www.thecentersquare.com – By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-29 11:25:00
Virginia will hold a special election to fill the 11th Congressional District seat after the death of Democrat Rep. Gerry Connolly, who served since 2009. Connolly, 75, died of cancer after announcing he wouldn’t seek reelection. The governor must issue a writ to trigger the election, which cannot occur within 55 days of other federal elections but can coincide with a general election. Five Democrats have filed to run, with the nomination decided in a special primary; no Republicans have filed yet. The winner will complete Connolly’s term ending January 2027. The election date remains unannounced.
(The Center Square) – Virginia will hold a special election to fill the 11th Congressional District seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat who had represented the Northern Virginia district since 2009.
Connolly, 75, died after a battle with cancer. He announced in April that he would not seek reelection, setting up a competitive primary before the race shifted into a special election process.
A spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Elections confirmed that the governor must issue a writ of election to trigger the special vote. The election cannot be held within 55 days of a primary or general election, but it can be scheduled on the same day as a general election. Virginia also requires 45 days of early voting for federal elections.
As of Thursday, the governor had not announced a date.
Constituent services will continue through Connolly’s existing staff with oversight from the Clerk of the U.S. House, but no one can vote or introduce legislation on behalf of the district until a successor is sworn in.
The 11th District, which includes most of Fairfax County and parts of Prince William County, has been a Democratic stronghold for over a decade. Connolly won reelection in 2024 with 67% of the vote.
Five Democrats have filed to run in the special election, according to state and federal records: James Walkinshaw, Stella Pekarsky, Candice Bennett, Joshua Aisen and Leopoldo Martinez.
The Democratic nomination will be decided in a special primary, but the date and method have not yet been announced.
No Republican candidates had publicly filed for the seat as of Thursday.
It remains unclear whether the special election will be held separately or aligned with Virginia’s primary or general election schedule. The winner will serve out the remainder of Connolly’s term, which ends in January 2027.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article primarily provides a straightforward report on the logistics and context surrounding a special election in Virginia, focusing on factual details such as the background of the vacancy, election rules, candidates who have filed, and the political landscape of the district. It includes information on the deceased representative’s tenure and electoral history without using language that promotes a particular ideological stance or political agenda. The tone is neutral, avoiding loaded or partisan terminology, and the coverage of candidates is limited to listing names without evaluative commentary. Therefore, the content adheres to neutral, factual reporting by describing the situation and the parties involved without contributing a discernible political bias itself.
www.youtube.com – NBC4 Washington – 2025-07-25 20:34:54
SUMMARY: Fifty years ago, 15-year-old Cathy Beatty was found unconscious, sexually assaulted, and later died near Parkland Middle School in Aspen Hill. Last seen in 1975, her case remains unsolved despite decades of investigation by Montgomery County police. Cathy, a fun-loving teen, was found barefoot with a purse containing unknown car keys and a missing wallet discovered later in the wooded area. She was struck with a blunt object and sexually assaulted. Detective Lisa Bromley, nearing retirement, hopes new DNA tests and genetic genealogy advances will finally solve the case. Police encourage anyone with information to come forward to bring justice to Cathy.
Investigators remain hopeful they’ll find the person who killed a 15-year-old girl in 1975. News4’s Paul Wagner reports.
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Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder and Democratic leaders rallied in Richmond to oppose partisan attacks on Virginia’s top-ranked education system amid federal investigations into George Mason University and University of Virginia’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The Trump administration pressured UVA’s president to resign and scrutinized DEI initiatives, sparking debate over their role. Democrats defended academic freedom and called for reforms to gubernatorial appointments to university boards after Senate Republicans rejected several of Gov. Youngkin’s appointees. Republicans emphasized accountability and oversight, while Democrats seek guardrails to protect institutional independence and student opportunity.
In a display of unity, former Democratic Gov. L. Douglas Wilder joined several Democratic leaders in Richmond on Thursday to oppose what they say are partisan attacks on Virginia’s education system and universities.
The event came on the heels of a group of George Mason University professors’ vote of no confidence in the school’s governing board amid a federal civil rights investigation, and weeks after the University of Virginia’s president resigned following federal pressure to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the school.
