Welcome to Notes from the Square, a roundup of state politics and policy news. Each week, we bring you updates on the movers and shakers in Virginia politics as well as the legislation and initiatives they’re supporting or opposing — with a Southwest and Southside Virginia focus.
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5th District: Red to blue?
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is tripling down on its efforts to flip Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, with the addition of the district to its “Red to Blue” program, announced Thursday.
The DCCC had previously included the 5th as a district “in play” for Democrats in the midterm elections during the redistricting effort. The national committee doubled down after the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the new congressional maps that would have given Democrats an advantage.
The inclusion of the 5th District race in the DCCC’s program signals that the national group is invested in providing former Congressman Tom Perriello, the Democratic challenger, with the “support needed to continue building a winning campaign” in the district.
“Tom has proven that he will fight for the Blue Ridge no matter the cost, while his opponent John McGuire has come to represent the Washington corruption that is costing Virginia families. That contrast is why Tom is poised to flip this seat in November,” DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene said in a statement Thursday.
The 5th District seat, held by Republican Rep. John McGuire of Goochland, is considered solidly Republican by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Perriello’s campaign touted a recent internal poll that showed the former congressman within striking distance of the incumbent McGuire.
The National Republican Congressional Committee wasted no time responding to the DCCC’s new designation of the 5th District.
“Retread loser Tom Perriello has been rejected by voters before, and this November will be no different,” said NRCC spokesperson Reilly Richardson in a statement. “DC liberal elitists will waste time and money propping Perriello up but Virginians know what he truly stands for: high taxes, open borders, and the most far-left, extreme elements of the Democratic Party.”
Perriello, of Charlottesville, flipped the 5th District for Democrats in 2008 and served one term in Congress. During that term, he cast a vote in support of the Affordable Care Act and other pieces of landmark legislation. He ran for governor in 2017 but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Ralph Northam.
Debates challenged and accepted in the 6th District
Just over the congressional district border, Democratic 6th District hopeful Beth Macy has challenged incumbent Republican Rep. Ben Cline to three debates.
Macy, a former journalist and Roanoke resident, on Monday proposed three in-person debates, one each in Roanoke, Harrisonburg and Winchester, to be held between Sept. 25 and Nov. 1.
“Public debates are a cornerstone of democratic elections. They allow voters to hear directly from candidates, compare positions on the issues and evaluate how candidates respond to questions and differing viewpoints. Debates promote transparency and accountability by giving candidates a public forum to explain their priorities and records, helping voters make informed decisions before casting their ballots — values I hope Ben Cline and I both share,” Macy said in a statement.
Cline accepted that challenge, according to reports in other news outlets.
Locations, dates and hosts of the debates have yet to be announced. The 6th Congressional District is also considered solidly Republican by the Cook Political Report.
Slate of Southwest and Southside producers among infrastructure grant recipients
Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced Tuesday a group of 14 recipients of the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund infrastructure grants.
Those grants, totaling more than $507,000, are to support projects that will establish and expand opportunities for local producers and strengthen local food systems. The grants are slated to fund a range of projects including animal and wood products processing facilities, a shared-use cannery and commercial kitchens, a farmers market, a creamery expansion, a produce packing facility and a new regional livestock marketing complex.
Southwest and Southside companies accounted for half of the 14 awardees.
They are, according to a press release from the governor’s office:
- Appomattox County, Appomattox FFA Alumni Agricultural Complex: $50,000 for the construction of a multipurpose agricultural complex that will serve as a regional livestock aggregation, training and marketing facility for cattle, pigs, sheep and goat producers across Central Virginia.
- Bedford County, EcoFriendly Foods Initiative: $38,678 to fund roof replacement and electrical infrastructure upgrades at EcoFriendly’s processing facility. These improvements will allow for more efficient operations, increased meat processing capacity and expanded cold storage capabilities.
- Carroll County, The Cannery Equipment and Learning Initiative: $50,000 to modernize Carroll County’s community cannery with the purchase and installation of an extractor, blancher, dishwasher and sink to increase small-scale commercial food production. The county will also convert the existing break room into a dedicated education and training space.
