding red. In fact, they've been known to turn the state politically purple or blue. But when Libby Garvey was nominated for a second term on the Arlington County Board June 14, some asked whether the town was heading toward the right.

Drive over the Potomac River from Virginia into Washington across the 14th Street Bridge, and you can’t miss a large electric sign overhead. "SafeTrack Is Here," it says. "Rethink Your Commute." That's supposed to be helpful advice. Properly understood, it's a warning.

"I'll do everything I can to get disenfranchised voters entrenched," says Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, who promised when he ran for the office, he now says, to be "a brick wall" to protect their rights.

Virginia Republicans are considering efforts to block Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe’s new executive order restoring the voting rights of the state's former felons. McAuliffe's order, announced on Friday, would give nearly 206,000 violent and nonviolent convicts who have served their time the…

Asian-Americans have recently surpassed Hispanics as the fastest growing ethnic voting bloc in the United States, with their voting numbers expected to double by 2040. Admiring thrift, hating waste, valuing education, upholding traditional family values, and with a disproportionate number of small…

The Washington Post has declared in a headline: "McAuliffe announces milestone in ending veteran homelessness."

Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman and pal of the Clintons, has taken it on the chin again.

Alexandria, Va.

Norfolk, Va.

Democrat Hillary Clinton is trailing some potential Republican opponents in three key swing states, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac, and doing about as well against the GOP as one of her rivals for the Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders.

Jim Webb, the former Virginia senator who may run for the Democratic nomination for president, released a statement on Facebook regarding the Confederate battle flag and the debate over its continued use in state-funded memorials. Here's the message:

Off hours, The Scrapbook has been dealing, like many everyday Americans, with the sort of problem that admits of no governmental solution: namely, a leaky basement. But just because government has nothing to offer by way of solutions (at least not yet!) doesn’t mean that it’s ignoring what we’re up…

They are a lousy team with perhaps the worst owner in all of professional sports, but the Imperial City wants the Redskins nonetheless.  As Alex Gold and Ted Gayer of the Brookings Institute write:

Around 20 Democratic members of the Virginia house of delegates twice fled the chamber in Richmond earlier this month during a vote on a resolution supporting the state of Israel. The video below shows the house holding its vote on February 5. The resolution passed 70 to 2, despite there being 100…

The office of Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia has released this statement:

The Obama administration’s recently announced Clean Air Act power-plant rules, advertised as helping to control the greenhouse gases that cause climate change, have almost nothing to recommend them. Complex, clunky, and burdensome, they’re likely to spike energy bills while doing almost nothing to…

Two weeks ago, Rolling Stone published a bombshell piece that rocked the academic world. In the story, author Sabrina Erdely detailed a horrific crime — a gang rape at one of the fraternities at the University of Virginia that allegedly took place two years ago.

Former Virginia senator Jim Webb announced last night the formation of a presidential exploratory committee. Webb, a contributor to THE WEEKLY STANDARD, made the announcement in a lengthy YouTube video posted on his website:

Barbara Comstock of Virginia has won her race for the U.S. House, beating Democrat John Foust.

The Virginia Republican party says there are problems with some touchscreen voting machines in Virginia Beach and other communities. The party sent out a video of one voter attempting to vote for Republican House member Scott Rigell. As the voter's finger touches Rigell's box, the vote is…

Ed Gillespie continues to close the gap on Mark Warner in the Virginia Senate race, causing Real Clear Politics to move the race from “Likely Dem” to “Leans Dem.”  Virginia is currently the only Senate race in that category, which suggests it’s the GOP’s best chance to stage a substantial upset on…

Barbara Comstock, the Republican House candidate for Virginia’s diverse Tenth congressional district in the suburbs and exurbs of Washington, lost the first thing she ever ran for: a spot on her high school cheerleading team. “After that, I was like ‘I’m never doing anything again,’” she jokes.

Two new polls show Republican Ed Gillespie closing in on Democratic incumbent Mark Warner in the Virginia Senate race. Christopher Newport University, which had Warner up 12 points earlier in the month in its survey, now has Warner's lead down to 7.

A candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, after a debate with his opponent, said that:

Entering the final fortnight of the Senate races, something of a pattern has started to develop. Republicans are leading in the Real Clear Politics average of recent polling in all states that were to the right of the national average in the 2012 election (which President Obama won by 4 points),…

In the wake of their passage of Obamacare, the Democrats have repeatedly claimed two things: Republicans don’t have an alternative, and in any case the health care debate is over. But a Washington Post editorial published Saturday makes it clear that neither of these claims is true.

