Point of reference: Candidates in hotly contested House races typically spend $8 million to $15 million, according to CoPilot AI.
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Hakeem Jeffries Now in for $33 Million to Gerrymander Virginia
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UVA’s New Quarterly Compliance Report
by the Jefferson Council
The second quarterly compliance report from the October 22, 2025 agreement between the Department of Justice and UVA is the first certification done by President Scott Beardsley, signed on March 31, 2026. It’s worth noting what’s new and what’s not in this installment.
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Jeanine’s Memes
View more memes at The Bull Elephant.
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Who is Making the Money?
by Dick Hall-Sizemore
Source: AAA of Virginia President Trump recently declared, “The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.”
I am not sure who “we” is. I filled up the tank on my pickup a couple of days ago. It has a 26-gallon tank. It cost me close to $100. I sure did not feel like I was making money.
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Bacon Meme of the Week
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Family Exodus
From Brad Wilcox and Grant Bailey with the Institute for Family Studies:
The 2026 Family Structure Index spotlights red states’ growing dominance on the family front. Take family migration. From 2019 to 2024, there has been a steady exodus of families from Blue to Red America—370,000 families from blue to red states. In fact, going back to 2008, a net total of 713 thousand married families with children left blue states for red states over 16 years.
Here are the specifics for Virginia:
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Good News for Virginia Republicans
Governor Spanberger’s repudiation of the political center combines with national trends to give redistricting opponents a massive boost in Virginia.
by Shaun Kenney
Former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) emerges from the mists and announces that he has more to give in the political arena, which is welcome news to Virginians who are staring down the immediate threat of the looming redistricting amendment on April 21st as well as a bevy of state amendments in November.
A late entry into the redistricting fight, Youngkin has hoovered in a solid six-figure donation to Virginians for Fair Maps, one of the three efforts to turn back the $50 million left-wing dark money campaign to rig the lines from non-partisan redistricting to a 10-1 Democratic gerrymander.
Meanwhile, Brian Cannon — architect of the Virginia 2021 non-partisan redistricting effort which carried the day by 2-1 margins — writes in the pages of Cardinal News how the rigged gerrymandering effort by the self-styled defenders of democracy is ill-placed and off-center:
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The General Assembly is Looking for Experts
by James C. Sherlock
This is yet another story of state-sanctioned corruption by elected politicians serving the interests of the nursing home industry. New players, same play.
That industry, led this time by out-of-state chains, has once again found it cheaper to buy the votes and influence of senior members of the General Assembly with laundered Medicare and Medicaid funds than to spend that money to care for residents.
The Saga of General Assembly House Bill 605
An article by this author, published two months ago, drew attention to House of Delegates Bill 605 (HB605). The patrons were Delegates Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, and Vivian Watts, D-Fairfax. As introduced, HB605 set a minimum staffing standard.
It therefore had no chance of passage and may never have been expected to do so.
Rep. Willett introduced his bill on January 13, 2026. On that same day, he and Del. Luke Torian (Appropriations Committee Chair) received $10,000 each from Organizing for Virginia Seniors. Gov. Spanberger’s name, at $100,000, tops that list. Organizing for Virginia Seniors is funded by out-of-state nursing home chains.
Willett now says he will “defer to the greater experts” on determining standards.
As sent to the Governor, HB 605 directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to conduct a study. The only directed reference is to that Commission’s own 2021 study, not the wealth of national work on that subject. The nursing home lobby is confident that it controls the outcomes from that Commission. It always has. Money well spent.
That sequence of events is, unfortunately, legal in Virginia.
We’ll examine the industry positions on both regulations and sanctions, and some history. Then we will look at the General Assembly’s “greater experts,” who sit on and staff that Commission, including Willett, who chairs it.
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FCPS Legal Spending Soars
Fairfax County Schools’ legal bills: $12 million and counting
by Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
Image credit: Chat GPT On March 23, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Michelle Reid announced that she is enlisting the services of yet another law firm, McGuireWoods, to “investigate” the district’s latest scandal — allegations that an 18-year-old illegal immigrant fondled the genitals of several female students in Fairfax High School. The district’s legal bills are mounting.
In her announcement, Reid said she retained “an independent outside law firm to conduct a comprehensive review of this matter.” The district’s contract with McGuireWoods, however — authorizing attorneys’ fees of up to $1,850 per hour — suggests a role less “independent” than described.
