Connect with us

Virginia

Democrats, Republicans release dueling abortion ads in high-stakes Virginia elections

Published

on

Democrats, Republicans release dueling abortion ads in high-stakes Virginia elections


Democrats and Republicans in the state are ramping up their attacks ahead of high stakes state-wide elections in Virginia, releasing dueling ads about abortion — a hot-button issues at the center of nearly every race in both the GOP-led state House and the Democratic-controlled state Senate.

Last week, Virginia Republicans ran an ad titled “No Limits” accusing Democrats of fighting to make late-term abortions “the rule and not the exception,” while Democrats released a number of ads across the state this week warning Republicans would ban abortion if they take full control of the General Assembly.

Virginia is currently the southernmost state that hasn’t banned or restricted abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Political science experts told ABC News that while Republicans in the state refrained from campaigning on the issue of abortion last year and much of this campaign season, they are joining in now to mobilize Republican voters.

Advertisement

“While Dobbs served Republicans well, they lost the messaging enemy in Roe that had been successful for them,” Dr. Chapman Rackaway, a professor and Chair of Political Science at Radford University. “The inverse happened for Democrats. Dobbs gave them a threat on which they could message, and they did so aggressively in 2022.”

“From the newly-released ads, it looks like Republicans believe that using the extremist tag on Democrats is the messaging on which they can mobilize,” Rackaway added.

Activists who oppose abortion told ABC News that Republicans in the state are backing Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s stance on abortion — a 15-week ban with exceptions.

“In 2022 with the midterm elections, Republicans used the ostrich strategy … kind of burying your head in the sand and hoping the issue goes away,” said Billy Valentine, the vice president of Political Affairs for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. “Looking ahead to Virginia, I think the party has recognized that strategy didn’t work. We need to find where we stand and contrast that with the Democrats.”

Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin addresses the Economic Club of Washington’s luncheon event at the Marriott Marquis, Sept. 26, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

Advertisement

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Valentine told ABC News that he believes Democrats in the state are trying to misrepresent Republican candidates’ stance on abortion by saying they would ban abortion without exception, pointing to several recent ads from Democratic candidates.

“It’s incumbent on our candidates to tell the truth, which is what we are advocating for, is a 15-week limit, not a ban because it has exceptions for life of the mother, rape, and incest,” he said.

Republicans in the state say Democrats are putting out “misrepresentations and half truths” about several Republican candidates’ stance on abortion.

“This is out of character even for them,” said Garren Shipley, director of communications for the Republican Party of Virginia. “They’re our caucus and our candidates. We’re behind the governor on the 15-week limit with common sense exceptions.”

Advertisement
PHOTO: Abortion rights protesters demonstrate outside Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's home, June 27, 2022, in Alexandria, Va.

Abortion rights protesters demonstrate outside Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s home, June 27, 2022, in Alexandria, Va.

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Democrats in the state say their ads are informing voters that the Virginia GOP will ban abortion if they take full control of the General Assembly.

“This is nothing more than the Governor’s handlers trying to correct a narrative that their candidates themselves have been pushing,” said House Democratic Caucus Leader Don Scott.

“Just this year Republicans introduced life at conception bills, banning all abortions at the moment of fertilization and criminalizing anyone who performs the procedure,” Scott said. “No matter how they try to dress it up, if something is legal today, and a law changes making it illegal tomorrow, then that’s a ban. There’s no lies about that.”

Virginia Democratic Party Chairwoman Susan Swecker echoed Scott’s concerns that Republicans will increase restrictions on abortion.

Advertisement

“Anyone who has looked at Republicans’ records knows that Youngkin and the MAGA extremists who are running to control the General Assembly want to ban abortion immediately and will increase the restrictions every chance they get,” Swecker said in a statement. “They’ll overturn our rights and then keep taking more.”

In the highly competitive Fredericksburg-area state Senate race, Republicans criticized Democrats for releasing an ad about Republican candidate Tara Durant who is running against Joel Griffin, the Democratic nominee.

The ad published by Griffin’s campaign said Durant supports letting Virginia ban abortions without exception.

“Virginia Democrats are reverting to their tired tactics of overt falsehoods and flagrant fear mongering,” said Dave Rexrode, Youngkin’s political adviser and chairman of his PAC, Spirit of Virginia.

