Democrats' pick to replace Rep. Connolly wants to carry forward his legacy
As the popular lawmaker's chief of staff for a decade, Walkinshaw, 42, had long been seen as a likely successor in Virginia's 11th Congressional District — even well before Connolly's death opened up this seat in the D.C. suburbs. With support from Connolly and the broad political coalition he had built across Fairfax, Walkinshaw managed to win almost 60 percent of the vote in Saturday's election against nine other candidates.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Texas Republicans passed their redistricting map. Now they're taking aim at the tactic Democrats used to delay it.
Democrats successfully stalled the plan for weeks by fleeing the state. New proposed rules would strictly limit their ability to do that in the future. Shortly after the Texas House of Representatives finally approved its redistricting plan following weeks of delays, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott proposed legislation that would strictly limit the kinds of walkouts that Democrats used to hold up the bill in the future. The Texas Legislature is currently holding a special session to consider a long list of bills in addition to the redistricting plan, which needs to be approved one more time by the state Senate before it can be signed into law. Abbott has added the new restrictions on walkouts to their agenda for the rest of the session. 'We need to ensure that rogue lawmakers cannot hijack the important business of Texans during a legislative session by fleeing the state,' he wrote in a statement announcing the proposal. The redistricting plan, which would redraw the lines of Texas's congressional districts to potentially secure the GOP five more seats in Congress in next year's midterms, appeared to be on an easy path toward passage early this month until dozens of Democrats fled the state to block the Republican-dominated Legislature from being able to meet. The walkout successfully prevented Republicans from holding a vote on the plan for roughly two weeks. Each of the Democrats was fined $500 a day during their absence. Abbott also threatened to have them removed from office and civil warrants were issued for their arrest. The Democrats eventually chose to return to Texas in order to lay the groundwork for a legal challenge they plan to mount against the new maps. Their presence allowed the House to meet and approve the proposal. What would the new rules do? The bill would create new penalties for 'excessive absence' by lawmakers. If it becomes law, any member of the Texas House or Senate who misses seven consecutive days of legislative proceedings, without being granted a leave of absence, would lose their seat in the Legislature. Walkouts would still be possible under the proposed rules, but they could only last for so long before any absent lawmakers would be booted from their seats. Under current rules, walkouts can last as long as absent members are able to remain out of the state. The new restrictions would go into effect immediately if they're passed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of the state Legislature. In the more likely event that they pass with a simple majority, they will go into effect 90 days after the special session ends. Where does the redistricting battle go from here? Once Texas's new map is signed into law, the fight will shift to the courts. Democrats argue that the GOP's district lines violate laws against racial gerrymandering. Republicans counter that the map was drawn purely for political reasons, which is legal under current Supreme Court precedent. Another thing the Democrats accomplished with their walkout was turning redistricting into a national issue. California has started the process of redrawing its own maps specifically to counter any gains the GOP makes through redistricting in Texas. Democrats in a few other blue states, most notably New York and Illinois, have considered whether they too should enact new district lines. Republicans also have their eyes on potential seats elsewhere in the country. GOP leaders in Ohio, Missouri, Indiana and Florida have all said they could consider trying to get new maps in place ahead of next year's midterms. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Ex-GOP leader goes on CNN, immediately continues feud with Trump loyalist
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R) still appears to be peeved with his past colleague. During an appearance on CNN, McCarthy took aim at California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) over a redistricting proposal that is expected to come to a vote in his state Legislature on Thursday. But he then, unprompted, directed sharp criticism at former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). Newsom announced last week that he would move ahead with his own plan to counter a Republican-led effort in Texas to add up to five winnable red seats ahead of the 2026 midterms. The Texas House approved a new map on Wednesday after a weeks-long battle with the state's Democratic Party, during which many lawmakers fled the state in an attempt to block a vote. McCarthy, who previously represented California in Congress, said that Democrats would be 'taking away' nine competitive seats in the state, pointing to how they have flipped between Republicans and Democrats while he was in office. 'I didn't lose my job because I worked across the aisle,' McCarthy said. 