Getting to know Tim Kaine

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Tim Kaine knew when he made his mind up that he was going to run for lieutenant governor in 2001 that he was committing himself to another political campaign four years later. “Honestly, when I ran for lieutenant governor, I thought, you know, if I am lieutenant governor, then I will…

On the trail with Leslie Byrne

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Leslie Byrne was back in the office the morning after her hard-fought victory in the June 14 Democratic Party lieutenant-governor primary. She really had no choice – to hear her tell it. “The first priority was to start talking to folks now that we’re the candidate, to start gathering support, particularly…

The politics of teacher pay

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham The group from John C. Myers Elementary School in Broadway was wrapping up its Thursday-afternoon field trip to downtown Harrisonburg when it happened upon a real-life civics lesson. Republican Party gubernatorial-nomination candidate Jerry Kilgore was at a Court Square eatery holding court with reporters on the issue of, yep,…

House GOP leaders pledge support for bay cleanup: Impact to be felt in Augusta

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham   Ken Fanfoni’s eyes are locked on the date … 2010. It’s not a space odyssey that the Augusta County Service Authority executive director has in mind, but rather a bay odyssey. Service-authority customers in Augusta are on the hook for $25 million in improvements to eight wastewater-treatment plants…

Pres. Bush 49, Sen. Kerry 46: Poll numbers show Virginia really is in play

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham Virginia wasn’t at all on Scott Rasmussen’s radar screen. The polling-firm head and Fox News Channel regular had been tracking several battleground states in the walkup to the 2004 presidential election. The Old Dominion, which has voted Republican in the past nine presidential-election cycles, wasn’t on that list at…