Latest news with #Virginians
New York Post
19 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Dem in ultra-competitive House race bases campaign in DC, three hours outside district
A Democrat fighting to unseat a Republican House lawmaker in Virginia is facing questions about how much time he's actually spending in the district he wants to represent. James Osyf, 40, an executive at Lockheed Martin, is the most prominent of three Democratic candidates competing against two-term incumbent Jen Kiggans (R-Va.). While the competitive 2nd Congressional District is based on the southeastern Virginia coast, Osyf is listed as the owner of a $1.7 million Washington, DC home and has registered his campaign at a capital city address, some 200 miles away from the people he wishes to serve in Congress. 5 James Osyf launched his campaign earlier this month in a bid to flip a vulnerable Republican seat. Facebook / James Osyf In addition, a review of publicly available records indicates Osyf does not live anywhere in the district. 'While it's constitutionally legal to run for a House seat from outside the district, it's a rare occurrence, and rarely successful,' Dante Scala, a professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire who has studied political campaigns for decades, told The Post. 'Voters expect, rationally enough, that they are better represented by someone who resides in their district, all other things being equal. Political opponents quickly jump on this,' he added. 'It certainly doesn't look good,' agreed Todd Belt, the director of the Political Management program at George Washington University, 'which is why candidates often fake a residence in a district in order to run there.' Kiggans, who unseated Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria in 2022 and was re-elected last year, registered her campaign in Virginia Beach, in the heart of the district. 5 James Osyf registered his campaign in Washington, DC, three hours away from Virginia's 2nd Congressional District. FEC registrations can be amended, so it is possible for Osyf to change his base of operations and his residence as the drive for votes revs up. However, GOP operatives keen on holding the toss-up seat have already taken notice. 'James Osyf is a DC resident and political opportunist who has no business representing Virginians,' National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokesperson Maureen O'Toole alleged to The Post. 'Voters don't want him in Hampton Roads, and they'll reject him next year.' 5 Rep. Jen Kiggans holds one of a handful of House seats that Democrats are carefully eyeing heading into the 2026 cycle. Earlier this month, Osyf sat for an interview with a local news outlet, The Virginian-Pilot, which claimed he 'lives in Virginia Beach.' However, property records give no indication that the candidate owns a home in the city, though that does not preclude the possibility of him renting a house or apartment. DC property records, on the other hand, show that Osyf purchased a lavish three-story home in DC's Eckington neighborhood back in 2023. 5 The Navy reservist has made standing up for veterans a key focus of his campaign. Facebook / James Osyf Real estate firm Redfin estimates the late-19th century townhome is now worth $1.86 million and describes it as a 'Commanding Victorian Brownstone' and a 'masterpiece renovation.' Osyf's campaign did not respond to repeated requests to clarify the candidate's living situation. Osyf does have at least one known connection to southeast Virginia: His LinkedIn profile indicates that he has served as a reserve officer in the Navy's Second Fleet since 2023. That fleet is based in nearby Norfolk, which is covered by a different congressional district. 5 House Republicans are facing historical headwinds heading into the 2026 midterm elections. Getty Images Osyf appears to have spent the bulk of the last decade in and around DC. His LinkedIn profile lists his current job as director of policy and program operations at Lockheed Martin in suburban Bethesda, Md., in addition to stints in the Navy Reserve in DC, San Diego and Virginia Beach. Osyf attended Georgetown University Law Center between 2015 and 2019, before being admitted to the DC Bar in January 2020, according to the DC Bar Association. Virginia law requires candidates to be residents of the commonwealth for at least one year immediately before the election in order to qualify to hold office.
