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Democrats running for attorney general say Virginia needs to challenge Trump
Democrats running for attorney general say Virginia needs to challenge Trump

Yahoo

time14-05-2025

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Democrats running for attorney general say Virginia needs to challenge Trump

Democrats will choose between a longtime prosecutor from the Richmond suburbs and a former lawmaker from a politically active Hampton Roads family in the primary race for attorney general. Former state delegate Jay Jones and Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor are facing off in the Democratic primary. Democrats are hoping to win big this year. Virginia is considered to be a bellwether state because its statewide elections are held the year after the presidential election. Virginia's election in November is thought to be a referendum on the president's first year in office. The winner of the race will run against incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares in November. Early voting has already begun, and primary day is June 17. ___ Taylor has served as the commonwealth's attorney of Henrico since 2011 and has been a practicing attorney for almost 30 years. In addition to the attorney general's role as an advisor to state agencies and offer consumer protection, she said that experience particularly prepares her for the role of the state's top prosecutor. As commonwealth's attorney, the 57-year-old was appointed special prosecutor in Virginia's case against one of the men involved with the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, though the charges were ultimately dismissed following a mistrial. 'The importance of being the prosecutor for the commonwealth is two points,' she said. 'The fact that I can do our own investigation and our own prosecuting as the attorney general or be there as a resource for our local prosecutors. … I have very good relationships across this commonwealth with all of my colleagues to be able to offer assistance in whatever they may need.' Taylor is making the case that she's the more experienced candidate. In a new ad, she seemingly took aim at Jones, saying, 'I'm the only Democrat to have prosecuted a criminal case and win a Republican seat.' 757 Votes: The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press 2025 primary election guide Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor compete in Virginia's Attorney General Democratic primary Early voting in Virginia primary elections starts this week. Here's what you need to know. But Jones says he's prepared for the role, and his time in the consumer protection unit of Washington, D.C.'s attorney general's office offered valuable experience. He said he took on slumlords and corporate special interest groups in that time. 'My hair is all gray at this point,' the 36-year-old joked. 'I've had my experience as an assistant attorney general. I've been a trial attorney for over a decade now. … I think all of that lends itself to this moment when we need someone who's going to step up and use the office as it should be used.' Jones hails from Norfolk, where he currently resides. He previously served as state delegate, elected to his dad Jerrauld Jones Sr.'s old seat. He served in the legislature from 2018 to 2021 but stepped down shortly after he was last elected, saying he and his wife were expecting their first child. Jones' grandfather Hilary Jones Sr. was a civil rights attorney in Norfolk and the first Black member of the Norfolk School Board. Jones went on to work as an assistant attorney general in Washington, D.C., before primarying then-incumbent Mark Herring for the position of attorney general in 2021. Jones lost that race, and Herring was defeated by Miyares in the general election that year. In 2023, Jones, who now works in private practice, sued the governor's administration on behalf of the Virginia NAACP for access to the voting rights restoration database, though a judge later denied that access. ___ Both candidates are running on staunch anti-Trump platforms and say Virginia should have signed onto lawsuits brought by Democratic attorneys general against the administration, like one that states signed onto to restore federal research money. 'We are now watching our current attorney general not challenging any of the executive orders that are coming from the Trump administration, not even looking for the constitutionality or legality,' Taylor said. '(The court) found that if you were a state that did make that challenge, the research money should come and has to come to those states. But because Jason Miyares did not file in that case, the commonwealth of Virginia is losing out on millions of dollars of research money that goes to very critical issues like Alzheimer's and cancer research.' 'I think it's really important for folks to know that when we don't participate in these lawsuits, we don't get to avail ourselves of the protections that the injunctions that have been handed down offer those other states that have put those lawsuits up,' Jones said. 'In particular, (the lawsuits to protect federal funding and to protect federal workers) I would have loved to have seen Miyares engage and fight for us.' Both candidates also say they want to expand certain units within the attorney general's office. Jones said he would build out a civil rights unit and a labor justice unit. Taylor said she would expand the Medicaid fraud unit to encompass broader elder abuse investigations and protections. ___ Powerful current and former state and local Democratic officials are split in their endorsements this campaign. Jones is endorsed by former Govs. Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam, U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott and much of the Hampton Roads delegation in the state legislature, including Sen. Mamie Locke and Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler. Meanwhile, Taylor has so far been endorsed by more commonwealth's attorneys, former Attorneys General Mark Herring and Mary Sue Terry, and Eileen Filler-Corn, former speaker of the House of Delegates. In April, Taylor announced that she had fundraised more than $1 million, including $525,000 raised in the first quarter of the year, which ended in March. Jones' campaign reported that as of last filing, it had raised more than $1.8 million including more than $900,000 raised in the first quarter. Kate Seltzer, 757-713-7881,

Early voting in Virginia primary elections starts this week. Here's what you need to know.
Early voting in Virginia primary elections starts this week. Here's what you need to know.