Virginia senator Mark Warner claimed he did not offer a federal judgeship to the daughter of a Democratic state senator who was about to resign, but he did admit that they "brainstormed" about the idea.

Some winning campaigns are late-breaking. The most famous is Ronald Reagan’s surge in the last two weeks of the 1980 presidential campaign. And some candidates are elected after being far behind. Mitch McConnell trailed Democratic senator Dee Huddleston by as much as 30 percentage points in 1984,…

There are signs that the U.S. Senate race in Virginia, previously considered a long-shot for Republicans and a safe seat for Democrats, could get interesting in the final weeks of the campaign. The incumbent, Democrat Mark Warner, has had a large lead in the polls over his Republican opponent Ed…

In this week's newsletter, the boss looks at the 2014 midterm election:

Democratic congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia may be vulnerable for reelection, according to details from an internal poll conducted on behalf of his Republican challenger. Connolly, the three-term Democrat who respresents a chunk of Washington's Northern Virginia suburbs, is reportedly below…

An NBC affiliate in Virginia reports that nearly 250,000 people in that state will lose their health care plans due to Obamacare:

The Washington Post reports:

A Virginia Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives is getting blowback after saying his Republican opponent has never "had a real job." The Washington Post reports:

Republicans have distinct advantages in Senate races this year, including President Obama’s low job ratings, the number of vulnerable Democrats, and an unhappy national mood. But there’s another advantage: the generally high quality of their candidates. This wasn’t the case in 2010 and 2012, when…

With Barack Obama's job approval well below water these days, perhaps it's no surprise that Democratic candidates for Congress this year aren't jumping at the chance to have the president come campaign for them. Dave Weigel at Slate points out how remarkable it was last week when Democratic senator…

Eric Cantor will step down from his position as House majority leader on July 31. The news of his resignation follows his failure to win the Republican nomination for his seat on Tuesday. The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza reports:

With their misleading talk about passing an immigration bill this year, Republican leaders are partly to blame for House majority leader Eric Cantor’s defeat at the hands of an unknown college professor.

On Tuesday, Eric Cantor, the Republican congressman from Virginia, became the first sitting House majority leader to lose a primary for reelection. The victor, political newcomer and college professor David Brat, won nearly 56 percent of the vote to win the GOP nomination for the Republican-heavy…

Dave Brat, a college professor challenging House majority leader Eric Cantor in next week's Republican primary in Virginia, has a 60-second ad touting his conservative credentials.

Good news for those of us – and our numbers are legion – who are abidingly and insatiably interested in the American Civil War and the large footprint it has left on our history: Mackubin Owens has published a splendid piece in the current National Review on the battles and maneuvers of 150 years…

Republicans in two Northern Virginia House districts selected their nominees Saturday, one of them a three-term female delegate and the other an African American Marine veteran. Barbara Comstock, a former congressional aide, won her firehouse primary to be the GOP nominee for Virginia's 10th…

Springfield, Va.

Democratic senator Mark Warner of Virginia sent out a message on his Senate office's official Twitter account that claimed Republicans would blame this week's winter storms on Obamacare. Warner, who is up for reelection this year, deleted the message, though it remains recorded at Politiwoops, a…

Despite what readers may think, when people we never liked reach their expiration date, The Scrapbook tends to lean in the direction of de mortuis nil nisi bonum. (Loosely translated: Don’t speak ill of the dead.) It’s a little different, however, when political careers die—and so we freely confess…

Former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell, a Republican, and his wife were today indicted on corruption charges:

Ed Gillespie, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, has announced he is running for the U.S. Senate in Virginia against Democratic senator Mark Warner. He introduces himself and his candidacy in a new ad. Watch it below:

The boss, writing for Politico magazine:

Barbara Comstock announced that she will run for the congressional seat (Virginia 10) currently being held by retiring Congressman Frank Wolf:

Republican state senator Dick Black of Virginia is considering running for the House seat currently represented by retiring Republican Frank Wolf. Black announced on Facebook he was forming an exploratory committee.

The governorship of Virginia has been held by some of the most eminent men in American history: Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Randolph, Henry Lee, James Monroe. And now, Terry McAuliffe will sit in their chair. Depressing? Perhaps, but it is worth remembering that for about half a…

The WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with executive editor Fred Barnes recapping the 2013 elections in Virginia, New Jersey, New York and across the country.

