Latest news with #DonScott
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
These Hampton Roads candidates raised the most money in House of Delegates races
Four out of the top five biggest fundraisers for House of Delegates races in Hampton Roads are Democrats. All 100 seats are up for election in the fall, and Democrats have fielded candidates in each race. Republicans have candidates in 83 races. Top fundraising Democrats in the region include House Speaker Don Scott of Portsmouth, who raised about $3.4 million; Del. Jeion Ward of Hampton, who raised $394,000; Del. Michael Feggans of Virginia Beach, who raised $378,423; and Jessica Anderson, a Democratic candidate for District 71, who raised $357,000, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, which consolidated numbers from campaign finance filings made last week. Republican Del. Barry Knight, who represents Virginia Beach, rounded out the top five candidates, raising about $312,000. In Hampton Roads, House candidates who have raised top dollar amounts received funding from groups such as utility company Dominion Energy, developer Comstock Hospitality Holdings and Virginia Trial Lawyers PAC. Much of Scott's funding came from large donations, categorized for General Assembly races as over $1,000. In addition to $125,000 from Dominion, he received $35,000 from East Coast Amusements, which sells arcade machines, and $30,000 from PPE Resort Casino Petersburg. Dominion gave $25,000 to Ward, but also to Republican candidates in other districts. Donations include $20,000 to Knight, $15,000 to Del. Amanda Batten of James City and $7,500 to Del. Anne Tata of Virginia Beach. VPAP characterizes Scott's and Ward's districts as strongly Democratic — Scott doesn't have a Republican challenger, and Ward opponent John Chapman has so far raised a little more than $800. Each has donated to other campaigns. Scott's PAC is the fourth largest donor in Virginia, contributing more than $2.2 million to other campaigns. Most of that money went to the House Democratic Caucus, but the campaign has also given smaller amounts to individual candidates such as Del. Patrick Hope of Arlington, who received $25,000. Scott's campaign also has supported down-ballot races in Hampton Roads. Matthew Hamel and Stephanie Morales each received $10,000 for their campaigns for commonwealth's attorney of Chesapeake and Portsmouth, respectively. Ward's PAC donated $150,000 to the House Democratic Caucus. Knight is in a similar boat in a strongly Republican district, having raised about $312,000 to opponent Cheryl Smith's $12,500. Knight's PAC donated $41,000 to other Republican campaigns between 2024 and now, with $21,000 going to the Republican Commonwealth Leadership PAC and $5,000 to Del. Chad Green, who represents parts of Gloucester and James City County. He also donated $5,000 to Felisha Storm, who is challenging Del. Nadarius Clark in District 84. Districts 71, 86, 89 and 91 are considered competitive by VPAP, with no clear party favorite. Democrats have so far raised more money in those districts. In District 71, Anderson has outpaced Batten, raising about $357,000 to the Republican incumbent's $306,000. Likewise, Democrat Virgil Thornton raised about $150,000 to Republican incumbent AC Cordoza's $106,000 in District 86, which includes parts of Hampton and York. In Virginia Beach's District 97, Feggans has raised $378,000 to Republican challenger Tim Anderson's $241,000. District 89 is up for grabs after Republican Del. Baxter Ennis announced his retirement this year. Democrat Karen Carnegie and Republican Mike Lamonea, are in a tight fundraising race, with Carnegie raising $205,000 to Lamonea's $195,000. Both won primary elections in June to secure their party's nomination. Democrats running for statewide office are outpacing Republicans in two of three races. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger has raised $27.1 million to her opponent Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears's $11.6 million. Democrat Ghazala Hashmi, a state senator, has raised $3.5 million in her campaign for lieutenant governor. Her Republican opponent, conservative radio host John Reid, has raised about $441,000. Breaking the trend, incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares has raised $9.4 million to Democratic nominee Jay Jones' $4.9 million. Both are from Hampton Roads — Miyares from Virginia Beach; Jones from Norfolk. Kate Seltzer, 757-713-7881,
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Rep. Don Scott to discuss threats to Medicaid in Norfolk
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia House Speaker Don Scott will join other advocates for reproductive freedom in Norfolk on Friday to speak about the threat to Medicaid. The stop at the Slover Library is the final stop of a statewide tour called 'Protect our Medicaid.' The goal of the tour, according to a release, is to raise awareness of the threat cuts to Medicaid could have on Virginia families. Those with the Protect our Medicaid group said the federal cuts to Medicaid under the Trump Administration's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' could cause over 250,000 Virginians to lose their healthcare, with nearly 47,000 veterans alone in the state covered by Medicaid. The bill includes a proposed $625 million cut in Medicaid — which could cause 7.6 million people nationwide to lose health coverage in less than a decade, according to budget analysis. A release from the group states that Medicaid is the largest source of funding for home care in the United States, with home care for older adults and people with disabilities rising across the country. GOP bill raises fears of major reduction in home care for seniors, disabled The discussion will address how cuts to both Medicaid and Planned Parenthood can impact the Hampton Roads regional economy and how it will harm Virginia families. The Protect our Medicaid tour is expected to be held in the third floor at the Slover Library starting at 11 a.m. Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Don Scott, Sen. Louise Lucas to speak during Virginia State University Commencement
PETERSBURG, Va. (WAVY) – Virginia Speaker of the House Don Scott and Virginia Senator Louise Lucas are set to speak during Virginia State University's (VSU) Spring 2025 Commencements. The university expects to confer 650 degrees Saturday, May 17, across two ceremonies. The first ceremony will take place at 8:30 a.m. and Scott will deliver the keynote address. The second ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m., with Sen. Lucas as the guest speaker. The university says both ceremonies will be viewable via live stream on both the university's YouTube and Facebook pages. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia House Speaker Scott joins national Democratic campaign board
