Free Republic

Pro-Life Legislator Defeated Pro-Abortion Candidate Alec Baldwin Backed Thanks to Pro-Life Group’s Help The political models of large television, radio and direct mail buys that have dominated so much of political life and the tactics of the consultant classes don’t work well for the generation of voters coming of age. And for those interested in sharing a political message, perhaps the best news of all is that changes in tactics can be extremely cost effective, at least until biased social media platforms block free speech. Launched this year, Students for Life Action engaged in the Virginia election using a volunteer...

RICHMOND — The blue wave that leveled the balance of power in the General Assembly last fall was driven largely by voters in rapidly growing Northern Virginia, who swapped veteran Republicans for Democrats in counties such as Fairfax and Prince William. But it also wiped out much of the region’s seniority in the legislature, a key reason that many of the bills sponsored by Northern Virginia lawmakers — including several that aim to address specific problems in the D.C. suburbs — have failed to survive even a committee hearing. Down went a bill prohibiting cars from using bike lanes to...

RICHMOND — Democrat Shelly Simonds has conceded the tied 94th District race out of Newport News that was decided by a random drawing last week. Simonds, who had suggested she might seek a second recount or contest the election, said she did not see any paths forward to challenge Republican Del. David Yancey’s re-election. She tweeted about 45 minutes before the General Assembly convened that she was conceding with “great disappointment.” I have conceded because I do not see any legal pathways forward and I want representation for the 94th district today. — Shelly Simonds (@shelly_simonds) January 10, 2018

RICHMOND, Va. — A federal appeals court denied Fredericksburg-area voters’ request to block Republican Bob Thomas from being seated in the House of Delegates, just hours before the General Assembly session began. A Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Richmond denied the motion seeking to keep Thomas from being seated due to dozens of people who voted in the wrong races in the Fredericksburg area. Thomas beat Democrat Joshua Cole by 73 votes. The decision cleared the way for Republicans to elect Del. Kirk Cox of Colonial Heights as House Speaker. In a separate race, Democrat Shelly Simonds has...

Republican David Yancey will keep his seat in the Virginia House of Delegates after a state official pulled his name out of a bowl Thursday, deciding a contest that ended in a tie in November. Yancey and Democrat Shelly Simonds each received 11,608 votes in their Newport News-based district. Initial results showed Yancey leading by just ten votes. A recount gave Simonds a one-vote edge. But Republicans challenged a single ballot, resulting in a tie. Democrats sued to overturn the challenge, but on Wednesday a three-judge panel rejected their complaint. That led to Thursday’s drawing, in Richmond, out of a...

WASHINGTON — Republican David Yancey won a drawing to break a tie in the disputed 94th District race in Newport News Thursday however his opponent is expected to challenge the decision, possibly seeking yet another recount. Control of the House of Delegates is at stake. A win by Yancey in the race would give Republicans enough votes to lead the chamber, selecting a Republican speaker – likely Kirk Cox – and choosing Republican committee chairs. Simonds replied that she may also still seek a second recount, a contest in the House of Delegates or “other legal options.”

WASHINGTON — Democrat Joshua Cole will not contest his narrow election loss to Republican Bob Thomas, despite earlier indications that he was considering asking the House of Delegates for an election do-over. Thomas won the 28th District race by 73 votes. Cole had repeatedly raised concerns about the 147 total voters in the Stafford and Fredericksburg area who cast votes in the wrong races across the 28th, 88th and 2nd House districts because they were assigned to the wrong districts in a state voter registration database. Cole, who had signaled he was strongly considering filing a contest, will instead continue...

Election officials say they've postponed their plan to break a tie in a Virginia House race that could decide party control of the chamber. Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortes confirmed the postponement Tuesday in an email to The Associated Press. Election officials had planned to draw names from a bowl Wednesday.

A Virginia Democrat running for a seat in the state’s House of Delegates against her Republican opponent filed a motion Tuesday asking a court to reconsider its decision to tie the race. A recount appeared to declare candidate Shelly Simonds victorious over Republican delegate David Yancey by one vote last week. But a day later, a three-judge panel certified the tie with 11,608 to 11,608 in the 94th District in Newport News. Now, she’s arguing that the court failed to follow state election rules after a controversial vote was counted to tie the race. The Virginia State Board of Elections...