“McGuireWoods was retained by Client on March 19, 2026, to conduct a confidential, attorney-client privileged investigation concerning allegations of sexual harassment and/or assault of students at Fairfax High School,” the contract states. “The investigation has been undertaken for the purpose of providing legal advice to Client.”
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Dem Bill Would Discriminate Against White Men in Government Contracts
Will Governor Spanberger sign it?
Image credit: Restoration News by Drew DiMeglio
Democrat Abigail Spanberger won Virginia’s gubernatorial election last November by a large margin by campaigning as a moderate dealmaker. Five months later, she faces an impasse: A bill on her desk allowing state agencies to discriminate against businesses owned by white men when dishing out certain government contracts. Spanberger has a choice to make—either bend the knee to the far-left faction in the legislature or live up to the moderate mandate which put her in office.
HB 61, the “Small SWaM Business Procurement Enhancement Program Act,” passed both houses of the legislature along party lines and directs state agencies to take the race and sex of business owners into consideration when awarding contracts. The act establishes a statewide goal of 42% of SWaM—that’s Small, Women, and Minority owned businesses—utilization in all discretionary spending by executive branch agencies. The act requires agencies to increase their SWaM utilization by 3% each year until the 42% goal is reached. Lastly, the act allows state agencies to exclude non-SWaM businesses, presumably those owned by white men, from certain government contracts under $200,000.
HB61 is not an anomaly; many other states have similar pieces of legislation. A look into those states can show Virginians what example their legislature is following.
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The Governor Flexes Her Muscles
by Dick Hall-Sizemore
Governor Abigail Spanberger Governor Spanberger has issued her first veto. To add some drama, it was of a high-priority bill sponsored by one of the top Democrats in the Senate.
Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax), the Senate Majority Leader, introduced legislation that would have authorized a referendum in Fairfax County on the establishment of a casino at Tysons. The bill passed by comfortable margins in both the House and the Senate and was supported by both Democrats and Republicans.
Although the bill was a high priority of one of the leaders of her party in the General Assembly, the Governor has some cover. Unlike casino legislation in the past, which the city councils of the cities authorized to have casino referendums were strongly in favor of, the governing body of Fairfax County is opposed to establishing a casino at Tysons. As a result of such opposition, a majority of the General Assembly delegation from Fairfax County opposed the legislation. Spanberger cited these factors in explaining her veto, “Local governing boards should lead on proposed casino development, as has happened in every locality that now has a casino. But in Fairfax County, the Board of Supervisors has explicitly opposed this legislation, and an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly members who represent Fairfax voted against it.”
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Bargaining Bill Would Trample Public Employee Rights
by Chris Braunlich
Image credit: Grok Tuesday’s column discussed some of the reasons Governor Spanberger should amend or veto the public employee collective bargaining bill headed to her desk: the local and state taxpayer costs, the creation of new bureaucracies, the opposition of local Democrats and a majority of local government and school board leaders and, perhaps most persuasively, the use of a “dues skimming” scheme that would put the union between family members providing help to their relatives.
But there are other concerns, as well … starting with the bill’s revocation of Virginia’s Secret Ballot Protection Act, which declares “the right of an individual employee to vote by secret ballot in such a procedure is a fundamental right that shall be guaranteed from infringement.”
By eliminating that language the legislation ends protections for employees by allowing a new “Public Employee Relations Board” to declare a winner on the basis of union claims that more than half of employees have signed up with a union.
It’s a conscious effort to avoid the democratic process of elections. As Bruce Raynor, once president of a Service Employees International Union declared “There’s no reason to subject the workers to an election.” Mike Fishman, when he was president of Local 32BJ of SEIU, echoed the sentiment, saying “we don’t do elections.”
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Cloudy Forecast for Richmond City Transparency
Richmond City Hall. Image credit: Grok by Jon Baliles
“A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity.”
— Dalai LamaLess than three weeks ago, we wrote about transparency’s obituary in RVA, but few would have ever guessed that City Hall was apparently not only serving as funeral director but also continued to keep throwing dirt on top in hopes that it will never be seen again. That might seem a bit hyperbolic, but consider that while many people welcomed a new administration into City Hall last year anticipating a new attitude and an eagerness to rebuild trust with the people, the public is instead being treated like the dirt.
