Sine die … goodbye, RVA

By Lynn R. Mitchell

The Virginia General Assembly closed out their 2015 session late Friday night and all are headed home after almost two months in Richmond.

Details are in today’s Richmond Times-Disptach (see Legislature adjourns after passing ethics package by Markus Schmidt and Jim Nolan).

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell

Fauquier GOP sues RPV and 1st District over tossed-out election

By Lynn R. Mitchell

“In America, we just don’t overturn elections like we are in some kind of banana republic,” [James] Rich said in a phone interview Thursday. “In my 20 years on the Republican committee, I have never seen anything like this.”

That about sums up why Republican in Fauquier County are taking their congressional district and the Republican Party of Virginia to court after votes from the March mass meeting were scuttled, the one who won the election by more than 200 votes tossed, and the committee ordered by the Republican Party of Virginia’s central committee to have a re-do. The ones doing the tossing out of a properly-elected chairman were many of the same ones who protested earlier this year about the legal process known as slating.

Congressman Cantor to resign from Congress August 18

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Thursday was Congressman Eric Cantor’s last day as majority leader and on Friday he announced his resignation from Congress effective August 18. He explained why he had asked the governor for a special election (see Cantor to resign from Congress on Aug. 18 by Markus Schmidt):

Cantor said he has asked Gov. Terry McAuliffe to call a special election for his district that coincides with the general election on Nov. 4.

By having a special election in November, the winner would take office immediately, rather than in January with the next Congress.

“That way he will also have seniority, and that will help the interests of my constituents (because) he can be there in that consequential lame-duck session,” Cantor said.

Cantor’s resignation marks the end of a successful 14-year congressional run that included his role as House majority leader for more than three years and the prospect of becoming the next speaker of the House.