Latest news with #AaronRouse
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ghazala Hashmi declares victory in Democratic primary for Virginia lieutenant governor
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi declared victory Tuesday night in the Democratic primary for Virginia lieutenant governor, leading the six-person race with 27.5% of the vote. The next closest candidate, former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, conceded the race Wednesday morning with 26.7% of the vote. State Sen. Aaron Rouse finished in third with 26.1% of the vote and conceded the race Tuesday night. Three other Democrats trailed, each earning less than 10% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the state Department of Elections. The Associated Press called the race for Hashmi on Wednesday morning. 'Today, we've made history yet again, not just by winning this primary, but by declaring with one voice that Virginia is not going to be bullied or broken or dragged backwards by the chaos that's unfolding in Washington,' Hashmi said Tuesday night, addressing a group of about 50 supporters at a condo complex's clubhouse in Richmond. Hashmi is the first Muslim and South Asian-American elected to the state senate and would be the first Muslim on a statewide ticket in Virginia. She took office in 2020 and said she was initially inspired to run in reaction to anti-Muslim rhetoric from President Donald Trump. 'Now, we don't have time for small plans or soft voices,' she added, nodding to her critics who have described her as too soft spoken. 'We need spines of steel. We're facing a pivotal moment in our history, and while MAGA-driven Republican ticket might try to take our state backwards, I'm running, and you're running with me with the unshakable belief in what Virginia can be.' Stoney initially said Tuesday night he would wait for all the votes to be counted. The vote counts are still unofficial, but he subsequently exited the race. If the race is within a percentage point, candidates can request a recount that they pay for; if the totals are within 0.5%, the state will pay for a recount. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor, posted her congratulations to Hashmi on social media Tuesday night. 'As a proven leader in the Virginia Senate, Senator Hashmi has passed legislation that's delivered economic investment, improved schools, protected healthcare, and defended reproductive freedom,' Spanberger wrote. The winner of Tuesday's Democratic primary election will become the nominee for lieutenant governor and will face the Republican nominee, conservative radio host John Reid, in the general election for the position in November. Reid is the first openly gay person on the state's ticket. With DEI under attack, here's how Virginia's diverse slate of candidates talk about identity At time of writing, about 480,000 votes had been counted. That's comparable to the 2021 statewide primary, where about half a million people voted in the Democratic primary, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. It was an expensive race. VPAP reported that Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor cumulatively raised about $7.6 million. Stoney raised about $2.1 million, and Rouse and Hashmi each raised about $1.8 million. Hashmi currently serves as chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee. Before she was a legislator, she was a college professor at the University of Richmond and Reynolds Community College. She was endorsed by abortion rights and climate groups. Originally from York County, Stoney served as the mayor of Richmond from 2017 through 2024. Before that, he was secretary of commonwealth in Gov. Terry McAuliffe's administration. Stoney said previously that those roles prepared him well to run as lieutenant governor and touted his decision to remove Confederate monuments on city property after the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. The former mayor received criticism after city police tear gassed those same protesters. And, critics blamed Stoney for January's water crisis that left much of the city without drinkable water just days after he left office. On the campaign trail, Stoney deflected some of the blame to his predecessor Dwight Jones, according to reporting from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Virginia primary election results Stoney pulled some big name endorsements, including McAuliffe, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and actor Levar Burton. Rouse is a state senator representing Virginia Beach, from where he originally hails. A former professional football player and Virginia Beach City Council member, Rouse took office in 2023 after a special election. He was preceded by Rep. Jen Kiggans, a Republican. This legislative session, Rouse sponsored the Senate version of the Save Local Pharmacies Act, which realigns the state's Medicaid pharmacy benefit under a single state-contracted pharmacy benefit manager (PBM). That law takes effect July 5. Reid, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, had raised just over $300,000 between January and June of this year. John Curran, who failed to qualify for the ballot but is running a write-in campaign for lieutenant governor, had raised more than $1 million. In Virginia, the lieutenant governor and governor are elected separately, meaning they do not run on a shared ticket and it's possible — though rare — for two different parties to occupy those positions. Current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for governor, has not yet appeared alongside Reid, though the Republicans did not hold a primary this year. Kate Seltzer, 757-713-7881, kateseltzer@
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
State senator, Indian immigrant, pulls upset in Virginia Democratic lieutenant governor's race
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chester, has won the Democratic nomination for Virginia's lieutenant governorship, according to the Associated Press. Hashmi, an immigrant from India, said on her campaign site that she is the only candidate "endorsed by both abortion rights groups and labor." Hashmi was locked in a close race with the top two contenders, former Green Bay Packers safety Aaron Rouse and ex-Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney. Hashmi will face GOP nominee John Reid in the state's general election in November. Stoney, who conceded on Wednesday, moved on to become mayor of Richmond, the capital city, and oversaw the removal of several Confederate sculptures that for decades lined the famous Monument Avenue from the Fan District to downtown. In the Washington Post at the time, Stoney wrote that there "are two epidemics in America: COVID-19 and racism. One is now 14 months old, the other over 400 years old. Both are lethal. I knew I wasn't going to be able to cure those issues that day [standing with protesters at Lee Circle]." More recently, Stoney told the Virginia Mercury that he will effectively work across the aisle in the lieutenant governor's dual role of president of the Virginia State Senate. "We will not agree on everything, and that is OK. I will be a happy warrior—someone who is willing to stand firm on values, speak up when there is disagreement, and still find a way to work together when common ground exists. Disagreement does not have to lead to dysfunction," Stoney said. Rouse has positioned himself as a force to counter Republican leadership in Washington, writing on his campaign site that he "stood up to Donald Trump time and again." He added that he shepherded a law through the legislature to protect federal workers from Department of Government Efficiency attrition, which he labeled "Musk's chaos." Other candidates in the race included state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, Prince William County School Board Chair Dr. Babur Lateef and union leader Alexander Bastani. Hashmi, whose county directly abuts Richmond-Petersburg, positioned herself as a progressive who emphasized support for public education, abortion rights and affordable housing. She also serves as chairwoman of the Senate Education and Health Committee in Richmond. Lateef, an ophthalmologist endorsed by McAuliffe, also focused on education policy. Bastani partially self-funded his quixotic campaign and focused on labor and economic issues. Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., ran unopposed for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination and was officially projected such Tuesday evening.
