By Karen Kirk: Cybersecurity, restoring respect for national security professionals and electing Virginia Sen. Jennifer Wexton to Congress were priorities discussed at a National Security Roundtable moderated by Wexton on Friday in Chantilly, Va. Sen. Mark Warner, one of six panel members, noted that CD-10 likely has the highest concentration of intelligence professionals in of any district in country and…
By Lainie Singerman: Two very different styles were on display when Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine (D) faced off against Corey Stewart, the Republican vying for his Senate seat, at a candidate panel at Congregation Olam Tikvah in the Mantua area of Fairfax on Sunday, October 14. Sen. Kaine was firm in his views but showed a positive manner and was…
By Brad Swanson: Organized labor and allies rallied Saturday morning against Trump Administration plans to deport an estimated 20,000 protected status immigrants from northern Virginia. “This is a cruel and vicious attack on families,” said Virginia Diamond, president of the Northern Virginia AFL-CIO. Many of these immigrants have been in the USA for a generation and have sunk deep roots…
By Vivian Thomson: Tens of thousands of Americans – including several hundred in northern Virginia – are spared from premature death by power plant air pollution limits that are under threat in the Trump Administration, according to a recent study by my University of Virginia research team. We wondered what might happen if the Trump Administration abandons two Clean Air…
By Linda Sperling: (Ed. Note: The author is a Democratic candidate for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Springfield District) The Equal Rights Amendment could finally become law in 2019, if the Virginia legislature ratifies it. The amendment needs approval from 38 states to become effective, and 37 have done so already. As most people know, the ERA would ensure that…
By Paul Davis: You cannot miss the current enthusiasm of young people for a new political direction. Fairfax Young Democrats (FYD) is one of the most active and committed youth organizations in this movement. Whether it is hosting speakers, canvassing, protesting or other displays of civic participation, FYD is there, representing the future — and many of the present —…
By Brad Swanson: Prominent historian Nancy MacLean warned Wednesday night that America faces an “existential threat to democracy” from a secretive plan by right wing plutocrats led by Charles Koch to subvert our political institutions and undo a century of social progress. MacLean, author of the prize-winning book Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan…
By Wallicia Gill and Brad Swanson: Part II of a three-part special report on teen sex trafficking in northern Virginia. Part I gave background on the problem. Read it here. Janet B. has lived through a nightmare that no parent who has not experienced it can imagine: her teenage daughter Sophie (the family’s names have been changed) was trapped into…
By Stephanie Witt Sedgwick: State Sen. Jennifer Wexton (D-33) faced off against Rep. Barbara Comstock (R- 10) on Sept. 21 for the Congressional candidates’ only debate so far in the campaign. In a discussion restricted to business issues, Wexton attacked the GOP-led tax act for benefiting the top 1% and decried the erosion of bipartisanship under the leadership of a…
By Todd Thurwachter: Early voting is key to maximizing Democratic turnout nationwide because many of our voters can’t easily vote on election day. But Virginia doesn’t have early voting – at least not technically. To vote early, Virginians must first qualify to vote absentee. The Fairfax County Democratic Committee has a long, successful program to mail applications for absentee ballots…
By Karen Kirk: Virginia’s candidates for U.S. Senate Tim Kaine and Republican Corey Stewart have different takes on climate change: Sen. Kaine believes that human activity is causing significant climate change and we have an obligation to do something about it. Stewart believes the climate has cycles and we can’t change it. Both Sen. Kaine and Stewart, Chairman of Prince…
By Brad Swanson: Fairfax Democrats looked inward on Wednesday night – and were not too happy with what they saw. About 60 members of the Fairfax Democratic Committee (FCDC) attended a Racial Equity Workshop and most gave their party low grades on a self-evaluation for racism. Nevertheless, the Dems ended the evening on an upbeat assessment, recognizing that the first…
The climate crisis is bringing together Sen. Tim Kaine and his Republican rival for the Senate, Corey Stewart, for a discussion on climate change — with a focus on Virginia — on Tues. Sept. 18 in Vienna, Va. The Virginia Climate Crisis Forum takes place against a backdrop of rising temperatures — not just globally but here at home. Days…
By Jessica Swanson: A training program for Democratic women preparing to run for office is making a big impact in northern Virginia. As of now, there are at least seven elected officials in Fairfax County who are alumnae of the program, called Emerge Virginia. State-wide, Emerge Virginia is building a strong win record, with 27 of 48 candidates who ran…