Axios
2 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Why your grocery bill in Virginia might keep climbing
Beef prices have reached record highs nationwide — hitting Virginia at peak grilling season. Why it matters: The steep price tag might squeeze grocery budgets for the next two to four years, says Patrick Montgomery, CEO and cofounder of Missouri-based KC Cattle Company. These costs are "just the tip of the iceberg," Montgomery tells Axios. By the numbers: Ground beef — the second-most consumed meat nationwide — averaged $6.12 a pound in June, up nearly 12% from a year ago, according to federal data released last week. It's the first time that ground beef has been above $6 since the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data collection began in the 1980s, per the Joint Economic Committee's minority arm. Meanwhile, Virginians are eating more beef now (59.1 pounds) than they were last year (58.9). Zoom out: The beef supply chain is being strained by a multi-year drought and high consumer demand while farmers face higher production expenses. Pittsylvania County cow producer Hunter Johnson told WSET the costs of expenses like pesticides and fertilizers have increased 30-35%. And the Virginia Cooperative Commission says cattle supply is the lowest it's been since 2014. The other side: The spike in prices for "conventional sources of beef" could be a good thing for local butcher shops like Belmont Butchery, owner Tanya Cauthen tells Axios. "It actually makes local meat more competitive as a result because there's less of a price difference," she says. Yes, but: Cauthen has noticed that customers are buying smaller portions and asking more about alternative or cheaper steak cuts. Her pro tip on maintaining a family food budget: "Talk to your butcher about what you're trying to make, because they will probably have a suggestion that you would've never thought of." What we're watching: Whether the incoming U.S. tariff on Brazil, which accounts for nearly a quarter of all U.S. beef imports, will have an impact on Richmond-area restaurants.
Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Richmond region feels impact as Virginia unemployment climbs
Virginia was the only state in the nation that saw a statistically significant increase in unemployment last month, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Why it matters: More than 160,000 Virginians were out of work but looking for a job in June amid a gloomy national labor outlook for the unemployed. State of play: The latest unemployment data, out Friday, suggests the state's job losses go beyond the Trump administration's culling of federal workers. Overall, there were roughly 8,400 fewer jobs in Virginia in June than in May. And Richmond saw the third-highest month-over-month decrease in nonfarm employment in the state. Zoom in: All but four of the dozen or so nonagricultural industries in Virginia posted job losses between May and June, per detailed data from Virginia Works, the state's workforce development arm. The biggest losses by sector came from: Professional and business services: ⬇️ 3,500 Federal government: ⬇️ 2,500 Education and health services: ⬇️ 2,200 Leisure and hospitality: ⬇️ 1,500 The state's monthly job gains were in state government (+2,200), construction (+1,700), goods producing (+1,000), and local government (+100). By the numbers: Virginia's unemployment rate hit 3.5% in June, the sixth month in a row the state's rate has increased. Metro Richmond's unemployment rate also ticked up slightly to 3.5%. Both are below the national average of 4.1%. Regionally, Northern Virginia took the brunt of the monthly jobs losses, per Virginia Works. Of the 8,400 decrease in nonfarm employment between May and June, more than half of the jobs lost — 4,700 — were in NoVa. Virginia Beach/Norfolk MSA lost 2,600 jobs. Richmond MSA, which includes 20 localities across the region, lost 1,100. Yes, but: Year over year, Virginia added 35,600 jobs, largely in service-providing fields, construction, and heath care and education. Meanwhile, professional and business services jobs — which tends to be a catch-all category for white-collar jobs — in the state fell by 6,900. What they're saying:"We expect there will be federal job reductions and that the growth in non-federal jobs over the course of the year ... will provide opportunities for those who have experienced job dislocation," Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement Friday.
Axios
3 days ago
- Health
- Axios
Where to find Richmond's new harm-reduction vending machines
The city of Richmond installed its first public, harm-reduction vending machines last week, and plans to add more this year. Why it matters: The machines offer free, anonymous access to life-saving medical supplies 24/7, including Narcan, or naloxone, a drug that can quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. State play: While Virginia had the second-largest drop in overdose deaths in the country last year, over 1,500 Virginians still died from overdoses. Fentanyl, the effects of which Narcan can counteract, is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths, per VDH data. In addition to Narcan, the machines are stocked with fentanyl test strips, first aid kits and personal hygiene items. If you go: Vending machines were installed last week at Marshall Plaza (downtown) and Southside Plaza (South Richmond).
