As the tragic case of Gus Deeds—who attacked his father, State Senator Creigh Deeds, one day after undergoing a mental health evaluation and being released due to a reported lack of hospital space—shows all too clearly, the way a state chooses to allocate its budget resources can make a huge difference for people in need. […]
Hard to believe it, but yet another election season has come and gone, leaving a combination of ebullience and bitter disappointment in its wake. The tighter-than-expected election of Governor Terry McAuliffe has been certified, and State Senator Ralph Northam is busy measuring drapes for the lieutenant governor’s office. Luckily for us, there is still some […]
Here’s an interesting fact for you to chew on (courtesy of Geoffrey Skelley, posting on Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball blog): The last time an independent candidate came even slightly close to winning Virginia’s governorship was way back 1973, when Henry Howell came within 1.5 percentage points of besting Republican Mills Godwin. The confluence of events […]
When Terry McAuliffe first announced his intention to run for governor of Virginia way back in November 2009, the likelihood of victory seemed slim. Known (if he was known at all) as a high-energy, slightly unhinged spokesperson for Hillary Clinton’s losing presidential campaign, McAuliffe came off as both a carpetbagger and a political neophyte—a reputation […]
Although you may not have felt it, there was a near-seismic disturbance in the Virginia governor’s contest last week. It was the sort of bombshell that can turn a race upside down, and it was delivered by one of the most ubiquitous names in printed news: The Associated Press. The headline could not have been […]
Dan Catalano’s political opinion column, Odd Dominion, runs every other week in C-Ville. Sometimes that means he has to write ahead of the news cycle, as was the case with this week’s column. A few days ago, it was anyone’s guess what the stroke of midnight last night would bring. Sorry, Dan—the news ain’t good. […]
Although you might not know it from the media coverage, there is actually a statewide race currently underway that doesn’t involve Ken Cuccinelli’s ethical fungibility, Terry McAuliffe’s used-car-salesman smile, or Bishop E.W. Jackson’s endlessly entertaining series of outrageous statements. But with those characters sucking up all of the available political oxygen, you could be forgiven […]
The Odd Dominion is a regular Virginia political opinion column from C-VILLE contributor Dan Catalano. If there’s one thing that every political junkie in the Commonwealth knows, it is this: Whichever party currently holds the White House will never see the inside of Virginia’s Executive Mansion. This has been the case, without fail, since 1977, […]
In this week’s edition of the Odd Dominion, we’re actually going to cover two stories. The first involves our illustrious Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who is doing everything in his power to become Virginia’s next governor. Unfortunately for him, his campaign rollout has not been a model of discipline and efficiency. The Cooch has basically […]
For those who have assiduously followed this column (yes, both of you), the name Bob Goodlatte may not immediately ring a bell. The reason for this is simple: as a consummate back-bencher and milquetoast anti-immigrant conservative, Virginia’s 6th district U.S. House representative is about as boring as they come. (Seriously—most stories on the guy lead […]