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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Virginia GOP Voter ID Law: Voter Suppression?

Republicans say a requirement for picture ID protects "sanctity" of the vote; Democrats argue the GOP is keeping certain voters away from the polls on purpose.

Virginia voters will need a photo ID when they're heading to the polls beginning in 2014 under new requirements signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell this week. Supporters argue that a voter registration card with no picture creates an opening for fraudulent voting. McDonnell spokesman Jeff Caldwell said in a statement to The Washington Post that the new law is about protecting "the sanctity of our democratic process.”  Democratic leaders have challenged voter ID laws as a type of voter suppression. They note those without a photo ID are likely found among Democratic voters, particularly seniors and college students. The new law will need approval by the U.S. Justice Department, a requirement for any voting changes in most Southern states …

Larry Gross

5:29 pm on Sunday, May 5, 2013

you have to qualify to register but once you do provide the required information why not receive a photo ID - just like you do when you get a drivers license? If we want to require photo-id, fine - provide one when you register to vote.... I don't have a problem with photo id when you register to vote but I do have a problem when they do register you and then later on - even though you are …   more ›

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Virginia's Next Governor: Ken Cuccinelli, Terry McAuliffe or... ?

Does the commonwealth need another name on the ballot?

Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling took himself out of Virginia's race for governor last week, leaving, at least for now, what's shaping up to be a two-person race.  The choice for the Old Dominion's next governor, seven months before Election Day, seems to have boiled down to presumptive Republican nominee Ken Cuccinelli, the state's socially conservative attorney general, against likely Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a McLean businessman. The Republican Party of Virginia will hold its convention on May 17 and 18 in Richmond to formally select its nominee. Democrats go to the polls on June 11 to cast their ballots in several races, including governor and lieutenant governor. …

Vasquez2

2:59 am on Monday, May 20, 2013

Wow, KEL, any credibility you might've had just went down the toilet with that post.   more ›

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling Rules Out Run for Governor of Virginia

There was speculation that Bolling planned to run as independent.

Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) announced Tuesday in an email to supporters that he has decided not to run for governor. Speculation had grown recently that Bolling might run as an independent in the race. That would have made it a three-way race between Bolling, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe. Bolling decided not to go head to head with Cuccinelli after the Virginia Republican party decided it would choose its nominee in a state party convention rather than a primary. Cuccinelli, a social conservative, is popular among Virginia's conservative activists who are likely to attend the convention, the New York Times pointed out last fall when Bolling initially bowed out of the race. Bolling …

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Gubernatorial Candidate McAuliffe to Visit Leesburg

Campaign stop with local businesses and the mayor set for Tuesday afternoon.

Democratic candidate for Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, the McLean-based businessman perhaps best known for his work for former President Bill Clinton, will be in Leesburg Tuesday to meet with Mayor Kristen Umstattd and town business owners. McAuliffe is on a small-business tour as his campaign swings into full gear. The Democrat faces Republican Ken Cuccinelli, who is also from Northern Virginia, and Independent Tareq D. Salahi, who made headlines crashing a White House party with his ex-wife, who is now married to Journey guitarist Neal Schon. Bill Bolling dropped his bid for the Republican nomination, but could jump back in an Independent candidate. Bolling has raised more money ($2.75 million), according to the Virginia Public …

Ellie Lockwood

7:51 pm on Friday, April 5, 2013

Of course today, we learned that the consummate business man bailed out of Green Tech Automotive, his much vaunted Mississippi car company last year. It's not that surprising he "forgot" to mention that fact while he was pushing his superior business credentials as a road to the governorship. After he established his company in MS he "forgot" how he happened to put it there, instead of VA. Of …   more ›

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Gubernatorial Candidates Near Even in Fundraising

Republican candidate Ken Cuccinelli and his Democratic challenger, Terry McAuliffe, gunning for 2013 election.