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Voters still aren't buying what Virginia Republicans are selling
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears hoped winning the Republican nomination for governor of Virginia last month would help her party move past a primary season defined by lurid sex scandals and a boiling MAGA turf war. Instead, Earle-Sears is wrapping up her first month as nominee with a major campaign shake-up — and the GOP brand is facing an unprecedented losing streak. On Thursday, Earle-Sears asked her campaign manager, Will Archer, to step aside. A pastor by trade, Archer had never managed a campaign or participated in politics before. When campaign finance filings published this week showed Democrat Abigail Spanberger outraising Earle-Sears by 2-to-1, Republican leaders finally convinced their candidate it was time to part with her inexperienced staffer. Earle-Sears' campaign reshuffle comes at a moment when Virginia's Republicans are trying, and failing, to convince voters they're still a functional party. That's proving a lot harder than Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Earle-Sears planned, because the state GOP just can't seem to stop embarrassing itself in public. Some fumbles have been especially striking. After nearly a decade topping the ranks of CNBC's Top States for Business, Virginia just lost its coveted first place spot to neighboring North Carolina. It's a ranking Youngkin takes seriously, to the point that he made attracting new businesses and defending the state's ranking a key element of his 2021 campaign strategy. Safeguarding Virginia's economic miracle was supposed to be Youngkin's defining legacy. Good luck selling Virginians on the GOP's know-how today, when local magazines publish discount sections for laid-off federal workers and rural communities across the state brace for sweeping hospital and clinic closures. Far from being the governor who brightened Virginia's economic flame, Youngkin is now permanently tarred in voters' minds by his defense of President Donald Trump's unpopular federal job cuts. It's a reputation toxic enough to drag down his entire party. Republicans are starting to see voters' skepticism in their dwindling pool of political contributions. Spanberger's $10.7 million in donations this quarter is nearly double Earle-Sears' own $5.9 million haul. Those fundraising shortfalls cost Archer his job this week, but swapping out campaign staff won't suddenly make Republican policies popular. And the numbers get even worse the deeper you go. The campaign for lieutenant governor is also proving to be an absolute disaster for the GOP. In that race, scandal-plagued Republican nominee John Reid has seemingly given up fundraising at all. Reid raised only about $440,000 last quarter and only has $163,082 on hand, compared to Democratic nominee state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi's $3.4 million. Hashmi also has nearly 10 times as much cash on hand as Reid. At a time in the campaign when Republicans should be putting Democrats on the defensive, the GOP's top two candidates are scrambling to keep the lights on. Virginians are getting a free preview of the mismanagement, disorder and chaos that would dominate an Earle-Sears administration. Virginia's Democrats would like to make sure every voter gets a good, long look at Republicans' political circus, and they've just got a huge assist from the Democratic National Committee. On July 15, DNC Chairman Ken Martin announced a $1.5 million contribution to Democratic Party of Virginia, a notable sum for the national party to invest in an off-year state race and a sign of confidence in the party's chances in November. That money will build campaign infrastructure and hire staff in key legislative districts, ultimately allowing Democrats to reach more voters more effectively. Republicans' problems are multiplied by the fact that Democrats are competing in every House of Delegates district this year, forcing cash-strapped Republicans to spend more money on more races for longer than anyone budgeted. At their current fundraising levels, GOP officials will soon need to make tough choices about where to cut back — just as the DNC's $1.5 million cash infusion hits Democratic campaign accounts. While Democrats prepare to embark on a summer spending spree, Earle-Sears' campaign is busy fending off accusations from a top MAGA official that her campaign is a 'clown car' skidding towards disaster. Spanberger and Democrats have leapt into the lead by making this year's election a referendum on competence. Virginia's dysfunctional Republicans don't stand a chance. This article was originally published on