Washington Post
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Virginia Senate Democrats reject Youngkin's university board picks
RICHMOND — Virginia Senate Democrats rejected eight of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's appointees to public university boards, a move intended to push back on the Republican governor's drive to give campus culture a conservative makeover. The impact of the vote, at an unusual Monday evening meeting of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, was a matter of dispute. While the senators said they had immediately ousted the eight from boards governing the University of Virginia, Virginia Military Institute and George Mason University, Youngkin's office contended that any removals could not occur until 30 days into the next General Assembly session, which begins in January. Among the most prominent of the eight was Ken Cuccinelli II, who as the state's hard-charging Republican state attorney general years ago sued a U-Va. climate scientist, and Caren Merrick, Youngkin's former commerce secretary. Cuccinelli declined to comment and Merrick did not respond to a request for comment. Even with this action, Youngkin appointees will still make up nearly three-quarters of members on university boards across the state, according to a Washington Post tally. Boards of visitors at Virginia public universities oversee operations at the schools, including appointing presidents and setting tuition. The move raised political tensions and perhaps the profile of the committee chairman, Sen. Aaron R. Rouse (D-Virginia Beach), one week before Democrats choose the party's nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general. Rouse is one of six Democrats running for lieutenant governor in the June 17 primary. Sen. Ghazala F. Hashmi (D-Richmond), who does not serve on that committee but is a rival for the nomination, promptly issued a news release praising the committee's vote. 'Virginia is proud to maintain one of the strongest public higher education systems in America,' Senate Majority Leader Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax) said in a letter issued afterward to the rectors of every state university board. 'Our Commonwealth is home to some of the nation's oldest and most prestigious institutions, and they deserve governance that is independent, principled, and focused solely on their academic mission and service to the Commonwealth.' Youngkin spokesman Rob Damschen said the committee's action was meaningless — and expensive for taxpayers, who pay legislators a per diem of a few hundred dollars to attend meetings. 'Just days before a contentious Democrat primary, Virginians see today's antics for what they are — an obvious political sideshow,' he said in a written statement. 'This sloppy attempt to boost one of the candidates is not only completely out of order with general assembly procedures, it also costs Virginians thousands of dollars.' Youngkin appointed Cuccinelli, a U-Va. graduate, to the flagship university's board in March, after firing an earlier pick whose combative style had worn thin. The committee also voted to remove three of Youngkin's appointees to the VMI board: Jonathan Hartsock of Lexington, Stephen Reardon of Richmond and Jose Suarez of St. Augustine, Florida. From the GMU board, the senators rejected Merrick; Charles Cooper of Bonita Springs, Florida; William Hansen of McLean; and Maureen Ohlhausen of Annandale. 'As a graduate of George Mason law school, and a supporter of the school for decades, I had looked forward to helping guide the university as a member of the board of visitors, so it's certainly a disappointment,' Ohlhausen said in an email. Messages to the five other ousted members were not returned. The three schools affected have all had cultural and political tensions in recent months. At U-Va., the board passed a resolution in March requiring the school to dissolve its diversity, equity and inclusion office but allowed the university to transfer programs 'permissible' by law to other homes. Weeks later, Youngkin fired Bert Ellis, an outspoken board member, from the governing body, appointing Cuccinelli as his replacement. Since then, the Justice Department has sent a letter to U-Va. saying it was not properly following the resolution, and conservative alumni from organizations such as the Jefferson Council have called for the ouster of President Jim Ryan. At the Virginia Military Institute, the board dominated by Youngkin appointees voted against the contract extension of Superintendent Cedric T. Wins, the school's first Black leader — who had expanded DEI programs — causing an uproar among some alumni over a lack of transparency and possible racism. The 10-6 vote included two members named to the body in previous days by Youngkin: John Hartsock and Stephen Reardon. Wins blamed 'bias' and 'ideology' for the vote. Two board members resigned in the fallout — including then-president John Adams and former president Tom Watjen — before Youngkin donor and ally Teddy Gottwald was named interim president. In a final note to cadets last week, Wins, whose contract ends this month, cautioned against 'clinging to outdated traditions and attitudes' at VMI. At George Mason University, the governing board is also considering a resolution to roll back DEI policies, causing pushback from student and faculty representatives who defended the programs' importance for student success. The board delayed the vote on the resolution and did not vote on the matter during its latest board meeting in May. Responding to Trump administration executive orders and directives to end 'race-based decision-making,' President Gregory Washington has renamed the DEI office to the Office of Access, Compliance and Community. The school also ended operations of the Center for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation, according