Connect with us

Virginia

In one week, the GOP could win a political trifecta in Virginia that could upend abortion access in the South

Published

on

In one week, the GOP could win a political trifecta in Virginia that could upend abortion access in the South


  • Virginia is a critical Southern battleground in the fight over abortion policy ahead of 2024.
  • Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin wants to enact a 15-week abortion ban, calling it “reasonable.”
  • Democrats are pushing back, arguing that such a ban is a slippery slope to more restrictions.

In Virginia, there’s little dispute that abortion is on the ballot.

The November legislative races in the Commonwealth are the first election cycle since last year’s overturn of Roe v. Wade where every seat in both chambers — 100 seats in the state House of Delegates and 40 seats in the state Senate — are up for grabs.

Democrats in the Commonwealth had been ascendant for much of the past decade, but they now have a major roadblock in Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who turned out conservatives and flipped just enough swing voters in 2021 to win that year’s gubernatorial election.

The November elections have already scrambled Virginia’s political calculus, as candidates across the Commonwealth are running in new legislative districts that resulted from the state’s new redistricting process. A slew of veteran lawmakers opted out of running for reelection this year, which is poised to inject fresh blood into a legislature known for its collegiality and stability.

Advertisement

Here’s how the explosive abortion debate is impacting races across Virginia:

Republicans want a governing trifecta

When Youngkin won the governorship, he brought along now-Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears and now-Attorney General Jason Miyares in a GOP sweep that put Democrats on notice that Virginia still had a purplish tinge.

The House of Delegates flipping from Democratic control to the GOP that year further bolstered this fact.

Democrats still have a lot going for them: They have won every presidential election in Virginia since Barack Obama carried the state in 2008. Their strength in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads — and increasingly in Richmond’s suburbs — has often allowed them to offset the rural strength that Republicans enjoy. And most Virginia voters back some form of abortion rights, with a recent Washington Post-Schar School poll revealing that 51% of likely voters think Democrats are better suited to handle the issue, giving them a 17-point edge over the GOP.

But with the uncertainty that comes with running in new districts across the state, Republicans believe it’s a great opportunity for them to expand on their current 48-46 House of Delegates majority (with six vacancies) and win back the state Senate, where Democrats have a 22-18 majority.

Advertisement

Virginia state capitol

The Virginia State Capitol in Richmond.

Zach Gibson/Getty Images



A GOP trifecta would be a stunning development for Virginia, which only two years ago had a government controlled by Democrats, with then-Gov. Ralph Northam signing bills that vastly expanded voting rights and abolished the death penalty, among other measures.

With a GOP majority in both chambers, Youngkin would also be able to push a conservative agenda ahead of a potential presidential run.

Democrats are pointing to abortion

Youngkin wants to impose a 15-week abortion ban in Virginia. The Commonwealth currently permits abortion through the second trimester, or approximately 26 weeks, which currently makes the state a safe haven among its Southern counterparts, many of which have adopted far stricter regulations in the post-Roe landscape.

Abortions in the third trimester are rarely performed in the state, and only occur when three physicians can affirm that the woman’s health is at risk.

Advertisement

This year, Democrats in the state Senate were able to block his proposal, making the chamber a bulwark against his plans.

So Youngkin has sought to campaign across the state for GOP candidates, calling the 15-week limit a “reasonable” measure and seeking to paint Democrats as the ones who are extreme on the issue — arguing that they aren’t supporting limits that most people would support.

But Democrats have forcefully pushed back on the GOP narrative, arguing that the 15-week proposal is simply a stalking horse for the party to further restrict the procedure in Virginia. This year, other Southern states like Florida and South Carolina passed six-week abortion bans.

With Democratic candidates having successfully employed abortion access as a critical issue in many US House and Senate races across the country last year and Republicans looking to hone an abortion message that doesn’t drive away independents, the Virginia legislative races are the opening salvo on an issue that isn’t going away in 2024.

Advertisement



Source link

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

Virginia Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Night results for Nov. 26, 2024

Published

on

Virginia Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Night results for Nov. 26, 2024


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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.



Source link

Continue Reading

Virginia

Virginia Basketball Holds Off Manhattan 74-65 | Key Takeaways

Published

on

Virginia Basketball Holds Off Manhattan 74-65 | Key Takeaways


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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Virginia

Virginia vs. Manhattan Live Updates | NCAA Men’s Basketball

Published

on

Virginia vs. Manhattan Live Updates | NCAA Men’s Basketball


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).

Advertisement
  • 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



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending