Virginia
Virginia leftist prosecutors face reelection challenges amid criminal justice reform controversy
- Three northern Virginia prosecutors who took office four years ago as progressive reformers are facing primary challenges in next month’s elections.
- Virginia’s June 20 Democratic Primary could shed light on whether suburban voters still embrace the criminal justice reforms that carried them into office.
- The challengers in the races in Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties are largely avoiding criticism of the reform agenda.
In the four years since progressive reform prosecutors swept into office across northern Virginia, they have faced constant criticism, ranging from conservatives who deride them as bleeding-heart “Soros prosecutors ” to judges who claim they abuse their discretion.
Now, as these prosecutors are up for reelection in Virginia’s off-off year elections, the challengers in next month’s Democratic primaries aren’t challenging the reform agenda. Instead, they too are casting themselves as reformers.
Political analysts look to Virginia’s odd-year elections for clues about voter sentiment heading into midterms and presidential years. This year, the prosecutor races may show how voters feel about crime, three years after protests over racial injustice both energized progressives and prompted a conservativebacklash.
Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions from a primary that historically draws only a narrow slice of the electorate. Still, he said if voters were to reject reform incumbents, it would be noteworthy.
“If the incumbents can’t persuade that sector of the electorate that the reform agenda is the agenda to pursue, then that’s a warning sign for the Democratic Party,” he said.
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Nationally, reform prosecutors have had mixed political success after their initial elections. In San Francisco, voters recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin over rising crime concerns. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced her resignation earlier this month amid pressure from Republicans, and in Chicago, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx last month said she won’t seek another term.
But in 2022, reform prosecutors in Dallas and Indianapolis won reelection despite tough opposition. And in 2021, Philadelphia’s Larry Krasner, an icon in the criminal justice reform movement, won a second term.
The Virginia races, meanwhile, may provide more insight into the views of suburban voters. The primary challengers, thus far, are embracing the reform agenda. Even Ed Nuttall, who is running as a “common sense” Democrat and is best known for representing police officers charged with misconduct by the reformers now in office, has sought to embrace the mantle of reformer.
“Sure, why not?” Nuttall said when asked whether he considers himself a reformer.
He said he supports efforts to find alternatives to jail for nonviolent offenders dealing with addiction and mental health issues.
Three northern Virginia prosecutors who took office four years ago as progressive reformers are facing primary challenges in next month’s elections.
The problem, according to Nuttall and the other primary challengers, is mismanagement of day-to-day affairs. They cite turnover in the offices and criticism levied by crime victims and judges that cases have faltered because prosecutors have failed to follow procedure.
“There’s a lot of frustration in the courthouse with everyone about how these cases are being handled,” Nuttall said.
Nuttall’s opponent, Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, who won four years ago after knocking off a longtime incumbent, said the mismanagement critiques are off base. While there have been hiccups, he said critics fail to recognize the massive overhaul his office has undertaken.
“It takes more than one term to undo decades of bad policy, decades of injustice,” Descano said.
Nuttall’s race against Descano is one of three in northern Virginia, the wealthy suburban area outside the nation’s capital. In Arlington County, closest to the District of Columbia, Josh Katcher is challenging his former boss, Parisa Dehghani-Tafti. And in the outer suburbs of Loudoun County, attorney Elizabeth Lancaster is challenging incumbent Buta Biberaj.
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Incumbents say the challengers’ effort to paint themselves as reformers rings hollow. In Loudoun County, Biberaj says her opponent’s support comes from Republicans who have sought to block reforms.
“We’ve actually done the work since coming into the office,” Biberaj said. “So when you’ve got these challengers saying, ‘I am a true reformer,’ — well, what have you done?”
Lancaster said her reform credentials are solid. She worked as a public defender for more than a decade and served on a task force that overhauled the prosecution of juveniles. She said she was recruited to run by members of the county bar who are frustrated with mismanagement in the prosecutors’ office.
“As an 18-year Loudoun County attorney, it’s embarrassing, and it gives criminal justice reform a bad name and it pisses me off,” she said.
The incumbents are facing criticism not just from their opponents but in many cases from the judges in their own courthouses. In Arlington County, some judges require Dehghani-Tafti’s prosecutors to file written briefs outlining why they are dropping charges against defendants, a time-consuming process that she says infringes on her discretion.
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Dehghani-Tafti said the answer is not to replace her, but the judges.
“Get a new bench,” she said, noting that two of her deputies have now been chosen to serve as judges in Arlington.
Her opponent, Katcher, has faulted Dehghani-Tafti for an inability to build relationships with judges, police, and with her own staff that has thwarted real reform.
“I have both the experience and the relationships to deliver real reform and real justice,” he said at a debate last month.
It’s the final day of the Battle 4 Atlantis and the West Virginia Mountaineers are hoping to leave the Bahamas with a third-place finish in the event. Winning the whole thing would have been extremely impressive considering the field, but Darian DeVries’ squad has already notched a key resume-building win over Gonzaga and can do so again today against No. 24 Arizona.
Here are my picks for today’s game. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
1 Star – Not very confident
2 Star – A little confident
3 Star – Fairly confident
4 Star – Very confident
5 Star – Should be a lock to happen
3-star play on Arizona (-6.5): This is a really tough matchup for the Mountaineers playing its third game in three days. When these two meet later in the year, I believe WVU will put together a much stronger showing and potentially even win the game. Not there, though.