Donald Trump requires an opposition to keep him in check, but also gives them plenty of ammunition to work with. So how did they still manage to blow it?The beginning of this year presented Democrats and their sympathizers in the media with both an important job and a big opportunity. Donald Trump governs in a style that somehow manages to combine authoritarian bluster with a total lack of self-discipline. He requires an effective political opposition to keep him in check, which also gives the opposition plenty of ammunition to work with.So how is that the Left spent most of 2017...

Grab your popcorn. The Virginia Board of Elections announced on Thursday it would pick the winner of a closely-watched state House of Delegates race, in which the Democrat and the Republican each has 11,608 votes, using slips of paper placed in film canisters.

NORFOLK The Democratic candidate for the 2nd Congressional District in 2016 was indicted Wednesday on charges she lied to the state about feeding needy children. Businesswoman Shaun Brown, who has already announced plans to seek her party’s nomination next year for the same seat, faces two counts of wire fraud and one count of theft of government property. The federal indictment alleges the fraud is in excess of $439,000. Brown, 58, referred questions to her attorney, who said she plans to plead not guilty and defend against the allegations. “Shaun’s goal is that every child is fed,” attorney Jimmy Ellenson...

After winning the Virginia governor’s race and flipping more than a dozen seats in the House of Delegates from red to blue last month, Democrats are celebrating victory one more time. A Democratic win in an election recount on Tuesday looks like it will cost Republicans their majority in the House of Delegates and create a tie for control of the lower chamber of the state legislature. In an incredibly close race, Democrat Shelly Simonds defeated Republican incumbent David Yancey by a single vote—11,608 to 11,607. It’s not clear yet whether that result will stick: Yancey’s campaign is reportedly contesting...

A three- judge panel declined to certify the recount of a key House race today, saying that a questionable ballot should be counted in favor of the Republican and tying a race that Democrats had thought they had won by a single vote. “The court declares there is no winner in this election,” said Circuit Court Judge Bryant L. Sugg, after the judges deliberated for more than two hours. The court’s decision leaves the race for the 94th District tied at 11,608 votes for each Del. David Yancey, the Republican incumbent, and Shelly Simonds, his Democratic challenger. And it leaves...

(Reuters) - Virginia Democrat Shelly Simonds won a seat in the House of Delegates by one vote, changing the power balance in the state legislature and extending a tide of Democratic victories beginning with November’s capture of the governorship and several legislative seats.

Every vote matters. Canvassers say that to you when they knock on your door and call your phone before Election Day. But contests rarely come down to a single vote. Tuesday was an exception. Democrat Shelly Simonds picked up 11 votes in a stunning day-long recount to upset Republican incumbent Del. David Yancey in the 94th House District Race, 11,608 to 11,607. The recount changes the complexion of the Virginia House of Delegates as Republicans and Democrats split the chamber 50 members to 50 members and ushers in a new era of politics in the General Assembly, which begins its...

Democrat Shelly Simonds took the Virginia House of Delegates seat Tuesday from Republican David Yancey after a recount had her in the lead by a single vote, reports the Washington Post. A three-judge panel still has to certify the results, but if approved, her victory will bring the 51-49 GOP majority to a rare 50-50 split.

RICHMOND — Days after Virginia Democrats’ astounding Election Day successes, one of the state’s most influential gun rights groups sent a warning to its members. “Gun control will be coming at us hard and heavy,” the Virginia Citizens Defense League said in an email with the subject line “2017 Elections and the path ahead.” With the Democrats gaining clout, the group said, it expects a push for legislation in Virginia to implement universal background checks, ban assault weapons and restrict handgun purchases. The Defense League has urged members to reach out to non-gun owners to boost ownership and take off...

There is plenty of Republican hand-wringing and media gloating this morning over the dramatic loss of a Republican-held U.S. Senate seat in the deepest red Alabama yesterday — the first time since a conservative Democrat won in 24 years. It is mostly much ado about nothing. It had nothing to do with the very liberal Democrat running, Doug Jones, who was originally just a “D” set up as a lamb to the slaughter in a state Republicans typically win by 25 to 30 points. Trump won Alabama by 28 points. It had everything to do with Republican Roy Moore being...

Legislative contests could determine control of the House of Delegates in a state having a serious problem with illegal votes Disputed races for the Virginia House of Delegates — which could determine control of the chamber — highlight the potential for fraud and even innocuous bureaucratic glitches to impact elections. It has been three weeks since Virginians voted for governor and representatives in the House of Delegates, and the tenuous Republican hold is still not confirmed. Democrats swamped Republicans in the election but — as things currently stand — will hold only 49 seats to the GOP’s 51 when the...