- Covington, The Nettleton Property: $50,000 to renovate an underused building into a shared-use produce packing and processing facility to help small growers access wholesale, institutional and retail markets. AFID funds will be used for building renovations and the installation of a wash/pack bay, walk-in cooler, automated packaging and value-added processing bays.
- Grayson County, Farm to School and Value-Added Processing Initiative: $38,595 to create a food processing facility in the Grayson Agriculture, Technology and Educational Center. Cold storage and aggregation equipment will be purchased to receive and stage locally procured raw farm products for both direct use in school meals and processing within the existing GATE Center kitchen. The additional cold storage space will also be available for other users of the shared-use commercial kitchen.
- Russell County, Redbud Creamery: $10,000 for an expansion at Redbud Creamery, a small dairy that produces goat cheese, yogurt and milk and is expanding its Nubian and Nigerian dwarf goat herd. Grant funding will aid in the purchase of two 15-gallon vat pasteurizers, PMO-compliant digital indicating thermometers, a 30-gallon cooling bulk tank and an additional refrigerator for product storage. Additional milk production will allow Redbud Creamery to expand product lines and hire additional employees.
- Kenbridge, Kenbridge Farmers Market Expansion Project: $50,000 to expand and improve the infrastructure of the Kenbridge Farmers Market. The project includes installation of electrical outlets and lighting in vendor spaces, ceiling and circulation fans, concrete flooring, and expansion of the market structure.
Spanberger issues emergency preparedness executive order
Also Tuesday, Spanberger issued her 19th executive order, this one geared toward modernizing the commonwealth’s emergency preparedness systems.
Her executive order established a Unified Readiness Framework as the new statewide governance model for preparedness, homeland security, emergency management and resilience.
That framework includes efforts to “integrate strategic planning capabilities, real-time decision-making, and interagency partnerships across state government, local first responders, private sector entities, non-profit organizations, and critical infrastructure sectors to strengthen the Commonwealth against current and emerging threats,” Spanberger’s office said in a statement.
The goal of that new framework is to strengthen current emergency response capabilities, including enhancing emergency communications, strengthening training for first responders and promoting community partnerships.
More from the governor: Spanberger formally intervenes in Dominion-NextEra merger
And to round up this collection of governor-focused news, Spanberger made good on a promise she issued earlier this month and formally intervened Monday with the State Corporation Commission on the pending merger between Dominion Energy and Florida-based NextEra Energy.
Spanberger’s legal step of intervening means that she formally requested to be a party to the case before the SCC in her capacity as governor.
In a Washington Post op-ed this month, she listed three priorities that her office said are non-negotiable:
- More affordable energy bills for Virginia families and small businesses;
- Protecting Virginia’s utility workforce; and
- Accelerating Virginia’s progress toward producing affordable, reliable, local, and clean power into the future.
“As Governor, I remain skeptical of the benefits this merger would deliver to Virginia — particularly if those benefits come at the expense of affordability, existing jobs, or meeting our homegrown clean energy goals,” Spanberger said in a statement on Monday.
“Virginians deserve to know that their long-term interests, not simply those of the companies involved, are being put first. By formally intervening in the SCC case, my Administration will be able to directly advocate on behalf of Virginians impacted by what would be the largest utility merger in U.S. history.”
Residents can get involved, too. The commission will take public comments on the proposed $67 billion merger in November. Check out Matt Busse’s column to learn more about how to participate.
Speakers announced for Lt. Gov. Hashmi’s listening tour
Speaking of that merger, Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi announced last week that she will hit the road in September to criss-cross the commonwealth for a listening tour focused on energy costs as the pending merger between Dominion and NextEra plays out in the SCC. Her office announced the slate of speakers scheduled for each stop on Thursday.
The tour will make stops in Loudoun, Hampton Roads, Richmond, Charlottesville and Roanoke, Hashmi’s office said.
Her Roanoke stop is slated for Sept. 24 and will feature Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke; Del. Lily Franklin, D-Montgomery County; and Roanoke’s Democratic mayor, Joe Cobb.