Democrats also announced they’re considering conducting an in-depth review of how the governor appoints members to governing boards including at Virginia’s colleges and universities, and reforming the process. The current process has come under intense scrutiny after Senate legislators rejected eight of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s appointees to college boards, and launched a lawsuit against the administration over the issue.
“What we’re seeing today is not about policy differences. It’s about a pattern, a coordinated effort to silence, punish and erase,” said Wilder.
Wilder joined several House and Senate Democrats, who highlighted the academic successes of Virginia’s higher educational institutions, after President Donald Trump’s administration launched several investigations into Virginia’s universities, primarily the University of Virginia and George Mason University.
CNBC ranked Virginia’s education system as the top system in the country for the second year in a row, despite the commonwealth dropping three spots to fourth overall as the best state to do business.
Within the past month, the Trump administration launched a fourth investigation at George Mason University, targeting the institution’s DEI initiatives, employees’ employment practices, and treatment of students. The list of investigations also included a separate query into alleged antisemitism on campus.
House Democratic Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, a graduate of George Mason, defended her alma mater and other institutions in the commonwealth.
“We believe in facts, we believe in freedom and we believe in the future of our students,” Herring said. “This generation of students deserves better than to be caught in the crosshairs of a partisan law affair. They deserve investment, not interference. They deserve opportunity, not obstruction, and they deserve degrees, not delusions.”
At UVA, former president Jim Ryan stepped down after the U.S. Department of Justice, under the direction of the Trump administration, put pressure on the institution following Title VI complaints and political scrutiny.
The U.S. Department of Justice also claimed that the institution failed to fully dismantle its DEI programs and merely rebranded its efforts.
In a statement from the governor’s office following the press briefing, Youngkin spokesman Peter Finocchio said that “there is no place for antisemitism” or “racial preferences driving admission or hiring decisions” in the commonwealth following the press briefing.
“We must follow the law as established by the Supreme Court and federal laws, including civil rights statutes,” Finocchio said. “Virginia’s world-class system of higher education will continue to be defined by our ability to graduate outstanding students who are fully prepared to succeed in the workforce.”
DEI: The lightning rod
DEI initiatives are a lynchpin in the divide between Democrats and Republicans, and though their divergence of views on DEI originate before the start of the first Trump administration, the conflict has escalated during the president’s second term.
DEI efforts date back to the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, when the Freedmen’s Bureau was established to assist formerly enslaved Black Americans and give them a fairer chance at educational, financial and social success in American society. More recent, high-profile examples of racial injustice and unequal opportunity for people of color — such as the murder of Black Minnesota man George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer, and Supreme Court’s recission of affirmative action policies on college campuses in 2023 — resulted in public demand for corporate and institutional commitments to treating all Americans fairly.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion are not threats. They are tools of fairness,” Wilder said. “They’re grounded in the constitutional values that shape this country and its commonwealth. What threatens us, what really threatens us, is unchecked power.”
However, Republicans argue that DEI initiatives present cultural, ideological and political problems. Chief among the concerns is the threat of placing a person’s identity over achievements when determining their qualifications, and “reverse discrimination,” which they say puts the majority at a disadvantage.
UVA’s governing board was the first in the commonwealth to dissolve its DEI initiatives, but it was not enough to avoid involvement from the Trump administration.
Youngkin’s administration has also confronted DEI efforts by renaming the state Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion through an executive order — replacing “equity” with “opportunity,” contrary to state code — and eliminating DEI-driven education programs at the Virginia Department of Education through an executive order designed to remove “divisive concepts” in school curriculum.
Independence vs accountability
Through their actions this year, Senate Democrats have tried to enforce the principles governing board members must follow, including understanding fiduciary duties, commitment to independent institutional governance, and a pledge to avoid excessive partisan inclinations.
This manifested on June 9, when the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee rejected several of Youngkin’s appointments to governing boards. Youngkin’s administration has challenged these, claiming that appointments can still serve until the entire General Assembly reconvenes.
The contention set the state for a lawsuit and court hearing on Friday to decide whether leaders at Virginia Military Institute, the University of Virginia, and George Mason University broke the rules by allowing rejected appointees to remain on their governing boards.