This year, Virginia Republicans were divided and had an easily caricatured candidate at the top of the ticket who ran a defensive campaign and was massively outspent ... and the state still broke basically 50-50. Next year, incumbent Democratic senator Mark Warner will be on the ballot.

Terry McAuliffe will win his bid for governor Virginia, both Fox News and NBC News are projecting. McAuliffe, a Democrat, will defeat his Republican opponent, attorney general Ken Cuccinelli.

Warrenton, Va.

A final poll from Quinnipiac on Tuesday's gubernatorial race in Virginia shows Democrat Terry McAuliffe with a six-point lead over Republican rival Ken Cuccinelli. Forty-six percent of likely Virginia voters say they will vote for McAuliffe, according to the poll, while 40 percent say they'll vote…

President Obama campaigned yesterday in Virginia for Democrat Terry McAuliffe, whose election in the governor's race is Tuesday. Obama praised McAuliffe's wife, their "unbelievable children," and McAuliffe himself.

Could the focus on Obamacare in the last couple of weeks before Tuesday's Virginia gubernatorial election enable the Republican nominee, Ken Cuccinelli, to come from behind in the homestretch? He's run a pretty awful campaign so far, and has been trailing badly for months, but ...

Is Ken Cuccinelli closing in on Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor's race? The latest poll from Emerson College shows McAuliffe, the Democrat, with 42 percent support and Cuccinelli, the Republican, with 40 percent. Libertarian Robert Sarvis has 13 percent in the poll of 874 likely voters.

A new poll of the Virginia's gubernatorial election hints that the race may be tightening between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Ken Cuccinelli. According to Quinnipiac's survey of 1,182 likely voters, 45 percent say they will vote for McAuliffe and 41 percent say they will vote for…

With a week to go before election day, Virginia voters favor Democrat Terry McAuliffe for governor over Republican Ken Cuccinelli by more than 10 points, according to a new poll from the Washington Post. The survey found that 51 percent of likely voters support McAuliffe and just 39 percent support…

What's wrong with Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia's Republican candidate for governor? He's losing by nearly 10 percentage points, according to Real Clear Politics, to Terry McAuliffe, the flawed Democrat. The conventional wisdom is that Cuccinelli is too conservative on social issues, and the McAuliffe…

Terry McAuliffe has a 17-point lead over Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia governor's race, according to a new poll from Rasmussen. McAuliffe, the Democrat, enjoys his largest lead yet in the race with 50 percent of the vote, while Republican Cuccinelli has 33 percent. The Libertarian candidate,…

With just weeks left in the 2013 gubernatorial race in Virginia, Republican candidate Ken Cuccinelli has a new TV ad that questions the seriousness of his Democratic opponent, Terry McAuliffe. "What's Terry McAuliffe offering Virginia families?" the voiceover asks. "False, misleading attacks;…

CNN host Stephanie Cutter, who worked on President Obama's reelection campaign, has sent a fundraising email on behalf of Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe.

Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic candidate and frontrunner in Virginia's gubernatorial race, has been painting his Republican opponent Ken Cuccinelli as a crusader on social issues. But McAuliffe has repeatedly refused to answer questions from the press about whether he himself holds extreme…

On Thursday, the Ken Cuccinelli campaign released a new ad hoping to capitalize on an endorsement from a high-profile PAC in northern Virginia. The 30-second spot touts the endorsement from the Northern Virginia Technology Council's political action committee and contrasts it with how PAC officials…

A new poll of likely Virginia voters show Democrat Terry McAuliffe leading Republican Ken Cuccinelli by seven points in this fall's gubernatorial election. Rasmussen Reports found McAuliffe with 45 percent support compared to Cuccinelli's 38 percent. This poll aligns with the Real Clear Politics…

Baton Rouge, La.

The campaign for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe of Virginia has emailed its supporters likening Republican opponent Ken Cuccinelli to failed 2012 Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin.

Democrat Terry McAuliffe has based much of his campaign for governor of Virginia on his business experience, including his co-founding of an electric car company, GreenTech Automotive. McAuliffe stepped down as CEO of GreenTech in 2012 in preparation for his gubernatorial run. Late last week,…

Democrat Terry McAuliffe leads his Republican opponent, Ken Cuccinelli, in the latest poll of the 2013 gubernatorial race in Virginia. According to Quinnipiac, 43 percent of registered voters in the Old Dominion support McAuliffe, a businessman and former chairman of the Democratic party during…

Ahead of his official nomination this week as the GOP's candidate for governor of Virginia, state attorney general Ken Cuccinelli has a new ad outlining part of the Republican's economic plan.

