Virginia
Battle for control of Virginia Legislature may hinge on a state senate race with independent streak
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — A race that could determine control of Virginia’s Legislature will not be a standard battle between a Democrat and a Republican, but also features a wild-card independent candidate with a history of electoral success who happens to be a former stripper.
Oh, and then there’s the write-in campaign of a right-wing restaurateur who specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches.
The free-wheeling Senate District 27 race in the Fredericksburg area features Republican Del. Tara Durant, who won her first bid for public office two years ago after she garnered national attention from a 911 call she placed when she said her car was surrounded by Black Lives Matter activists during a protest. The Democrat, Joel Griffin, is a former Marine and former chair of Stafford County’s Economic Development Authority, making his first run for office.
But it’s the credible independent bid of Stafford County Supervisor Monica Gary that remains an unknown. Gary has already won office as an independent and says she turned down entreaties to run as a Democrat because she values her ability to work across party lines.
“I’ve always run a true independent campaign. So, even though I lean left, I have a lot of Republican supporters,” said Gary, who openly embraces her stance on abortion and her time as a stripper.
The 27th District includes Fredericksburg and the surrounding areas, one of the fastest growing locations in Virginia, a swing district where growth, development, education and transportation are important issues that often don’t play out along party lines.
But because the race could determine control of the state Senate, much of the focus has been on abortion. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is pushing for a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy but has so far been blocked by a Senate narrowly controlled by Democrats.
Virginia Senate candidate Joel Griffin is pictured, Monday, Oct. 16, 2023, in Fredericksburg, Va. Credit: AP/Matthew Barakat
Democrats have campaigned statewide on abortion rights and the 27th District is no different. Durant’s anti-abortion record has been the subject of multiple attack ads.
The Republican’s campaign stopped responding to interview requests after initially asking for a list of interview topics in advance, which The Associated Press declined to provide to her or to any of the candidates who were interviewed.
At a debate sponsored by Mary Washington University, Durant said she supports Youngkin’s push for a 15-week abortion ban, with exceptions allowing later abortions in cases of rape, incest, or protecting the life of the mother.
“I’ve always been very honest and transparent than I am pro life,” Durant said. “What Virginians want is for us to come together. They want consensus on this issue, and they want us to come together with a policy that reflects compassion for everyone involved.”
Virginia Del. Tara Durant, R-Stafford, speaks during a “Parents Matter” forum at the Falmouth Volunteer Fire Department, Aug. 10, 2023, in Stafford County, Va. Credit: AP/Peter Cihelka
Griffin and Gary said Durant, left to her own devices, would support a far more restrictive ban. A Fredericksburg-based group, Students for Life, which advocates for protection of unborn lives at conception, said Durant pledged to them to vote “100% pro life” as a legislator.
Griffin, a Democrat, said he would leave current Virginia law in place but seek to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. Gary, an independent, said she supports existing law but would only require two doctors, instead of three, to sign off on a late-term abortion.
Gary said she’s had abortions, and she talks about her experience on the campaign trail. She said she had the abortions at a time she was trying to leave an abusive relationship. Gary said she felt guilt over that, and began to express anti-abortion sentiment. But after much soul-searching, she concluded that her decision was the right one and that women need to retain control over their reproductive choices.
Gary said her life experience, and her openness about it, allows her to relate with people on all sides of the political spectrum, and that she draws support from Republicans and Democrats.
Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at Mary Washington University who moderated a debate between the candidates, said Gary’s presence on the ballot makes the race hard to predict.
“She is a far more credible candidate than independent candidates typically are,” he said.
The race will be critical to Youngkin, who invested heavily in Durant, and helped the fellow Republican defeat restauranteur Matt Strickland in the primary. Strickland, known for his efforts to challenge pandemic restrictions at his restaurant, continues to deride Durant and Youngkin as “establishment” Republicans as he continues a write-in campaign.
Gary, who told The AP that if elected she will caucus with Democrats, said she considers herself the the most liberal candidate in the race, not because she is especially liberal but because she considers Griffin a closet Republican.
She said Griffin donated $250 to her campaign less than a year ago, before he entered the race.
Griffin said he thinks the question about his donation to Durant is a distraction from the issues.
“This was prior to me getting involved in politics and learning of the issues and learning how extreme she is on these issues,” he said.
Gary said voters have not held her background as a stripper against her. In fact, she said the strip club was good representation for what she has encountered in politics.
“You would be surprised how similar the environments are,” she said. “When I was in the club. I saw people chasing after money and power because they felt like they had to survive. And in politics, I see people doing it because they want to.”
The Virginia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 26, 2024, results for each game:
Mega Millions
Mega Millions drawings take place every week on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.
05-22-24-39-42, Mega Ball: 03, Megaplier: 3
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.
Night: 7-3-0, FB: 2
Day: 7-2-1, FB: 5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.
Night: 1-6-6-8, FB: 5
Day: 7-4-5-8, FB: 4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 5
DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.
Night: 0-5-4-9-9, FB: 2
Day: 6-9-5-3-2, FB: 0
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Cash4Life
Drawing everyday at 9 p.m.
04-11-13-30-39, Cash Ball: 02
Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Cash Pop
Drawing times: Coffee Break 9 a.m.; Lunch Break 12 p.m.; Rush Hour 5 p.m.; Prime Time 9 p.m.; After Hours 11:59 p.m.
Coffee Break: 04
After Hours: 05
Prime Time: 06
Rush Hour: 09
Lunch Break: 12
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Cash 5
Drawing every day at 11 p.m.
