Focus | Verga makes case for GOP nomination in Fifth

Chris Graham

   Story by Chris Graham [email protected] What’s wrong with America, if you ask Laurence Verga, isn’t just with the direction that the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress is taking, but what their Republican predecessors did, or rather didn’t do, ahead of them. “One of the reasons our country is in the challenged position it…

Focus | Does Virginia’s state-budget process make sense?

Chris Graham

House Speaker weighs in Story by Chris Graham [email protected] The Kaine administration is hard at work putting together a proposed two-year budget for state lawmakers to review in the upcoming 2010 General Assembly session. Anybody see what might be wrong with this picture? The big thing is that Tim Kaine won’t be governor next year,…

Focus | Perriello ’10: A safe bet? Hardly

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham We’re about a year away from the November 2010 elections, though you wouldn’t know that by watching local TV and seeing the wall-to-wall commercials telling you about what Fifth District Congressman Tom Perriello has been doing up in Washington. First it was the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with an ad in…

So, what happened?

Chris Graham

Column by David Cox No question about it, Virginia Republicans had a field day. Congratulations rightly go to Mssrs. McDonnell, Bolling, Cuccinelli, and Cline and, in the nonpartisan local elections, to re-elected Supervisors Ford and Lewis. No question about it, too, they all face huge problems, both in Richmond and, as a result, locally. But…

Good Intentions + More Government Control ≠ Health-care Reform

Chris Graham

Column by Norman Leahy Primum non nocere, a Latin phrase meaning “First, do no harm,” is the first principle in the provision of health care. It should also be a first principle in health-care reform. Of course, this assumes the debate is truly about health care and not just another excuse to further expand the…

The Pulse | One reason Deeds lost

Chris Graham

And it’s a small thing, because Waynesboro isn’t going to turn an election one way or the other all by itself. But my experience as the Democratic Party chair in Waynesboro the past couple of election seasons can be instructive nonetheless. It strikes me that I hadn’t even bothered to look at how Creigh Deeds…

InDepth | What happened to Blue Virginia?

Chris Graham

Remember when Virginia was trending Democratic? Like, as recently as late spring, when Creigh Deeds surged to the Democratic Party gubernatorial nomination, and had the lead in the early post-primary polls, and Virginia Democrats not only seemed headed for another return trip to the Governor’s Mansion, but had a good shot at winning back a…

GOP three sweep state races

Chris Graham

The last pre-election polls had the Republican ticket of Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli winning by 11-14 points. Bad news for Virginia Democrats – it was worse than expected. McDonnell bested Democrat Creigh Deeds in the marquee race for governor Tuesday, piling up over 1 million votes en route to garnering just shy…