"Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican." That is a true statement. But he wasn't alone. A lot of blacks were Republicans, not a surprise considering it was President Abraham Lincoln who issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in the states of the Confederacy where Union forces were not in control, including areas in … Continue reading The missing link
But not for a debate. The Virginian-Pilot reports that the two former governors will appear separately at a luncheon hosted by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce on October 19. The event will be held at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott. I saw this two-step in 2009 when gubernatorial candidates Bob McDonnell and Creigh Deeds appeared … Continue reading Allen-Kaine in Hampton Roads
Ben Hudson of Fluvanna has thrown his hat in the ring for the congressional seat now held by Robert Hurt, and sought also by General John Douglass of Faquier. (5th CD) Hudson, a retired Lieutenant Colonel, is 51 and has two grown children. He is married to his wife Brenda. His candidacy will be a … Continue reading New candidate in the 5th Congressional District
The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus is hosting a fundraising reception next week in Norfolk with the mayors of Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News and Portsmouth. (Click on picture to enlarge.) Sponsorships are available starting at $50. RSVP by Monday, August via email or make payment using ActBlue.
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Wednesday. For some reason, this piece seemed to have the caught the attention of a lot of folks, as evidenced by the emails to me. Maybe it was just that folks are fed up with the nastiness of today's political climate. I even received an email … Continue reading ICYMI: Changes start at the bottom
In an opinion last month (pdf), Attorney General Ken Cucinelli concluded that weekend-only sentences are not available for those convicted of a felony. The opinion was requested by Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney Harvey Bryant, by way of Sheriff (and former state senator) Ken Stolle. According to this article, the ruling affects 229 people statewide. The … Continue reading Weekends-only jail time: a no-no for felons
The special election for the seat formerly occupied by the late Sen. Yvonne Miller will be held September 4. Unless I'm missing something, the only candidate on the ballot will be Kenny Alexander. (Seems to me there should be some mechanism for calling off an election when there is only one candidate.) Polls will be … Continue reading Special election: Senate VA-5
I'm not sure what woke me up Saturday morning at exactly 8:45. As exhausted as I was, I had planned to sleep in as long as possible, figuring I'd catch up with all the hoopla in Norfolk later in the day. But wake up I did. And as is customary, I rolled over to look … Continue reading A lightpole and a crow
Last Thursday, George Allen announced that he had agreed to three more debates. I was quite surprised that none of them are in Hampton Roads. After all, Tim Kaine announced back in June that eight debate commitments, including one sponsored by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. So in my weekly column for The Virginian-Pilot, … Continue reading Allen needs to debate Kaine in Hampton Roads
Campaign ads in the 2nd Congressional District have started to appear. Challenger Paul Hirschbiel was up first. Monday, his ad "Teacher" began running Today, incumbent Scott Rigell released his first ad, "Performance Review." The redrawn district retains most of its previous area and adds a portion of Newport News.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 