Pod Virginia

Attorney and Virginia election analyst Sam Shirazi joins Michael to discuss the dozen Virginia House seats that Republicans have set their sights on for November's election. With Democrats only needing to win six of twelve (and three of those seats being likely pickups), the Republicans are splitting their effort between offensive and defensive efforts to keep their majority. Learn more at http://...

IN THE NEWS: Attorney General Jason Miyares is signing on in support of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The lawsuit calls into question the funding model, which finances regulation of industries with money that comes from the industries that are regulated. Oral arguments in the case are expected this fall. The Democratic primary was a histor...

On this episode, Thomas and Michael are joined by Chris Piper, former Virginia Elections Commissioner and now executive director of the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) . Chris explains how VPAP interprets and displays campaign finance information in a non-partisan manner, collects news stories from across the Commonwealth, and displays complex data to help Virginians make more informed elect...

IN THE NEWS: Virginia legalized possession of marijuana in small amounts in 2021. But nobody has a license to sell it because the General Assembly has failed to create a licensing structure. Now one of Glenn Youngkin’s key officials says the governor is not interested. Attorney General Jason Miyares is launching a new public relations campaign to let young people know that gang violence is a dead...

This week, the Washington Post's Teo Armus joins Thomas and Michael to break down the Democratic primaries in Arlington -- a six-candidate race that included ranked-choice voting and a huge battle over "missing middle" zoning, a type of medium-density housing that would serve as a diverse alternative to single-family zoning. How did the elections go down--and how much of a role did the ranked-choi...

IN THE NEWS: The new fiscal year has started, and there's still no budget amendments coming out of the General Assembly--which means no funding for any new laws, including the bipartisan mental health initiative passed last year. Plus, that $180 million hole in the education budget is still causing problems...and neither Republicans nor Democrats seem incentivized to blink or negotiate. Fairfax Co...

This week, friend of the show Trevor Southerland joins Thomas and Michael to break down the results of the 2023 primaries--specifically, where candidates spent their money to reach voters. While topline fundraising numbres are one part of the story, targeted spending can make a huge difference. How does investing in mailers compare to TV ad buys? What does heavy investment in robo-calls mean for a...

IN THE NEWS: This weekend marked the beginning of the new fiscal year, although Virginia is beginning the new year without any budget amendments. That means that all the laws passed earlier this year are not funded. So while the government won't shut down, a whole host of new initiatives are simply not going to get moving until someone blinks in the negotiations. A few years ago, Dominion Energy d...

With the 2023 primaries over, attorney and Virginia election-watcher Sam Shirazi joins Thomas and Michael to discuss the toss-up Virginia House and Senate races coming up in November. With control of the Senate up for grabs, some of these races are seeing an influx of money closer to Congressional campaigns--so what does the funding mean, and what does low turnout at the primaries bode for Electio...

IN THE NEWS: Despite sensationalist media coverage, recent FBI statistics reveal that crime rates in Virginia, and nationwide, have actually decreased significantly over the past three decades--with blue states having lower crime rates than red states. So what causes the news reports and political rhetoric that says these are the most dangerous times? Virginia doesn't require primary voters to reg...

The day's finally here. Primary results are in, and the results is a surprising amount of turnoveer. Saddam Salim defeats Chap Petersen. Lashrecse Aird defeats Joe Morrissey. Glen Sturtevant defeats Amanda Chase...and a whole host of other races. Fmr. Delegate David Ramadan (R-Loudoun) joins Thomas and Michael to break down what Tuesday's results means for November's general election and the futur...

Thomas and Aaryan sit down to discuss some last thoughts on some of the top primary races going into tomorrow's election: Foy vs Ayala? Aird vs Morrissey? Will Amanda Chase hold on? And what's going on in Northern Virginia? Happy Juneteenth! Learn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia

This week, the Virginia Beach School Board held an eight-hour meeting that ended at 2 AM, voting on two resolutions: passing one that affirmed a commitment to non-discrimination against LGBTQ+ youth, and rejecting a proposal that would create a list of library materials with "objectionable content." On this episode, we're joined by Emily LaBar and Jacob Cruz, two student organizers who worked with...

