Tag: Chris Saxman
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When Business Packs Up and Leaves
by Chris Saxman A Warning for Seattle, Olympia — and Richmond Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz opens his Wall Street Journal op-ed by celebrating Washington state’s extraordinary economic rise — built over half a century by Microsoft, Amazon, Costco, and Starbucks into a global hub of technology, innovation, and logistics. That era succeeded, he argues, because civic…
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Gerrymandering Election Results: 10 to 1 or 8 to 3.
by Chris Saxman Virginia might not be 10-1 after all. Check out this – very early – data via X.com. This has not been verified yet. With higher than expected turnout in the rural areas Virginia might have voted 8-3 vs. 10-1. Again – pending verification. Yes, I am saying that twice! <END SCENE>
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Ending Data Center Exemption – Wrong Policy, Wrong Time
by Chris Saxman Wise words from former Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte” In politics, timing is everything. Timing also matters when it comes to the economy. Virginia is approaching a pivotal moment in its economic strategy—and it is happening at exactly the wrong time. As global markets reassess the value of technology companies, one thing is becoming clear: the era of easy capital is…
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Is Virginia Ready for a Recession?
by Chris Saxman Q – Is Virginia ready for a recession? Let’s look at some macro level stuff first. US government debt at 9am this morning: About 1/3 of which is maturing soon: That’s $10trn of US government debt, right? That will be refinanced at HIGHER rates. Add in $2trn more from this year’s deficit.…
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Data Centers – Lucy and the Football
by Chris Saxman Virginia’s proposed move to end its data center sales and use tax (SUT) exemption eight years early is less about policy and more about predictability —and what happens as a result. Two simple analogies bring this into focus: the neighborhood Happy Hour and the timeless scene of Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown. Happy Hour Imagine a…
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New Democratic Districts Invite Republicans to Vote
by Chris Saxman Proverb If you can’t beat them, join them and as George Bailey said in It’s a Wonderful Life: This is a very interesting situation Having seen three different polls (one public and two private) that show the constitutional amendment to re-gerrymander Virginia’s congressional districts is under 50%, the odds of its passage…
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Is Boeing Leaving Virginia?
Not exactly. Calm down. by Chris Saxman Boeing is relocating the headquarters of its Defense, Space & Security division from Arlington, Virginia back to St. Louis, Missouri to align leadership more closely with its primary engineering and manufacturing workforce. Company officials indicated the move is intended to improve operational focus, program execution, and proximity to…
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Small Business Suffers More from Bad Policies
by Chris Saxman Small business costs and Virginia’s competitiveness in CNBC’s Top States for Business Small businesses are central to Virginia’s economic dynamism, job creation, and regional resilience. However, higher taxes, expanding labor mandates, regulatory complexity, and litigation exposure impose disproportionate costs on small firms compared to large employers. These pressures directly affect Virginia’s performance…
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Minimum Wage Increase – Trade Offs and CNBC Rankings
by Chris Saxman Economist Thomas Sowell’s famous line “there are no solutions, only trade offs” came to mind while watching the House Labor and Commerce Committee debate the upcoming increase to Virginia’s minimum wage. HB1 would incrementally move Virginia to a $15 per hour minimum wage by January 1, 2028. Why $15? No idea… oh,…
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Virginia CNBC Ranking Legislative Analysis – Structural Decline
by Chris Saxman Over the weekend, I was asked by a Virginia business leader how the first week of the General Assembly Session was going. This is my reply. At the outset of EVERY Session, there are bills that are dropped in that, to say the least, grab headlines. With social media these days, it’s…
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Winners, Losers and Lessons from the ’25 Elections
by Chris Saxman Winners Abigail Spanberger – the former congresswoman ran a virtually mistake- free campaign. Smart, disciplined, and organized Spanberger ran up the margin of victory through an onslaught of TV ads and message consistency. In a sea of chaos, she offered boring but good. Suburban voters like that and Virginia suburban voters can’t…
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AG Debate: Miyares v. Jones
by Chris Saxman Debate winner: Attorney General Jason Miyares who prosecuted a strong case against Jay Jones but also was able to present himself as a statesman. Outstanding performance. Circumstances and Jay Jones: Former Delegate Jay Jones gave a strong performance given the circumstances. The problem for Jones is the circumstances. But he reassured his…
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The Wild Thing — Will Glenn Youngkin Run for President?
by Chris Saxman The most often asked question I get these days is whether or not Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin will run for president. *Pro tip* — Until they’re out, they’re in. If ever there was a next-generation Republican that checks enough boxes to get nominated and elected president, that Republican is Glenn Youngkin. Do…
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Poof! 21 Retirements and 363 Years of Combined Service. So Far.
by Chris Saxman Here’s a General Assembly Retirement Tracker with estimated years of service: Retirements thus far – 7 Senators and 14 Delegates. Combined years of service? 363. I’m putting the Over/Under at 30 members of the General Assembly and 480 years of service that will not return next year. So far not returning: Senator…
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Will McDonald’s Be Leaving Virginia? Not This year, But…
by Chris Saxman I wish the headline of today’s column was just click bait. It originates from a headline that was pushed across my phone that read “Will McDonald’s be leaving California?” That immediately made me think that McDonald’s corporate offices might be considering moving their headquarters from California to another state. Given the exodus…