Virginia State Senate

Go Vote

More than 64,000 voters have already voted, but more than 650,000 active voters have not voted.

A slight shift in the vote in Fairfax County's midterm elections on Nov. 7 could determine which party controls Virginia and what legislation is passed. The potential ramifications could be far-reaching, positioning the 2024 election on abortion and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R) national prospects.

Candidate Connection: Senate Candidates

Candidate Connection: Senate District 39

We asked candidates for a brief bio and to tell us about their interaction with a voter whose questions or story inspired them to take action.

Great Falls Community Assoc. To Hold Election Forum

On Sept. 27, at 5:30 p.m., the Great Falls Community Association will hold an election forum at the Grange for members and the public. The six Dranesville Supervisor, House, and Senate candidates will discuss Great Falls issues relevant to their offices.

Divided Government in an Off-Off Year

Democrats want to take the House; Republicans want to take the Senate.

"I think there's a sense that people want one house to check the other. They don't want total control in both Houses." — Former Gov. Doug Wilder

Following the Money

Alexandria delegation pulls in almost $3 million despite lack of competition.

“The amount of money is fascinating, although I’m not sure what it says about our current state of democracy.” — Brian Moran, former Alexandria delegate who served as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus

Early Voting

Voters at West Springfield Government Center

Northern Virginia Poised to Lose Influence

Democratic primary might shift power to Hampton Roads.

Reston Association Chooses New CEO

One-on-one interview with Mac Cummins, AICP

Hiding at the Top of the Ticket

Race for Senate features two-term incumbent versus first-time candidate.

When Mark Warner ran for governor in 2001, opponents knocked him for wanting to be governor without having ever run for office before.

Night Court

Lawmakers to consider eliminating no-knock warrants, new hurdles for nighttime search warrants.

Lawmakers in Virginia are about to consider banning no-knock warrants and creating a new requirement that judges — not magistrates — sign off on search warrants executed at night.

Progressive Prosecutors Lobby for Justice

Commonwealth’s Attorneys from Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax join forces to press for reform.

As lawmakers prepare to return to Richmond for a special session on criminal justice reform, this group of likeminded prosecutors known as the Progressive Prosecutors for Justice will be pushing for a package of criminal-justice reform bills that does not have the backing of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys.

At the Crossroads

Lawmakers to slash the state budget and consider criminal-justice reforms.

The threadbare Franklin and Armfield office on Duke Street stands at the crossroads between racial injustice and economic crisis. It’s a ramshackle building now, but it was once the headquarters for the largest domestic slave trading firm in the United States, present at the creation of the systemic racism that plagues Virginia cops and courts. It’s also the city’s latest acquisition, and the state budget was to include $2.5 million to help transform it into the Freedom House Museum. But then the pandemic hit, and the governor hit the pause button on that line item as well as all the other spending priorities of the new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.

Loan Sharks in the Water

Lawmakers crack down on predatory lending, although reform won’t happen for eight months.

The LoanMax on Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria is open for business during the pandemic, and colorful signs in the windows announce in English and Spanish that the car-title lender remains open during a stay-at-home order — offering loans at 200 percent annual interest during a time when unemployment claims in Alexandria are skyrocketing. Those kinds of interest rates will be illegal under the Fairness in Lending Act, which Gov. Ralph Northam signed last week after lawmakers signed off on some last-minute changes. But the ban on such high-interest lending won’t take effect until New Years Day 2021, which means high-interest lenders have eight months to engage in an unprecedented lending spree during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Following the Money

Special-interest groups seek power and influence.

A look at campaign-finance documents from the 2019 election cycle reveals an intricate web of special-interest money, everything from Dominion and Verizon to casino developers and car-title lenders. Members of the Alexandria delegation took money from lobbyists and associations who have pending business during the upcoming two-month General Assembly session, when lawmakers will be forbidden from taking campaign cash.

The Connection