IN THE NEWS: Charlottesville is taking the lead in early turnout. That's true in both the Senate race with the most early votes and two House races that have the highest turnout so far according to an analysis from the Virginia Public Access Project. The high-stakes Senate primary between Senator Creigh Deeds and Delegate Sally Hudson might be driving the trend. The controversial Mountain Valley P...

This week, Michael is joined by Kellen Squire, an emergency care nurse and a candidate running in the Democratic primary for Virginia's 55th state House District. Squire recently came under fire for a 2017 draft of his campaign website that claimed he was "pro-life," only to advocate for progressive policies rather than restriction of abortion access. Squire says the framing was intended to build...

IN THE NEWS: Mobilized and Politicized: Governor Glenn Youngkin is sending 100 National Guard troops to the southern border in Texas next month, a move that will cost milions every month, and which critics say is politically motivated. The Budget Standoff Continues: Everyone involved in the negotiatons for Virginia's budget amendment is waiting for the June 20th primary deadline to pass...and with...

This week, Michael and Thomas are joined by Heidi Drauschak and Saddam Salim, two Democrats who are primarying incumbent state Senators in the upcoming election. Heidi is running in the newly drawn State Senate District 35, challenging Senator Dave Marsden, while Saddam is running in the 37th District, challenging Senator Chap Petersen. In this interview, Heidi and Saddam discuss where they stand...

IN THE NEWS: Every group makes endorsements, but which ones make a difference? Experts say it's generally those that have cash to back up the affirmation. And what's going on with the endorsements in the Deeds vs Hudson state senate primary? Speaking of endorsements--while school board races are technically nonpartisan, endorsements from political parties are quickly becoming huge factors in schoo...

This week, Michael and Thomas are joined by Wanda Bertram, Communications Strategist for the Prison Policy Initiative, to discuss Virginia's practice of using "civil commitment centers"-- facilities that continue incarcerating people convicted of sexual crimes after they've finished their prison sentences. Sometimes, they're held in those facilities indefinitely. With less data from these treatmen...

IN THE NEWS: Out of the 40 seats in the Virginia Senate, only seven districts will conduct Republican primaries. Meanwhile, Democrats will hold primary elections in more than twice that number of districts. Republican voters who go to the polls on June 20 will see some familiar names from the House of Delegates: Dave LaRock, Emily Brewer, Tim Anderson and Tara Durant will all be on the ballot seek...

This week, Michael and Thomas are joined by Bob Brink, former Chairman of Virginia's State Board of Elections, to discuss the ERIC system-- the Electronic Registration Information Center, which allowed neighboring states to share voter registration information with each other and help prevent voter fraud. Governor Youngkin has pulled Virginia out of ERIC, so what does that mean for elections going...

IN THE NEWS: Virginia is the capital of gun trafficking in America according to data compiled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco showing Virginia has the shortest time to crime ratio. That’s the amount of time between the last known legal purchase of a firearm and its use in the commission of a crime. Norfolk is considering a proposal to install 35 acres of solar panels on a former lan...

This week, Michael and Thomas are joined by Bill Leighty, former Chief of Staff to Governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and author of "Capitol Secrets", where he dives into his long history in Virginia politics--from Kaine and Warner's leadership styles, the legislative tricks of Senator Ed Willey, and convincing Tom Hanks to film a historical miniseries in Virginia. Learn more at http://linktr.ee/...

IN THE NEWS: Governor Glenn Youngkin has removed "equity" from the title of his director of diversity, equity and inclusion, calling the term "confusing." But experts say the term is important to capture the unequal playing field in the United States, and the governor now faces calls for his DOI chief to resign. The latest campaign finance disclosures show several incumbent members are falling beh...

This week, old friend of the show Trevor Southerland joins the Thomas and Michael to discuss the chaotic upcoming primaries for Virginia's state legislature--including campaign fundraising numbers, the influence of Dominion Energy and Clean Virginia, and some of the latest drama across the aisle. - Senator Louise Lucas vs Senator Lionel Spruill in Senate District 18 - Senator Jeremy McPike vs Dele...