Virginia politicians frequently point out how much better Richmond functions than Washington, D.C. One area where DC has a leg up, however? Ethics rules. Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that the District of Columbia’s ethics board has fined Council Member Marion Barry $13,600 for accepting illegal and unethical gifts. Barry was sanctioned with a fine equal to double the amount […]

Billionaire and right-wing Tea Party funder David Koch has next to nothing in common with the Virginia working families Ken Cuccinelli wants to represent as Governor. But tonight, Cuccinelli will be collecting big checks from Koch and his right-wing buddies, not working for Virginia families. Virginians know how this works — corporate sponsors who fund […]

Below, ProgressVA’s 2013 GOP Convention Guide, Limited Women’s Health Edition details the records of the Virginia GOP candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General on women’s reproductive rights and access to health care. As the guide demonstrates, no matter who is nominated on Saturday, they will form a ticket with a long history of attempts to ban […]

Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli’s relationship with Star Scientific and its CEO is making headlines across the Commonwealth and generating questions about conflicts of interest and ethics violations. The story is complicated, with numerous gifts, vacations, flights, and law suits. To make sure you understand just what Cuccinelli and McDonnell have been up to, ProgressVA […]

While litigation concerning Star Scientific, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s sole stock investment, continues to languish, the Attorney General’s office has moved swiftly to challenge a recent court ruling striking down Virginia’s anti-sodomy law. The Washington Blade reports Cuccinelli filed a petition with the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, asking for the full 15-judge panel to […]

It’s incredible that any politician would champion the rights of violent criminals at the expense of women and children’s safety. But many conservatives in Congress, under Eric Cantor’s leadership, voted yesterday to oppose renewing protections for abused women and children. Meanwhile, they’re fighting for the power of criminals, rapists, and stalkers to get guns. Stronger […]

Rather than pursue home grown education solutions to improve state schooling, much of Governor Bob McDonnell’s education “reform” proposals have mirrored policies pushed by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. As McDonnell appears with Jindal today to promote their plans for school “recovery districts”, it might be useful to review the programs’ outcomes in Louisiana. Recent Education […]

Elements of Governor Bob McDonnell’s education “reform” agenda follow closely policies supported and advocated by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. McDonnell will join Bush on a conference call this afternoon to discuss his A-F school grading proposal, an idea Bush‘s educational foundation has championed. A recent expose by a public interest organization foundBush‘s educational foundation frequently advocated for state education […]

According to the Virginian Pilot, a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday advanced SB723, a bill introduced by Senator Bill Carrico that would radically redistribute Virginia’s electoral votes. Rather than award the electors on the basis of which candidate won the most votes, Carrico’s scheme would essentially gerrymander the presidential elections, giving priority to the size of […]

As we’ve mentioned before, today our caroling events are part of our statewide day of action asking Virginia’s representatives to protect Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security in the fiscal cliff negotiations while letting the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% expire. Right now, singing is underway in Tyson’s Corner: Even more great photos from ProgressVA […]