Yahoo

time29-04-2025

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Early voting in Virginia primary elections starts this week. Here's what you need to know.

Early voting in Virginia's primary elections starts Friday and voters in Hampton Roads have several choices to make ahead of general elections in the fall. Election Day for the primaries is June 17. Virginia is an open primary state, meaning voters can request a Democratic or Republican ballot. All qualified voters may vote in either primary, but not both. Voting in a party's primary does not mean the voter will be 'registered' with that party, as the state does not have party registration. Three statewide offices are up for election in the fall: governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. But there are only Democratic primaries in the lieutenant governor and attorney general races. Several House of Delegates races also have primaries, as do several city-specific races. For more information on the races and candidates, check out The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press election guide. 757 Votes: The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press 2025 primary election guide Here are the primary elections on the ballot for Hampton Roads voters: Lieutenant Governor — Democratic primary Attorney General — Democratic primary House of Delegates District 70 — Republican primary House of Delegates District 89 — Republican and Democratic primaries House of Delegates District 97 — Republican primary Chesapeake Sheriff — Republican primary Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney — Democratic primary Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney — Democratic primary Newport News Treasurer — Democratic primary ___ No primary will take place in the governor's race. Democrat Abigail Spanberger will face Republican Winsome Earle-Sears. Six Democrats have thrown their hats into the ring for lieutenant governor. Voters will choose from candidates Ghazala Hashmi, Aaron Rouse, Levar Stoney, Babur Lateef, Victor Salgado and Alex Bastani. John Reid is the Republican nominee. For attorney general, two Democrats will compete for the nomination: Shannon Taylor and Jay Jones. The winner will face Republican incumbent Jason Miyares in the fall. ___ In the 70th District, which is in Newport News, two Republicans will vie for the nomination. Cindy Scaturico will face off against Hailey Dollar. The winner will campaign against Democratic incumbent Shelly Simonds. The 89th District, which includes parts of Chesapeake and Suffolk, will have primaries for both parties. On the Democratic ticket, voters will decide between Blaizen Buckshot Bloom and Karen Robins Carnegie. For the Republican nomination, Mike Lamonea and Kristen Shannon are on the ballot. Republican incumbent Baxter Ennis is not running for reelection. For Virginia Beach voters in the 97th District, the Republican primary features two candidates: Tim Anderson and Christina Felder. The winner of the primary will face off against Democratic incumbent Michael Feggans. ___ In Norfolk, a Democratic primary for commonwealth's attorney pits incumbent Ramin Fatehi against challenger John Butler. Newport News has Democratic primaries for commonwealth's attorney and treasurer. The commonwealth's attorney primary features incumbent Howard Gwynn and challenger Shannon Jones. For treasurer, voters will choose between Sanu Dieng-Cooper and Derek Reason. Voters in Chesapeake have a Republican primary in the sheriff's race. Dave Rosado, who was appointed to the position in 2024, will face off against challenger Wallace Chadwick. ___ Early voting starts Friday, May 2. The last day to vote early in person is June 14. The deadline to register to vote or update registration is May 27, but voters may register after this date through Election Day and vote using a provisional ballot. All localities offer early voting, and voters are only allowed to vote early in the jurisdiction in which they are registered. Voters can cast ballots in person at their voter registrar's office. Hours of operation may vary and voters should contact their registrar's office for more information. Chesapeake — 411 Cedar Road, Chesapeake, VA 23322 Hampton — 101 Kings Way, Hampton, VA 23669 James City County — 4095 Ironbound Rd., Williamsburg, VA 23188 Newport News — 2400 Washington Ave., Newport News, VA 23607 Norfolk — 810 Union St., Suite 100, Norfolk, VA 23510 Portsmouth — 801 Crawford St., Floor 1, Portsmouth, VA 23704 Suffolk — 440 Market St., Suffolk, VA 23434 Virginia Beach — 2449 Princess Anne Rd., Building 14, Virginia Beach, VA 23456 Williamsburg — 401 Lafayette St., Williamsburg, VA 23185 York County — 5322 George Washington Memorial Highway, Yorktown, VA 23692 ___ Registered voters can request an absentee ballot either in-person, by mail or by contacting their general registrar's office. Voters can also apply for a ballot online, and no reason is needed to request an absentee ballot. Once submitted, voters can track their absentee ballot by logging into Ballot Scout. If voters are returning their ballots by mail, it must be postmarked on or before Election Day (June 17) and received by their general registrar's office by noon on the third day following the election (June 20). Voters can also return ballots at the general registrar's office or polling location on Election Day. Eliza Noe,

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