'I lost my job because one person slept with an underage woman, and I wasn't going to do something different when it came to the ethics committee. And I'd do that exact same thing today.' McCarthy appeared to reference Gaetz, who he has previously linked to his 2023 ouster as House speaker. Gaetz, his longtime nemesis, spearheaded an effort that ultimately force him to lose the gavel after less than nine months on the job. The Justice Department has previously investigated Gaetz for sex trafficking and claims that he had paid for sex, including whether he had sexual relations with a minor. While it was dropped in February 2023, the House Ethics Committee began its own probe over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. The new investigation, though, was effectively ended after Gaetz resigned from Congress last year once he was nominated by then President-elect Donald Trump as attorney general. Shortly afterwards, Gaetz then withdrew his name from consideration amid increased scrutiny. He has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct. McCarthy has also backed Gaetz's Florida GOP primary challenger and has taken a series of jabs against the now former lawmaker. McCarthy continued: 'I'll stand for what's right, just like right now, I'm standing for the constitution of California.' If California Democrats successfully pass the measure along, it will appear on ballots during the state's special election in November. If approved, a new map, favoring blue seats, will be used until the 2030 census — but it is fully dependent on whether the plan in the Lone Star State comes to fruition. The move will ultimately sidestep California's independent commission that has created district maps since 2010 under the VOTERS FIRST Act. McCarthy said that Newsom is looking to amend his state's constitution for his 'own political belief.' 'We have a governor who spends more time on this instead of trying to encourage Bed Bath & Beyond to move back to California,' McCarthy said, referring to how the company recently announced it will not open any new retail stores in the Golden State. Newsom's press office had fired back on X: 'After their bankruptcy and closure of every store, like most Americans, we thought Bed, Bath & Beyond no longer existed. We wish them well in their efforts to become relevant again as they try to open a 2nd store.' Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Ted Cruz Gets Played Off Fox News By Hilariously Loud Background Music
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) appeared Wednesday on Fox News for a softball interview, and spent several minutes railing against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) and the Democratic Party — before the channel's jingoistic background music practically played him off. Newsom naturally pounced on the moment and shared the clip on X, formerly Twitter, to viral results. The governor instructed his followers to turn the sound on 'for Ted's walk-off music treatment on Fox tonight,' before arguing that Cruz has 'really lost it.' Related: 'Incredible,' Newsom wrote Wednesday. Related: Cruz was criticizing Newsom's leadership in California before the music started, citing high taxes, crime and regulation as purported reasons for people 'fleeing to Texas.' He then hit Newsom for opposing President Donald Trump's federal takeover of Washington, D.C. 'And yet Gavin Newsom and the rest of the Democratic Party, they exist for one purpose right now — to hate Donald Trump,' Cruz said Wednesday. 'You look at President Trump federalizing the police in D.C., just this week we've seen crime rates in D.C. plummet.' 'And the Democrats like Gavin Newsom, they are booing, they are unhappy,' he added, as the music started blaring. 'The corporate media, they are booing, they're unhappy. And you know what this is illustrating? That all the rest of these Democrat cities could reduce crime.' Cruz continued criticizing Newsom for a full 20 seconds before Hannity cut to commercials. Cruz's final grievances centered on the homeless population in California, and brought up how Newsom in 2023 'cleaned up all the homeless people and drug addicts' in San Francisco to prepare for a political summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping — but hasn't found a lasting solution to address the issue. Social media users couldn't ignore the music, however, which made it seem as though Hannity had had enough of him. Others seemed stunned that Cruz would rebuke anyone after infamously fleeing Texas for Mexico to escape a historic winter storm in 2021. Related: 'Shouldn't he be on vacation somewhere? Oh, my bad.. no disasters in Tx now so he is back from Paris,' wrote one user on X, with another person commenting: 'People claim Ted is a great debater and really smart. I've never seen that in him though.' Related: Wednesday's interview arrived amid ongoing efforts spearheaded by Newsom to redraw California's congressional maps. Former President Barack Obama endorsed the rare redistricting on social media Wednesday and called it 'a smart, measured approach.' 'Newsom & Obama are lying and they are hypocrites,' Cruz wrote later that evening. Related... JD Vance Roasted For Advising Gavin Newsom 'Don't Be A Crazy Person' Jeanine Pirro's Texts Reveal She Called Fellow Fox News Host An 'Egomaniac' Jesse Watters' Shoutout To 'Big Balls' Is The Most Awkward Thing Ever
