Markus Schmidt

Fariss, who had missed the filing deadline for the GOP nomination, ran as an independent. He was charged earlier this year with two felonies related to an alleged hit-and-run that injured a woman he was seeing romantically.

The 41st District, which has no incumbent, covers most of Montgomery County, except for Christiansburg, and parts of western Roanoke County.

The Republican’s victory means that Democrats will no longer have a state senator from west of the Blue Ridge.

Del. Sam Rasoul has condemned violence against civilians on both sides, but it was his tweet blaming Israel for an explosion at a Gaza hospital that left hundreds dead that sparked controversy online. He walks a fine line with the Democratic Party’s pro-Israel stance, political analysts say.

A well-known Republican couple in Montgomery County has purchased campaign signs supporting nine local candidates. The signs say they were funded by a group called Citizens for Local Government, but no PAC by that name is registered in the state.

Sen. David Suetterlein and Trish White-Boyd, a member of the Roanoke City Council, are competing in the new 4th Senate District. They met on stage Thursday night at a forum sponsored by Cardinal News.

Incumbent Del. Matt Fariss is running as an independent against Republican Eric Zehr and Democrat Kimberly Moran in the heavily GOP district.

The call for a delay, which comes just days after the Virginia Supreme Court reinstated a ban on skill machines, is intended to give business owners time to remove the machines.

The lawsuit challenging the state’s ban is still scheduled to go to trial in Greensville County in December.

Democrats Lily Franklin and Trish White-Boyd have both called for eliminating the tax. Their Republican opponents, Chris Obenshain and David Suetterlein, say this is just a political ploy.