The Wildcats have a nine-man rotation, which occasionally will be a ten-man. WVU’s key players have logged a ton of minutes over the last two days, with both games going to overtime. As evidenced in yesterday’s game, if the Mountaineers face serious foul trouble, it impacts them more than most teams due to a lack of depth. Amani Hansberry should be able to produce a third straight big game, but if he starts picking up fouls left and right, WVU will be in trouble. Arizona’s guard-heavy lineup will attack and finish around the rim with ease.
I’ve got the Wildcats pulling away with a strong second half.
1-star play on the under: Arizona is a high-scoring team that likes to push the tempo. They’ve averaged 67 field goal attempts in this tournament, whereas WVU has attempted 59 and 63 in games that went to overtime. For West Virginia to win, they’re going to have to slow things down when they have the ball, much like they did in the opening-round game against Gonzaga.
I mentioned fatigue setting in as a possibility in the WVU-Louisville game yesterday, and although Darian DeVries isn’t using that as an excuse, you can tell it played a factor for both teams, especially in the first half. Both squads looked sloppy, slow, and disjointed. I seriously doubt WVU and Arizona will have an extra bounce in their step today, playing for the third time in three days and in a game deciding who takes home third place.
ATS: 3-3 (50%)
O/U: 4-2 (66%)
Overall: 7-5 (58%)
Odds Disclaimer
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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A Virginia woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a murder-for-hire plot, according to the Henry County Sheriff’s office.
Gennevieve McGhee, 44, was allegedly captured via audio and video evidence in the meticulous planning of a murder for hire, the sheriff’s office said.
McGhee is accused of meeting with a confidential source at her residence in Ridgeway, Virginia. The source was acting under law enforcement direction and utilizing a recording device to capture evidence.
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Henry County Sheriff’s Office charged Gennevieve McGhee, 44, with criminal solicitation of murder following an investigation that revealed her alleged involvement in planning a murder for hire. (Henry County Sheriff’s Office)
She allegedly discussed detailed instructions on payment arrangements and instructions for carrying out a robbery and murder.
McGhee is charged with criminal solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit a felony.
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Gennevieve McGhee, 44, is charged with criminal solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit a felony. (iStock)
McGhee was taken into custody by deputies from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday and is being held at the Henry County Adult Detention Center with no bond.
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The case remains under review by the Henry County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Additional information on the case is not available at this time, officials said.
The West Virginia Mountaineers (4-2) will meet the No. 24 Arizona Wildcats in the third place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis midseason tournament for the sixth meeting between the two programs.
West Virginia vs. Arizona Series History
Arizona leads 2-3
Last Meeting: March 28, 2008 (NCAA Tournament) WVU 75-65
When: Friday, November 29
Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas, Imperial Arena (3,900)
Tip-off: 3:00 p.m. EST
Stream: ESPN2
Announcers: Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli
Radio: Tony Caridi (PBP), Brad Howe (analyst) Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College(Radio affiliates)
WVU Game Notes
– West Virginia was scheduled to play in the 2020 Battle 4 Atlantis. The tournament was moved to Sioux Falls, S.D., due to COVID, and the Mountaineers won the renamed Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic.
– WVU is 45-16 in in-season tournaments since 2007.
– With a win over No. 3 Gonzaga, WVU defeated a Top 5 AP team for the second consecutive season. Last season, the Mountaineers downed No. 3 Kansas in Morgantown, 91-85.
– Prior to the overtime win over No. 3 Gonzaga, WVU had lost six straight overtime games.
– This is WVU’s fourth trip outside the United States and Puerto Rico to play a regular season game. WVU played in Cancun in 2013 and 2019 and opened the season in Germany in the 2017 Armed Forces Classic.
– West Virginia is the only team in the country that has two players on the same team who averaged more than 20 points per game from last season — Tucker DeVries (21.6 ppg) and Jayden Stone (20.8 ppg)
– West Virginia is 201-55 against nonconference teams in regular season games in the last 21 seasons.
– The Mountaineers have posted a winning nonconference record in 31 of the last 32 seasons.
– WVU is 265-99 in its last 362 games against unranked teams, including winners of 148 of its last 180 at the WVU Coliseum.
– This is the 116th season and 122nd year overall for WVU basketball, which began in 1903.
– Darian DeVries, who led Drake to six consecutive 20-win seasons and has a career .731 winning percentage as a head coach, was named the 23rd head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University on March 24, 2024.
– DeVries has a record of 154-57 (.731) in seven seasons as a head coach, including a 59-16 (.787) mark in the last two-plus seasons.
– This past August, the men’s basketball team went to Italy for a 10-day tour and won all three of its games against international competition.
– West Virginia returns just 2.8 percent of its scoring from last season’s team (Ofri Naveh).
– The Mountaineers are led by a pair of transfers in Tucker DeVries (Drake) and Javon Small (Oklahoma State). Last season, DeVries was named an Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention selection, while Small earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.
– In addition, Eduardo Andre (Fresno State), Joseph Yesufu (Washington State), Sencire Harris (Illinois), Amani Hansberry (Illinois) and Jayden Stone (Detroit Mercy) will all see considerable action this season.
– Tucker DeVries was named to the 20-member Julius Erving Preseason Watch List, giving annually to the nation’s top small forward.
– Tucker DeVries was named to the preseason Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List.
– Tucker DeVries was named to the John R. Wooden Award Top 50 Preseason Watch List.
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