Under Obamacare, if you like your job, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll get to keep your job. The AP reports:

Republican attorney general Ken Cuccinelli leads Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor's race by 10 points, according to a poll released Sunday by the Washington Post. Among likely voters in this November's election, 51 percent said they would support Cuccinelli, while 41…

The first television ad from Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli features his wife, Teiro. In the ad, Mrs. Cuccinelli focuses on the softer side of the Republican attorney general's political career.

Thomas Mathew, who farmed on the Virginia side of the Potomac River, remembered the year 1675 as beginning with all manner of fearful portents: a blazing comet, an invasion of millions of carrier pigeons, and a biblical plague of locusts. But it was Mathew himself who helped bring on the calamity…

In the first major address of this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli presented the gathered activists with an unusual charge.

At a Virginia townhall for Congressman Jim Moran, a woman asked, "I know you're pro-choice, but why aren't you pro-choice when it comes to self-defense for women?" The crowd applauded. "For example, why don't you guys listen to the young rape victims in Colorado when they said that if they had a…

Republican lieutenant governor Bill Bolling of Virginia will not run as an independent for governor. ABC's Rick Klein reports:

Terry McAuliffe, who is running for governor in Virginia, recently traveled down to Florida for a political fundraiser. And in an interview yesterday, the host of that Florida fundraiser, John Morgan, mocked Virginia as "a state that some of us have never heard of, it’s off the coast of D.C."

Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Terry McAuliffe are tied at 38 percent in the latest Quinnipiac poll of the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial race. According to the poll, if Republican lieutenant governor Bill Bolling runs as an independent (as he has suggested he might), McAuliffe would have a…

In these days of unprecedented monetary activism by the Federal Reserve, including massive purchases every month of federal government debt, it’s nice to see even a fledgling amount of resistance from attentive citizens. A bill now making its way through the Virginia legislature would establish a…

Local news reports reveal that last night the Charlottesville, Virginia, city council voted to ban drones:

Retiring Virginia senator Jim Webb explains why he decided not to seek reelection and leave the Senate in an exit interview with public radio.

Republican Bill Bolling, the two-term lieutenant governor of Virginia, has dropped out of the race for governor, CNN reports. Bolling was challenging Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for the Republican nomination. Here's more from CNN:

Mark Warner, the Democratic senator from Virginia and governor from 2002 to 2006, has decided not to run for governor next year. The Washington Post's Ben Pershing reports:

Democrat Tim Kaine is the winner of the hotly contested Senate race in Virginia, CBS News projects. Kaine, a former governor, faced another former governor and former senator, Republican George Allen. Allen lost this Senate seat in 2006 to Democrat Jim Webb, who chose not to run for reelection.

In an email to supporters, the Obama campaign pleads for Election Day volunteers in northern Virginia. "Daniel," the email begins, "if you care about how this election ends, then I need to know right now: Can we count on you to help get out the vote on Election Day?"

President Barack Obama told a Virginia crowd last night that he's "a prop in the campaign":

Crossroads GPS has two new ads running in Virginia focused on Democratic Senate candidate Tim Kaine's liberal record. In one ad, the conservative super PAC knocks Kaine for supporting the budget sequestration plan, increasing government spending, and "higher taxes on middle class families"--tying…

On ABC News's This Week, former House speaker Newt Gingrich suggested the White House's response to the Benghazi terrorist attack will continue to hurt Barack Obama's reelection campaign.

In remarks today in Virginia, Vice President Joe Biden got the name of the Virginia Democratic Senate candidate wrong:

In Virginia, Republican George Allen and Democrat Tim Kaine are in a tight Senate battle. The Real Clear Politics average shows Kaine with a one-point lead. Allen has a new 30-second TV ad in which he makes the pitch on taxes and defense spending directly.

Mitt Romney has broken the 50 percent threshold of support in Florida and leads Barack Obama by four points in the Sunshine State, according to a new poll from Rasmussen. Of the 750 likely Florida voters polled, 51 percent support Romney and 47 percent support Obama. That's Romney's largest lead in…

Fairfax, Va.

Richmond, Va.

As Tim Kaine opens up a small lead in the race for the open Senate seat in Virginia, both the former Democratic governor and his Republican opponent, former governor and senator George Allen, face off in their second debate Monday night in Richmond. Both candidates' latest TV advertisements may…

Fairfax, Va.

Virginia-based trade publication Politico investigates whether Vice President Joe Biden is a sex symbol:

Virginia Senate candidate Tim Kaine, a Democrat, said that he's open to having a "minimum tax level for everyone":

At Thursday's Mitt Romney rally in Fairfax, Virginia, one Romney supporter lambasted the media in its coverage of the election.