“Joel Griffin’s ad is just the latest desperate and despicable attempt to mislead voters. It will not work,” Rexrode added in a press release.

Advertisement

Griffin’s campaign defended the ad, saying Durant publicly praised the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

“While we watched the legal landscape shift, Durant reaffirmed where she was on abortion rights, sending a mailer stating her 100% pro life stance,” a spokesperson for Griffin’s campaign told ABC News. “The stakes are clear: If elected, Tara Durant would let Virginia ban abortions with no exceptions.”

Control of both chambers of the General Assembly is up for grabs, with several political experts indicating that the results could be viewed as a referendum on Youngkin given his successful push for his preferred candidates to win their primary races earlier this year.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Virginia

Why Pharrell's Something in the Water festival likely won't come back to Virginia Beach this year

Published

on

Why Pharrell's Something in the Water festival likely won't come back to Virginia Beach this year


VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. —The Something in the Water (SITW) music festival, created by Virginia Beach native and music superstar Pharrell Williams, will not take place in April in Virginia Beach.

The city is moving on from hosting the festival after organizers failed to announce a lineup and commence ticket sales by the Monday deadline set by city leaders.

A city spokesperson confirmed with WTKR minutes before 5 p.m. Monday that they hadn’t received any updates from organizers regarding the lineup and tickets.

The city also released the following statement:

Advertisement

“While the City values the positive impact and visibility the Something in the Water festival has had on Virginia Beach in years past, regretfully, organizers did not meet the cure notice requirements in terms of next steps. The SITW team will receive an official termination notice from the city. As a result, city staff will begin alternative plans for the weekend of April 26-27. We remain optimistic about future opportunities to work with the SITW team.”

Last Tuesday, frustrated leaders gave SITW organizers a final ultimatum, insisting that the lineup and tickets be made available by the close of business Monday.

City leaders had previously backed off missed deadlines but decided to send organizers a notice of breach following a lack of substantial updates from organizers.

The initial deadline to drop the festival’s lineup and start ticket sales was Dec. 31, as outlined in a sponsorship agreement between organizers and the city.

SITW organizers have not yet issued a statement about the city’s most recent actions.

Advertisement

Something in the Water History

Something in the Water was started in 2019 to take place at the end of April, which was known as College Beach Weekend in Virginia Beach.

The first year of the festival was considered a great success.

The pandemic led to the cancellation of the festival in 2020 and 2021.

Pharrell then decided to move the festival to Washington, D.C., in 2022, following concerns over city leadership at the time.

Advertisement

In 2023, it returned to Virginia Beach but got off to a delayed start on the first day and was canceled on the third day due to weather.

In late 2023, festival organizers said they planned to move SITW from April 2024 to October 2024 in an effort to avoid bad weather.

In September 2024, Pharrell announced the festival was postponed and moved to April 2025.

Why Pharrell says ‘Something in the Water’ festival has been postponed until April 2025

Advertisement

In a November 2024 meeting, Virginia Beach Mayor Robert Dyer expressed his frustration with SITW organizers.

“I am not a happy camper,” Mayor Dyer said. “Don’t mistake kindness for weakness. This is what I consider a culture of arrogance and disrespect for this council and the people of Virginia.”

Dyer said he was “very angry” and gave the organizers until the end of business on Friday, Nov. 1, to sign a contract with the city.

Robby Wells, the executive producer for the event, assured Mayor Dyer that organizers of the event, including Virginia Beach’s own Pharrell Williams, are not trying to mislead the city, but there are a lot of moving parts.

Advertisement

Virginia Beach threatens to pull the plug on Something in the Water

“Heartbreaking is the word that’s coming to mind. I’m sure there’s a more eloquent way to say it—when the vibe is arrogance because that’s definitely not the intent,” said Wells.

This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.

Advertisement

📲: CONNECT WITH US

Blue SkyFacebookInstagramXThreadsTikTokYouTube





Source link

Continue Reading

Virginia

Two Virginia children die from flu, first pediatric deaths of the season

Published

on

Two Virginia children die from flu, first pediatric deaths of the season


The Virginia Department of Health reported Monday that two children have died because of the flu. 

