Pod Virginia

Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg, Delegate Joshua Cole, and Delegate Adele McClure to break down some of their proposed bills to address Virginia's ongoing housing crises: rising rents, increased homelessness, and Virginians getting priced out of home-buying across the state. These bills include Delegate McClure's bill to allow single-st...

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Delegate Don Scott has become the new Speaker of the House--the first Black Speaker in Virginia's history. And his election came alongside several new Committee Chairs that could mean big changes in the balance of power in Richmond. House Majority Leader Charniele Herring has introduced a consti...

Everyone's favorite General Assembly game show is back as Michael sits down with Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Delegate Marcus Simon, and Alexandria Assistant City Manager Sarah Taylor to get their takes Governor Youngkin's State of the Commonwealth Address, proposed taxes and tax cuts, the Potomac Yard arena deal, and the new General Assembly building. Learn more...

LINKS: Pod Virginia | Patreon Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Democrats, who are about to control the General Assembly have a variety of viewpoints on Governor Glenn Youngkin's proposal to create a new tax on "digital personal property" -- especially considering the governor wants to pair it with a huge income tax cut that will disproportionately benefit t...

LINKS: Learn more about Jackleg Media Good Jobs First This week, Michael is joined by Greg LeRoy, author of The Great American Jobs Scam: Corporate Tax Dodging and the Myth of Job Creation to break down the proposal to build a $2 billion sports arena in Alexandria. The proposal claims 30,000 jobs will be created in return for Virginia taxpayers footing the initial cost--but LeRoy says "economic de...

LINKS: Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Governor Youngkin's legacy budget proposal is out, and to kick off the year, Michael and Lauren break down some of the biggest takeaways. Youngkin is proposing cutting the top income tax bracket from 5.75% to 5.1%, giving a huge tax cut to the wealthiest Virginians -- especially the top one percent. He's also proposin...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News This week, Michael, Thomas, and Lauren sit around the fireplace and talk about 2023 in Virginia politics--from Chinese farmland in the State of the Commonwealth through upset primary victories in redistricted seats all the way to the Democrats winning the general election. In this two-parter, they go...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News This week, Michael, Thomas, and Lauren sit around the fireplace and talk about 2023 in Virginia politics--from Chinese farmland in the State of the Commonwealth through upset primary victories in redistricted seats all the way to the Democrats winning the general election. In this two-parter, they go...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by Steve Babson, a labor educator and author of Forgotten Populists: When Farmers Turned Left to Save Democracy . The book explores a forgotten chapter of history--the 1890s, before the era of Jim Crowe, when Black and white farmers allied under the mantle of "populists"--fighting to expand democracy...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: Virginia has seven news deserts, and the news blackout is only growing. A new report from the State of Local News Project shows that in the last 20 years, one third of America's newspapers have stopped the presses. . The license plate on your car may soon be a data point followed by 73 l...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by Kim Bobo, Executive Director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, to discuss a bill that'll soon be in front of the General Assembly. The bill would require Virginia businesses to provide employees 5 paid sick days per year, with 1 paid hour earned for 30 hours worked. It'll be intr...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: With two years to go before the election of Virginia's next governor, the field seems largely set. Republicans are likely to nominate either Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears or Attorney General Jason Miyares. As for the Democrat, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney is throwing his hat int...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson to discuss Alexandria's recent move to approve Zoning for Housing/Housing for All -- a bid to expand the city's housing supply by eliminating single-family-only zoning and to fight discriminatory housing policies. He talks about the rationale and the effect--estimated...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: The amendment to the Virginia Constitution introduced by Democrats protects the fundamental right to reproductive freedom. Supporters say it's a way to safeguard against future efforts to roll back existing rights. Opponents worry that the amendment actually expands existing rights. The...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, we're joined by Laura Stokes, the campaign manager for Senator-Elect Saddam Salim, who successfully primaried incumbent Senator Chap Petersen this summer before winning the general this month. Laura breaks down her campaign strategy--including win numbers, voter-outreach, and overcoming a money deficit--that earned the...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media Next week sees the release of The New Dominion: The Twentieth-Century Elections That Shaped Modern Virginia --which we've covered a few times on the show. The book traces six key statewide elections that altered Virginia politics, how they shaped (and were shaped by) the state's culture, economy, and demographics, and what lesson...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media No full episode this week, but Thomas and Michael want to wish you a happy Thanksgiving—and a quick discussion on the origins of the tradition. This episode originally aired for Thanksgiving 2022.

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media Check out Black Virginia News IN THE NEWS: While Democrats have a majority in the state House and Senate, those margins are razor-thin--which leaves open some questions about the balance of power. Can Republicans peel off votes for specific issues? What happens if Democrats are sick, out-of-town, or appointed to executive roles?...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media Karl Frisch, Vice Chair of Fairfax County's School Board, joins Michael to discuss last week's elections in terms of school boards across the Commonwealth. By and large, it was a rejection of book-bannings and anti-trans policies, with big wins for moderate and Democratic candidates in many localities, including some that went fo...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media IN THE NEWS: Michael and Lauren break down the results in key races from the 2023 state House and Senate races--and what the Democratic win means for strategy this year and in 2024. TRIVIA: Which newly elected member of the House of Delegates is in the most lopsided district in terms of partisan lean? Hint: this district goes +80...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media This week, Michael is joined by VPM's Jahd Khalil to break down some of the biggest takeaways from the Democrats' big win on Tuesday. With Don Scott now set to be the Speaker of the House, what will his leadership look like? How will new representatives work across the aisle? What can we learn from local results like Richmond's s...

LINKS: Sponsor: Early Impact Virginia Learn more about Jackleg Media IN THE NEWS: On the Airwaves: If you've been watching TV, you've seen the ads--Democrats portraying Republicans as conspiracy theorists and extremists trying to criminalize abortions, while Republicans are portraying Joe Biden's America as dangerous and lawless. And these ads--the result some massive ad buys--all pretty much soun...

This week, Michael and Lauren are joined by House Democratic Leader Don Scott for a final preview of the upcoming General Assembly elections. Leader Scott talks about the Democratic focus on abortion and education, responds to criticisms from House Speaker Todd Gilbert, and gives his takes on some of the hottest races that'll be decided next week--which might land him a role as Speaker if the Demo...

IN THE NEWS: Souls to the Polls: Every jurisdiction in Virginia is required to offer voting for two Saturdays before election day. But Sunday is a different story. Registrars are allowed to schedule Sunday hours, but they're not required. House Democratic Leader Don Scott says he can understand smaller jurisdictions that are strapped for cash not having the resources to offer Sunday voting. But he...

This week, Michael is joined by Mark Rozell, Dean of GMU's Schar School, to review and analyze TV commercials in several key House and Senate races. They break down what we can learn from the ads--including the consistent messaging on abortion and education, the massive price tags that look more like Congressional races, and what the messaging might mean for campaign strategy and voters this Novem...