to GMU spokesperson Paul Allvin. At the Senate committee meeting, which lasted just over 10 minutes, senators took up a resolution to confirm the eight appointees. A motion to pass it failed on a party-line 8-4 vote, with three Republicans absent. Youngkin, like all Virginia governors, makes hundreds of appointments each year, many of them when the General Assembly is not in session. Appointments that are subject to General Assembly confirmation typically get voted on at the next regular legislative session. The Virginia Constitution states that any appointee who is not approved 30 days after the start of the session is out of a job, and the governor cannot reappoint that person to the same post. Although Youngkin's office contends that the eight cannot be ousted until the 30-day deadline early next year, Democrats note that they took up the resolution under the auspices of a 2024 special legislative session that has never officially been concluded. Under the joint procedural resolution setting out the rules of the special session, the legislature is allowed to take up gubernatorial appointments. Democrats say that just like any other piece of legislation that fails to advance out of committee, the resolution with the eight names is dead and the nominees cannot be considered for the same post again. Shaun Kenney, spokesman for Attorney General Jason S. Miyares (R), said the full General Assembly must get a chance to weigh in. Democrats narrowly control both the House and Senate, but all 100 House seats are on the ballot in November. 'The Virginia Constitution is pretty clear on the matter: Only the General Assembly is authorized to act,' Kenney said. 'It is not a committee, it is not a subcommittee, it is the entire assembly.' Ahead of the vote Monday, Democrats did not voice specific objections to the individuals. Sen. Adam P. Ebbin (D-Alexandria) noted that the General Assembly has approved thousands of Youngkin's appointees for various boards and commissions and rejected 'a handful … that we've seen as overly ideological or extreme.' He suggested the eight were 'not good choices' for the boards and lamented declining civility and an 'atmosphere of hostility' surrounding board meetings, most specifically at GMU. 'Some of the visitors do not seem to be there for academic or even university governance purposes,' Ebbin said. 'They seem to be there rather to disrupt and if they can, even to destroy.' Sen. Bill DeSteph (R-Virginia Beach) said the appointees were all highly accomplished people, including Merrick, whom the board confirmed a few years ago for Youngkin's Cabinet. 'I don't believe any one of these members is there to destroy,' he said. 'They're there to build our future workforce and to build our universities for the future.'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia Beach voting system remains in limbo after Senate rejection
Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury) For the second straight year, Virginia Beach's attempt to formalize its voting system in its city charter has hit a dead end in the state Senate. House Bill 1687, which sought to officially establish the city's 10-1 voting system, failed to secure the required 27 affirmative votes in the Senate on Thursday — just as it did last year. The bill had previously made it to Gov. Glenn Youngkin's desk, but without final approval from the legislature, the effort remains stalled. Two votes this week saw the same outcome: 21-18 against the proposal. The city council had opted not to amend Virginia Beach's charter to reflect the 10-1 system last year, prompting some lawmakers to take matters into their own hands. But Sen. Bill DeSteph, R-Virginia Beach, distanced himself from the push. 'Until our city council becomes unanimous on this, I would suggest that we vote no on this matter,' DeSteph said Thursday. He pointed to a Jan. 30 memo from the Office of the Attorney General to Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer, which he said confirms the city is under no legal obligation to alter its voting system. Instead of legislative action, DeSteph said the Attorney General's Office advised city leaders to focus on better engagement with Virginia Beach's diverse communities. 'Recognizing and treating people based on their individual experiences is the touchstone that should guide our political debates,' the memo states. The debate took a turn when Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, questioned the memo — one he said he hadn't seen until Thursday. 'Over 81% of the people voted and supported the 10-1 system,' Rouse said, citing a survey by the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia. 'The attorney's general office, in (its) official capacity, pre-cleared this election system twice with no objection, and now, all of a sudden in an election year he has posted his own personal opinion to the mayor.' Virginia Beach implemented the 10-1 system in November 2022 after a federal court ruled that the city's previous election structure violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by diluting minority voting power. The new system, which eliminated three at-large seats from the city council, became official in 2023 as part of redistricting. However, the city council declined to request an amendment to its charter at the time, partly because of an ongoing lawsuit challenging the system. Gov. Glenn Youngkin, aware of the legal dispute, vetoed the proposal last year. While the Virginia Supreme Court assigned a judge to the case in September, no further action has been taken to date. With the latest attempt to solidify the system in the city charter failing in the Senate once again, the future of Virginia Beach's voting structure remains uncertain — especially in a crucial election year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