By Katherine Johnson, Capital News Service RICHMOND – Less than $150,000 separates Virginia’s two candidates for governor, according to campaign finance reports filed by Republican candidate Ken Cuccinelli and his Democratic challenger, Terry McAuliffe. Cuccinelli ended the year with $1.2 million in his campaign war chest, while McAuliffe had a little over $1 million, according to finance reports posted on the  Virginia Public Access Project. The numbers take into consideration all money raised and spent from July 1 through Dec. 31 of 2012. The candidates filed the reports Tuesday, and they were immediately posted by VPAP, a nonprofit organization that promotes public understanding of money’s role in Virginia politics. As of this point, …

Marcus Aurelius

4:49 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2013

This gubernatorial election will again demonstrate that Virginia's voters are seeking a governor who will respond to the people's needs, and not the hyper-conservative ideology of a radical candidate. The nattering nabobs of negativism spewing ad hominem attacks simply confirm the desparation of individuals who have no ability to share thoughtful commentary. Better get back home, Loretta!   more ›

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Poll: McAuliffe, Cuccinelli in Dead Heat in VA Governor's Race

Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday morning shows race has tightened a bit since November.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe and GOP candidate Ken Cuccinelli are virtually tied at the beginning of the race for the governor's seat in Virginia, according to a new poll released Wednesday morning. The Quinnipiac University poll shows McAuliffe with 40 percent to Cuccinelli's 39 percent. One in five voters say they are undecided, according to the poll. In November, a similar poll showed McAuliffe with 41 percent to Cuccinelli's 37 percent. "While all three candidates for governor have run statewide previously, voter memories are short and they are little-known to Virginia voters," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a news release. Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling dropped …

Jim Daniels

9:12 am on Friday, January 11, 2013

R...I also think you might be pleasantly surprised with McAuliffe. I know what his rap is, but he can be a very effective speaker and debater, and I would not underestimate his ability to gather support over and above the "anyone but Cuccinelli" voter.   more ›

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Salahi Ready to 'Crash the Vote'

Reality show star and alleged White House crasher launches gubernatorial campaign website.

Tareq Salahi, the former cast member of The Real Housewives of DC who earned star status when he and then-wife Michaele allegedly crashed a White House state dinner, launched a "Crash the Vote" website Tuesday for his bid for the Virginia governor's mansion. Salahi announced in October he will seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2013. Salahi is not seen as a serious threat, but he is the only contender to go against Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli since Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling announced last week he would not seek the GOP nomination. Salahi said in October he will call his campaign “Crash the Vote,” a reference to the stunt he allegedly pulled in 2009 at the White House dinner for India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Salahi,…

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10:15 am on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Bolling Drops Out of 2013 Race for Governor

Virginia's lieutenant governor made the announcement Wednesday morning.

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling announced Wednesday morning that he is hanging his hat up in the race for governor, likely to clear the way for Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s attorney general, to win the Republican nomination. “For the past seven years I have had the honor of serving as Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor and it had been my intention to seek the Republican Party’s nomination for Governor in 2013,” he said in a statement Wednesday morning. “However, not everything we want in life is meant to be.” Bolling cited a change in the nomination process as his reason for dropping out. In the past, nominees were chosen in a statewide primary, but the 2013 candidates will be chosen at a party convention. “I reluctantly concluded that the decision to …

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T Ailshire

1:44 pm on Friday, November 30, 2012

Agreed, but please be precise in language. Cuccinelli is a theocratic conservative. The Republican Party of Virginia (and America, for that matter) has left us libertarian conservatives out in the cold. They're alienating us further by using a convention process, where the good old boys can get together and make their decisions. At his rate, I'll have to vote write-in again -- NONE OF THE ABOVE.   more ›

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Mark Warner Announces He Will Not Run For Governor

Warner says he wants to continue his work in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., announced Tuesday that he will not run for governor in 2013, saying that he wants to continue the work he was sent to do in Washington. Warner, in a statement issued shortly after 3 p.m., said Virginians of all political stripes have approached him over the past year to make the bid — which he said he would consider and then make a decision after the November election. "I’ve talked to a lot of Virginians I respect, and I’ve talked about it with my family," Warner said in a statement. "But when I asked Virginians to hire me as their Senator, I made a promise to come to Washington to try to be a problem solver.  I have to admit, it’s been tougher than I expected.  But I’ve tried to keep at it." Warner's decision…

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Sunday, November 18, 2012

Speak Out: Should Mark Warner Run for Governor Again?

Senator tells Associated Press he'll announce decision before Thanksgiving.

Sen. Mark Warner plans to announce before Thanksgiving whether he'll run for governor again, according to the Associated Press. The former governor, a Democrat, served as the Commonwealth's chief executive from 2002 to 2006. Virginia is the only state in the country where a governor cannot succeed himself. Former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe has already thrown his hat in the ring and will face Republicans Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. If Warner walks away from another run for governor, he'll be teaming up in the Senate with the state's soon to be junior senator, Senator-elect Tim Kaine, who served as Warner's lieutenant governor and is himself a former governor of Virginia. In a poll conducted Nov. 8-12 by …

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