Mayor Avula has made it clear in the last 15+ months that transparency is not a priority but merely a political pawn and tactic to prevent the public from getting the impression that anything is wrong and merely keeping a positive effort and attitude will cure all our problems. City Hall has for too long been insecure about sharing what’s really going on and worried that bad news might lead to discord, a reputation for futility, or political exile. However, when you lead by example and are honest with the hurdles you face, you create trust and buy-in and that engenders goodwill and people are more likely to have patience with city government. Keeping people in the dark only breeds distrust and resentment, but some political actors and those driving the policy are clueless to that reality.
The Avula administration seems to believe transparency is something to limit (or shut off) because it could lead to unfavorable news that highlights problems that are in need of solutions.
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WaPo Calls Spanberger a Spineless Hypocrite
by Kerry Dougherty
It’s worse than we thought.
Abigail Spanberger is in deep trouble. She’s not only squandered almost all of the goodwill that came with her election but there’s more.
Sitting down?
She’s lost The Washington Post.
In a Tuesday editorial that attempted to explain the new governor’s plummeting poll numbers, The Post accused her of being a spineless hypocrite and a tool of the radical elements in her party.
Worse, they accuse Spanberger of compromising public safety with her executive order that ended cooperation with ICE and of being complicit in a redistricting power grab “she knew to be wrong.”
The honeymoon ended quickly because Spanberger allowed herself to become the face of a hyper-partisan power grab that she knew to be wrong. The governor signed off on a proposed map that will give her party a 10-1 edge in the state’s congressional delegation if voters approve an April 21 referendum. There are currently six Democrats and five Republicans, which is fair in a blue-leaning swing state.
This has turned off independents and repulsed moderate Republicans who helped her win three competitive congressional races. Spanberger has come across as a hypocrite, one of the characteristics voters most dislike about politicians. Commercials and mailers highlight her past support for the 2020 constitutional amendment she’s now trying to unravel and previous condemnations of the tactics she’s now employing.Ouch. Continue reading.
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Confederate Monuments’ Uncertain Future
Some have been banished or destroyed, and others are threatened, while one is slated for reinstallation.
The Stonewall Jackson monument in Richmond’s Capitol Square, which faces likely banishment, with the Old City Hall in the background. (Photo: Catesby Leigh) by Catesby Leigh
For a vocal minority, the memory of 2020’s “Summer of Love,” with its orgy of “Black Lives Matter” sloganeering, occupied zones, and statuary vandalism, shines brightly. It’s not hard to see why. The expulsion of Confederate monuments from the streets, squares, and parks of cities across the South, mostly during the disturbances that followed George Floyd’s killing, marks a historic victory for wokedom’s cancel culture.
Though 2020 is a year most Americans would be happy to forget, the theatrics of statuary excommunication still attract politicians on the Left. President Trump may have resurrected Christopher Columbus’s effigy in the nation’s capital, but Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia, is now in the crosshairs. With three Confederacy-related statues still in place, including an outstanding figure of Stonewall Jackson (1874) by the distinguished Irish sculptor J. H. Foley, the square also includes a Virginia Civil Rights Memorial, a monument to the state’s Indian tribes, and a Virginia Women’s Monument that reflect more recent political concerns and artistic sensibilities. Capitol Square—site of the statehouse, governor’s mansion, and a multi-figure nineteenth-century monument focused on a mounted George Washington—has thus offered a display of the common sense that lost traction during the Summer of Love.
The crusade against Confederate statues, which has enjoyed the unflagging support of the nation’s progressive media, reflects a flattening rather than a broadening of historical and cultural understanding. We’re no longer encouraged to ponder the loyalties or virtues of great commanders like Robert E. Lee and Jackson. We’re supposed to view them as nothing more than “traitors who killed American soldiers to defend slavery”—poster boys for white supremacy. Regarding them as role models, as many a Southern-born warrior now engaged in the campaign against the Iranian mullahs surely does, is unthinkable. All that matters about Confederate monuments is that they stood or stand for the racial oppression that stains the history of the South. Wokedom thus thrives on a perversely simplistic, Manichean outlook. Its impact on the South’s public realm, as a vacuous exhibition of banished Confederate statues in Los Angeles attests, has been disastrous. The sooner Americans—North and South, black and white—see this authoritarian mindset for what it is, the better.
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