Del. Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, thanks supporters after being elected speaker of the House at the Virginia State Capitol on Jan. 10, 2024. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury) Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, is joining the board of directors of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), the national party's state-level strategy arm, just as Virginia enters one of its most consequential election years in recent memory. The DLCC will draw on Scott's experience — alongside that of six other new board members from around the country — to help shape its plans to support state legislative races this year and beyond. With all 100 seats in Virginia's House of Delegates seats and the state's entire executive branch up for election this year, DLCC President Heather Williams emphasized that 'all eyes are on Virginia.' Speaking by phone on Friday, Scott described the commonwealth as both an 'incubator for democracy' and a 'bellwether for the rest of the country.' Virginia holds its gubernatorial elections the year after each presidential contest, which offers national observers a fresh barometer on public sentiment. This year, Democrats are framing the races as a referendum on President Donald Trump and his influence over the Republican Party. But Scott stressed that all elections are also inherently local. Each House race will also revolve around hallmark issues for Virginia Democrats — including advancing three constitutional amendments on voting rights, reproductive freedom and marriage equality — alongside regional issues like infrastructure and the economy. 'People are really concerned about kitchen-table issues,' Scott said. His appointment to the DLCC's board of directors comes on the heels of the organization announcing a seven figure investment in Virginia's elections this year. The state is one of several battlegrounds identified in the organization's 2025-2026 Target Map, which also includes North Carolina, Georgia, and Arizona. The committee aims to help Democrats flip legislatures or build stronger democratic bases. Others joining Scott on the DLCC board include legislative leaders from California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon and Wisconsin. 'Our board members represent some of the sharpest minds in politics, and I'm excited to partner with them to build our plan for victory for cycles to come,' DLCC president Williams said in a recent statement. While the DLCC's core mission has always been state legislature races, this year the group also plans to boost the eventual Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. While the state Senate — where Democrats hold a slim majority — is not on the ballot, the next lieutenant governor could play a key role in breaking future ties. As the DLCC falls under the Democratic National Committee umbrella, the overarching organization has also recently announced a funding focus to help boost state elections. DNC chair Ken Martin announced last month that the organization will transfer more than $1 million per month to its state and territorial parties over the next four years. 'When we organize everywhere to compete everywhere, we can win anywhere,' he said on a press call during the announcement. 'The role of political parties is to build infrastructure everywhere.' That infusion comes as Democrats are running candidates in all 100 House districts. Some are incumbents or former candidates returning for a rematch in competitive districts; others are fresh faces stepping up through recruitment efforts. Much of that recruitment has been led by Dr. Fergie Reid Jr., whose father, Dr. William 'Fergie' Reid Sr., became the first Black elected official in Virginia after Reconstruction. Reid Jr., a retired physician, has spent the past decade working to ensure Democrats contest every district — from the safest blue districts to the reddest red — to help build a base and spark party enthusiasm. 'Dad turned 100 a few weeks ago. There are 100 districts in the state house,' Reid recently told The Mercury. 'My goal is not to let what happened in 2021 happen again, especially on Dad's 100th year when he's watching. He's been calling me every night to make sure that we get in 100 districts.' Meanwhile, Scott, the first Black House speaker in Virginia history, hopes to share what his home state has learned with Democrats in other states. In 2023, Scott helped his party claw back its majority in the House of Delegates, which set the stage for his ascension to speaker. 'The number one thing that we've learned is that we have to meet people where they are,' Scott said. 'Most people are trying to figure out how they put food on the table, how they afford the things that they need, whether they have good schools for their kids, and whether it's safe to live in the community, and that's what we've been focused on.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Miscommunication' cited as House speaker denied entry into VB school
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — State House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) said he was scheduled to speak to students in the Legal Studies Academy at First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach Wednesday morning, but it never happened. He called being denied entry into the school 'a slap in the face,' while the city's school division characterized what happened as a 'miscommunication.' Scott said he was denied entry into the school, where he said he had agreed about two weeks ago to speak to Legal Studies Academy students about what it takes to be a lawyer. He said just before he headed to the school, he was told he couldn't come because he wasn't properly vetted and because parents were not aware he would be coming. 'I was like, that's crazy,' Scott said. 'Like, they would never do that to the governor, the attorney general or the lieutenant governor or any of them, probably the Virginia Beach delegate they serve in that area. 'It's funny, I'm the first Black speaker in a 405-year history of Virginia. I think I've been vetted. And the fact that they would not allow me to be there, I think, is a slap in the face, not only to me, but also to all Virginians. In a statement from Virginia Beach City Public Schools, it said, without referring to Scott by name, that 'a miscommunication occurred this morning between our school officials about a potential guest speaker for the Legal Studies Academy at First Colonial High School. Virginia Beach City Public Schools values its relationships with all our school partners, including elected officials, and consistently welcomes them into our schools. We are actively working to resolve the concern.' 10 On Your Side will let you know if the speaking event at First Colonial is rescheduled. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