Fairfax, Va.

Manassas, Va.

A new poll from WTOP in Washington shows Barack Obama and Mitt Romney statistically tied in Northern VIrginia, the state's most populous region. Forty-eight percent of voters support Obama while 46 percent support Romney in the Virginia region of the D.C. metro area.

Republican Senate candidate George Allen has a new TV ad telling Virginia voters that the cuts coming to the Defense Department as a result of the budget sequestration will be "devastating" to the Old Dominion and its economy. Watch the ad below:

Of the ten swing states, unemployment dropped in only one--Ohio--in the month of June. And things got worse in 6 of the ten swing states, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are now tied in Virginia, according to a new poll by Quinnipiac. Each candidate is receiving support from 44 percent from Virginia voters. 

Virginia governor Bob McDonnell has been named chairman of the Republican National Convention Committee on Resolutions. The committee, generally referred to as the Platform Committee, will help set the agenda for the Republican party and convene during the party's convention next month in Tampa,…

A new poll from We Ask America shows Mitt Romney leading Barack Obama in Virginia, a key swing state Obama won in 2008. Of the 1,106 likely voters in Virginia polled, 48 percent support Romney, with just over 43 percent supporting Obama and nearly 9 percent remaining undecided.

Richmond, Virginia

Ashburn, Va.

On his personal website, former congressman Artur Davis confirmed at least some of the recent rumors surrounding him—that the lifelong Democrat, the man who endorsed Barack Obama for president early in 2007 and seconded his nomination at the Democratic party convention in 2008, now considers…

Democratic senator Jim Webb, who is retiring after the election, said yesterday morning that Obamacare "cost Obama a lot of credibility as a leader." The Washington Post reports:

The latest Rasmussen poll of likely general election voters in the “core four” swing states of Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina shows Rick Santorum leading President Obama by 4 percentage points (48 to 44 percent), while Mitt Romney trails Obama by 4 points (46 to 42 percent) — an…

Mitt Romney's campaign just announced the endorsement of Virginia governor Bob McDonnell. “As I have said throughout this primary process, we need a governor to serve as our next president,” McDonnell said in a prepared statement mailed out by the campaign.

The Virginia Republican Party is apparently planning to require voters in the March 6 Virginia GOP presidential primary to sign a form that says, “I, the undersigned, pledge that I intend to support the nominee of the Republican Party for president.”

Manu Raju of Politico has a piece today about retiring Virginia senator Jim Webb. The last three paragraphs read: 

Speaking in Virginia this morning, Mitt Romney tried to clarify what he called “confusion” over his comments yesterday in Ohio.

Senator John McCain called President Barack Obama’s 3-day bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia “a campaign trip” and said it was “unfortunate” that U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill. 

A recent Rasmussen poll of likely voters shows Mitt Romney is currently much stronger than Rick Perry in Virginia, a nearly must-win state for the GOP. The poll shows Romney with a 1-point lead (46 to 45 percent) over President Obama in the Old Dominion, while Perry trails Obama by double-digits…

Bloomberg: "Senate Votes to Avoid Shutdown, Provide Disaster Funds"

Richmond, Virginia

Virginia governor Bob McDonnell sat down with Byron York this morning to discuss "the country’s budgetary battle – one that reflects the local lessons learned in Virginia – and an examination of the tough choices that lie ahead." The event was hosted by e21 and the Manhattan Institute. Here's video…

Virginia governor Bob McDonnell will sit down for a conversation with Byron York tomorrow at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The event is being hosted by e21 and the Manhattan Institute. Here are the details: 

Ben Smith reports that Virginia senator Jim Webb won't seek reelection in 2012:

The Washington Post reports that Republican House candidate Keith Fimian has conceded to Democratic incumbent Gerry Connolly in Virginia's Eleventh Congressional District. Politico lists eight other House races that as of last night were still unresolved. One of the most interesting of those…

Retired Army colonel Patrick Murray, Republican candidate for Congress in Virginia's Eighth District, has a new web ad based on Rep. Jim Moran's outrageous comment that Murray hasn't "served or performed in any kind of public service" but merely "taken a government check" while serving in the Army…

What makes retired Army colonel and Iraq war veteran Patrick Murray believe he can win over the voters of Virginia’s Eighth Congressional District? After all, these are the same voters who have sent incumbent Democrat Jim Moran to Congress ten times before.