12-22-31-38-44
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Center for Community Journalism (CCJ) editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Virginia (4-2) got back in the win column with a 74-65 victory over Manhattan (3-3) on Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena. Here are our five quick takeaways from the Cavaliers’ win over the Jaspers.
Virginia was in serious need of a win after suffering those two humbling losses to Tennessee and St. John’s in The Bahamas. But a convincing and comfortable victory would have been even better and for a while, it seemed like the Cavaliers were on their way to doing just that. UVA led by as many as 15 points in the first half and opened up a 16-point advantage midway through the second half. But rather than putting the game away, Virginia let Manhattan hang around and the visiting Jaspers were in a situation where they were fouling to stop the clock in the final minutes, narrowing the deficit to as little as six points. A win is a win, but this was far from a confidence-boosting performance.
Virginia went with a new starting lineup on Tuesday night, as Andrew Rohde replaced TJ Power. Rohde has been playing very well recently, particularly with his resurgent outside shot, while Power came into this game shooting 25% from beyond the arc this season.
Power initially responded well to the benching, swishing a corner three shortly after he first entered the game, hitting the deck for a loose ball, and coming up with a steal to stop a Manhattan fastbreak. But he wound up playing only six minutes, fewest among Cavaliers who saw the floor in the game. That does not bode well for the Duke transfer.
Read Val’s Plus/Minus breakdown of the game here.
Rohde, on the other hand, had another solid game and was perhaps the top performer for the Hoos on Tuesday night. Though he missed his only three-pointer, which was a desperation off-balanced heave at the end of the shot clock, Rohde finished with a season-high 14 points, two assists (with one turnover), two rebounds, and four steals. Rohde showed excellent feel for the game, getting exactly where he wanted to go and exhibiting some nice touch on a couple of floaters plus a short jumper off the glass. If Rohde is playing like this and his three-point shot continues to be there, this could be a big season for the former St. Thomas transfer.
The main reason why this game continued to be close deep into the second half is because UVA’s defense frequently broke down and gave up open shots to Manhattan, particularly from the perimeter. The Jaspers shot 11/26 (42.3%) from beyond the arc and and seven different players knocked down a three. A couple of those Manhattan triples were well-contested, but the vast majority of them were wide-open. That’s very concerning and shows that this Virginia defense, with its many new faces, is still very much a work in progress.
Virginia’s offense was pretty well neutralized by Tennessee and St. John’s in The Bahamas. Tuesday night against Manhattan was a small step in the right direction, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
Let’s start with the good. Five different Cavaliers scored in double figures, including a game-high 18 points from Isaac McKneely, who hit three of his four three-point attempts and went 5/6 from the free throw line. We still think McKneely needs to shoot way more, but we’ll leave that alone for now. Dai Dai Ames scored 10 points and dished out five assists, but fouled out of the game. Blake Buchanan made his first four shots and finished with 11 points and five boards. Cofie made five of his seven shots and finished with 10 points and five boards. The best part of the game was that Virginia had 15 assists on 29 made baskets and turned the ball over only eight times, a vast improvement over the team’s turnover issues in The Bahamas.
Virginia outscored Manhattan 42-22 in the paint. That looks like a good stat, but it’s also an inevitable stat because of UVA’s size advantage over the Jaspers, whose tallest player in the rotation is 6’8″. Still, Manhattan snared 10 offensive rebounds and scored 11 second-chance points. In The Bahamas, UVA was dominated on the glass and was simply outmatched from a physicality and athleticism standpoint. Nothing we saw from the Cavaliers on Tuesday night did anything to alleviate those concerns.
Up next, Virginia remains at home for another (supposed) tune-up game against Holy Cross on Friday at 4pm at John Paul Jones Arena.
Virginia vs. Manhattan Live Updates | NCAA Men’s Basketball
UVA Basketball: Ten Things We Learned About Virginia in The Bahamas
Virginia Basketball Falls to St. John’s 80-55 | Key Takeaways
Virginia (3-2) is set to host Manhattan (3-2) on Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia. Follow along with score updates, play-by-play, and live analysis for the game in the thread below. Updates will be posted at each timeout in reverse chronological order with the most recent updates at the top of the article. Refresh the page for updates.
As we await our 7pm tip between Virginia and Manhattan on the ACC Network, read a full preview of the game here: Virginia Basketball vs. Manhattan Game Preview, Score Prediction
Virginia has posted its starting five for tonight’s game:
– Dai Dai Ames
– Isaac McKneely
– Andrew Rohde
– Elijah Saunders
– Blake Buchanan
Notably, TJ Power has been replaced by Andrew Rohde in the starting lineup after starting the first five games of the season. Power is shooting 25% from three (4/16), while Rohde is currently shooting 50% from beyond the arc (7/14).
- Virginia and Manhattan will meet on Tuesday night for just the second time ever and first time since March 19th, 1993, when the Cavaliers defeated the Jaspers 78-66 in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament.
- UVA is 9-0 against current members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
- Virginia’s last game against a MAAC team was back in 2012, when the Cavaliers defeated Fairfield 54-45 at John Paul Jones Arena.
- UVA is 2-0 at John Paul Jones Arena this season and 3-0 against unranked opponents this season.
Read more Virginia men’s basketball news and content in the links below:
UVA Basketball: Ten Things We Learned About Virginia in The Bahamas
Virginia Basketball Falls to St. John’s 80-55 | Key Takeaways
The Plus/Minus: Virginia Gets Skunked by Tennessee in The Bahamas
Virginia Basketball Falls to Tennessee 64-42 | Key Takeaways
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