GOP gains two in Senate races, takes effective control of senior chamber

AFP

It wasn’t exactly a Republican wave, but the GOP did pick up two State Senate seats in Tuesday’s state elections to wrest control of the senior legislative chamber from Democrats. Bryce Reeves slid past Democratic incumbent Edd Houck at the wire in a tight 17th District race to post an unofficial 86-vote victory in the…

Yes, Virginia, you are pretty happy with your legislature

AFP

A recent Quinnipiac University poll of Virginians has residents generally happy with the direction of state government – making us sort of one-of-a-kind in that respect. The only state legislature in the nation to get a positive approval rating from its residents is the Virginia General Assembly. According to the Quinnipiac poll, 47 percent of…

Virginia House Dems put ‘Jobs First’

Chris Graham

The Virginia House Democratic Caucus on Tuesday launched a campaign to put job creation first in Virginia. The Caucus launched a website, www.VAJobsFirst.com, designed to highlight their focus on Jobs First and make the public aware of the Republican’s dismal job creation record in Virginia. “Virginia needs strong leadership to create the high-paying jobs that…

Carly at the Movies: The Ides of March

Carl Larsen

The words “political” and “Scandal” go together just like peanut butter and jelly, peaches and cream, or Monica and Lewinski. So it was almost inevitable that our Liberal Hollywood Chick Magnet, George Clooney, should take a whack at it, and the result is “The Ides of March.” This film is so much fun that it’s…

Mark Warner: A bipartisan center forms in the U.S. Senate

Chris Graham

When I asked Virginians in 2008 for the privilege of serving them in the United States Senate, I pledged to go to Washington to try to lead a “radical bipartisan center” that would work together to find common ground to solve our nation’s biggest challenges. As our country’s $14.7 trillion national debt grows by more…

Transcript: President Obama on the American Jobs Act in Denver, Colo.

Chris Graham

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Denver!  (Applause.)  What a beautiful day.  Thank you so much.  How’s it going, Lancers?  (Applause.)  I hear the Lancers have a pretty good ball team.  That’s the story I’ve heard.  (Applause.) Well, listen, there are a couple of people here I want to acknowledge who are just outstanding public servants.  First of…

Ken Plum: Government in the sunshine

Ken Plum

A dark cloud passed in front of Virginia’s sunshine law when it was discovered that the Governor’s Commission on Government Reform had been meeting in small groups in secret with the Democratic members of the Commission left out of all the meetings.  The flimsy excuse offered by the Governor’s staff that the small groups were…