The Rotunda at the University of Virginia. (Photo by Sarah Vogelsong/Virginia Mercury)
The legislators are asking the court to bar the contested board members from continuing to serve and declare that any board member who permits them to remain is violating their legal duties. Among the rejected appointments were GOP stalwarts, including former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a former deputy secretary of Homeland Security with the first Trump administration, and former state commerce and trade secretary Caren Merrick.
On July 10, Senate Democratic leaders asked the Senate to sign a letter supporting Virginia’s higher education institutions and institutional independence. In response, Republicans refuted the letter’s intention.
“Today’s press conference was silent on the real issue: a formal federal Title VI investigation into George Mason’s handling of race-based complaints, including nearly forty reports tied to antisemitic harassment last fall,” said House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, in a statement to the Mercury. “This isn’t politics. It’s civil rights law asking: Were complaints processed, investigated, supported, or ignored? Fighting antisemitism isn’t a pretext. Oversight isn’t partisan. It’s accountability.”
In a July 11 statement, Senate Republican leaders also addressed the matter, expressing concern that Democrats are attempting to shield higher education institutions from any form of public accountability while simultaneously politicizing board appointments and weaponizing the courts against college leaders.
Republicans also emphasized that while academic freedom is a “core value,” state government oversight and accountability are not only appropriate but essential.
“We strongly support academic excellence and freedom of inquiry,” Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, said in a statement. “But there’s nothing improper about ensuring that our public universities reflect the values and priorities of the people of Virginia. That’s not interference—that’s representative government.”
“Our institutions deserve better than this performative double standard,” Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, said. “Virginia’s students and families are watching—and they know the difference between real leadership and political theater.”
The path forward
Democratic leaders acknowledged that while they cannot control the federal government’s actions, they do have some options for the challenges facing Virginia’s higher education landscape, including reconsidering legislation to support governing boards that could help address the gubernatorial appointment process.
House Speaker Don Scott speaking to reporters on July 24. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)
One idea is for the legislature to reconsider a proposal from last year’s session that Youngkin vetoed. The proposal would have redefined the authority of governing boards within public universities regarding their legal affairs. The proposal would have allowed the boards to manage independent legal counsel. It also clarified that the state attorney general’s involvement in legal matters would be limited to instances where their services are specifically requested.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said since Youngkin took office the administration’s plan has been to reform institutions and remake governing boards to align them with conservative ideals, pointing to Attorney General Jason Miyares firing the attorneys at UVA and George Mason.
“There’s been a deliberate coordinated effort to get this done at the very beginning,” Surovell said.
Lawmakers are also considering amendments to the state code that specifies gubernatorial appointments cannot take effect until they are confirmed by the General Assembly, typically in January.
Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, said he is pondering proposing a study and forming a select joint committee to better understand the history of the governing boards.
“We have a responsibility, I think, as we move forward, to put in some guardrails,” Scott said. “I think to do that we need the public support (and) we need to let them know what’s happening now, so when we do make these changes, they’ll understand why we had to do it.”
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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This content presents a perspective that largely supports Democratic viewpoints, emphasizing opposition to Republican-led investigations and actions against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Virginia’s higher education system. It highlights Democratic leaders criticizing the GOP and former Trump administration for politicizing academic institutions and portrays DEI efforts as rooted in fairness and constitutional values. While it includes some Republican responses, these are framed in opposition to the Democratic position, with the overall tone favoring Democratic critiques and policy proposals. Thus, the bias leans moderately left of center without veering into far-left rhetoric.
www.youtube.com – NBC4 Washington – 2025-07-23 20:00:21
SUMMARY: Children’s National Hospital announced it will stop prescribing gender-affirming medications after August 30 due to escalating legal and regulatory risks. This decision follows pressure from the Trump administration and executive orders banning federal funds for services supporting gender transition in children. The hospital’s gender development program, active for 20 years, will continue offering mental health support but will phase out medication. Advocates say health providers face government overreach limiting care options. Organizations like Whitman-Walker and the Human Rights Campaign are working to support affected families, urging state and local protections to ensure continued access to gender-affirming care.
Children’s National Hospital said it will stop prescribing gender-affirming medications to its patients later this summer. News4’s …