First pediatric deaths of flu season

The backstory:

Advertisement

They are the first two influenza-associated pediatric deaths of the 2024-2025 flu season, officials said.

“With a heavy heart, the Virginia Department of Health mourns the loss of two young lives. Our sympathies go out to the families during this difficult time,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton said in a statement. 

Advertisement

“These losses are a sad reminder that while flu is common, it can be associated with serious illness and even death.”

Health Department officials said that one of the deaths occurred in Virginia’s Eastern Region and involved a young school-aged child, meaning 5 -12 years old. 

They said the other death occurred in the Central Region of Virginia and involved a teenager.

Advertisement

Low flu vaccination rates in Virginia

What they’re saying:

Officials also pointed out that vaccination coverage remains low in the Commonwealth for both children and adults, adding that only 30 percent of eligible Virginians reported receiving a flu vaccine this season.

Advertisement

Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said the low vaccination rate was not a surprise.

“We know nationally that rates of vaccination for influenza and other vaccines have all fallen off post-Covid, that people have become vaccine hesitant, that they’ve become complacent, and we know that when it comes to pediatric influenza deaths, one of the predictors is being unvaccinated,” Adalja told FOX 5. “So, when we see children die from influenza, often they are unvaccinated.”

Advertisement

It is unclear whether that was the case with the two recent Virginia deaths.

Still, state officials are urging Virginians to get vaccinated, wash their hands, cover up coughs and sneezes, and stay home when they feel sick.

The Source: The information in this story comes from the Virginia Department of Health.

Advertisement

VirginiaHealth



Source link

Continue Reading

Virginia

Chamber: Northern Virginia affordability is ‘a serious regional issue’ – WTOP News

Published

on

Chamber: Northern Virginia affordability is ‘a serious regional issue’ – WTOP News


Affordability has become a top concern for Northern Virginia business leaders trying to attract new talent and new businesses to the region.

Northern Virginia business owners are overwhelmingly optimistic about the region’s economy in the new year, but affordability has become a top concern for business leaders trying to attract new talent and new businesses to the region.

A survey of more than 100 CEOs, corporate executives and business owners conducted on behalf of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce by marketing firm Pinkston, found 81% are very or somewhat optimistic about their company’s performance in the next six months and 49% plan to hire.

According to George Mason University’s Stephen S. Fuller Institute, 46% of the Washington region’s economy is driven by Northern Virginia. But it is neither inexpensive to do business in Northern Virginia nor to live in the region. Both are hard sells.

Advertisement

“The biggest concern that I hear on a consistent basis among all employers is the question of affordability. And affordability is housing, it’s also child care, it’s basic cost of living,” said Julie Coons, who has served as CEO of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce since 2018.

“When I first got onboard, it was lack of skilled workers, which continues to be a challenge But it has now expanded into the driving factor around that for employers is affordability. It is a serious regional issue,” she said.

Northern Virginia companies can pull from a local pool of skilled workers to meet their growth needs, but the cost of living makes the region less attractive to professionals being recruited to the region and for companies looking to expand or relocate. In its survey, 27% of companies said it is more difficult to find qualified talent to hire now than it was a year ago, and 64% said it is about the same.

When asked about the new Trump administration, 46% of business leaders in Northern Virginia are hopeful for business-friendly changes, including extending tax cuts, reducing regulations, and transportation and infrastructure investment. But there are concerns about the new administration as well.

“Seventy-eight percent of business leaders expressed some concern about the incoming administration’s stated plans to relocate federal agencies outside of the DMV. We would see that as damaging to economic growth around the region,” Coons said.

Advertisement

Such moves would be part of the Administration’s advisory-only Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which could also reduce the federal government’s regional workforce. In the survey, 27% of business leaders said they were very concerned about the impact.

Other concerns about the new administration include tariffs, cited by 30% of business leaders, and immigration reform, cited by 16%.

Northern Virginia business leaders were also asked what priorities they have for the Virginia General Assembly in 2025. The top answers were tax cuts, transportation and infrastructure, keeping right-to-work, and public safety.

The business leader survey was conducted from Jan. 2 through Jan. 15 and included leaders of businesses of all sizes. Full survey results and methodology are online.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

Advertisement

© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending