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David Sherfinski

dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com

David Sherfinski covered politics for The Washington Times.

Articles by David Sherfinski

**FILE** Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Freedom upheld for Virginia death-row inmate

A federal appeals panel has upheld a ruling vacating the death sentence for a Fairfax man widely believed to have been wrongfully convicted in a murder-for-hire scheme.

August 16, 2012
** FILE ** Former Rep. Artur Davis, who served as a Democrat during his four terms in office and seconded Barack Obama's nomination at the 2008 convention, now supports Mitt Romney and will speak in Tampa, Fla., at the Republican National Convention. (Associated Press)

Crossing convention aisles: Ex-Democrat Davis to speak at Tampa GOP gathering

Both Democrats and Republicans are continuing the hallowed tradition of hunting for prominent turncoats willing to speak at their upcoming conventions, with the GOP striking first on Thursday, awarding a prime speaking slot to a man who was one of President Obama's campaign co-chairmen in 2008.

August 16, 2012
Bob McDonnell

McDonnell announces near $450 million surplus

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell announced Wednesday that better-than-expected revenues and unspent appropriations helped create a general fund budget surplus of nearly $450 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30, bringing the total surpluses during Mr. McDonnell's tenure to nearly $1.4 billion.

August 15, 2012
Mitt Romney (left), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and Rep. Paul Ryan, his running mate, arrive at a campaign rally in Mooresville, N.C., at the NASCAR Technical Institute on Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012. (Associated Press)

Ryan pick gives Romney camp a jolt of energy

Newly minted vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan hit the stump this weekend with a level of energy that seemed to boost Mitt Romney's entire campaign, giving the presumptive nominee a much-needed change in the narrative while adding another high-profile fundraiser and campaigner to deploy across the country.

August 12, 2012
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (right) and Rep. Paul Ryan, Mr. Romney's newly announced running mate, wave at the crowd during a campaign event on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Romney rolls out Ryan as vice presidential choice at Virginia stops

Mitt Romney and his newly-announced running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, closed out their Saturday barnstorming of Virginia at a Manassas rally that attracted more than 8,000 people on a day that appeared to give the former Massachusetts governor a much-needed pep in his step.

August 11, 2012
Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (left) speaks on Saturday, July 21, 2012, as former Sen. George Allen, also a former governor, listens during the Virginia Bar Association's senatorial debate at the Homestead in Hot Springs, Va. (Associated Press)

Police group backs Allen; credit unions go with Kaine

When groups like Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform endorse a Republican candidate or organizations like the AFL-CIO endorse a Democrat, it generally doesn’t rate much more than a raised eyebrow. But U.S. Senate candidates George Allen and Tim Kaine touted endorsements Friday from two groups that don't have quite the ironclad history of toeing the party line in Virginia in recent years.

August 10, 2012
Jeannemarie Devolites Davis says she will add her name to the list of Republicans considering a run for Virginia lieutenant governor in 2013. The former lawmaker has served in the House of Delegates and state Senate. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Davis eyes Virginia lieutenant governor run

Former Northern Virginia lawmaker Jeannemarie Devolites Davis will explore a bid for lieutenant governor in 2013, adding another candidate to an already-crowded GOP field.

August 9, 2012
Rep. Ron Paul, Texas Republican, effectively ended his presidential bid in May without having won the popular vote in any state, but has an intensely loyal following leading up to the nominating convention. (Associated Press)

Ron Paul backers fight effectively for GOP goals

The rest of the world may have moved on, but loyal followers of Rep. Ron Paul of Texas are still fighting a rear-guard — and effective — battle for delegates at the state level with just weeks to go before Republicans gather for their national convention in Tampa, Fla.

August 8, 2012
Goode

Goode ballot petitions in Virginia draw election board scrutiny

The Virginia State Board of Elections is asking Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II to investigate possible fraud on paperwork submitted by the presidential campaign of Constitution Party candidate and former Congressman Virgil H. Goode Jr. of Virginia, who some predict could serve as a spoiler for Mitt Romney in the critical swing state.

August 7, 2012
Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaigns at Stepto's BBQ Shack in Evansville, Ind., Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Romney’s July cash haul brightens GOP mood

Erasing all doubts about his fundraising abilities, Mitt Romney on Monday announced that he and his allies raked in $100 million for the second straight month, again topping President Obama and handing the Republican a much-needed public relations boost as he prepares to accept his party's presidential nomination this month.

August 6, 2012
President Obama speaks at a campaign event at Loudoun County High School, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012 in Leesburg, Va. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Election set to be most expensive in history

The 2012 election cycle is projected to be the most expensive in United States history — much to the chagrin of campaign finance and good government advocacy groups wary of the increasing influence of special interests and cash in the American political system.

August 2, 2012
** FILE ** Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaigns at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, Colo., Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Romney to Reid on tax accusations: ‘Put up or shut up’

Mitt Romney on Thursday directly addressed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's insinuation that the former Massachusetts governor didn't pay any taxes for 10 years, telling the Nevada Democrat to put his money where his mouth is.

August 2, 2012

Va. man appeals to Supreme Court over DUI conviction

A man convicted of drunken driving in Alexandria is taking his fight to the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging an unprecedented ruling in March from Virginia's highest court that someone drunk behind the wheel of a car parked on a public road with a key in the ignition is now automatically guilty of drunken driving.

August 1, 2012
Republican Senate candidate George Allen (center) walks through a converted bus called an “AmbuBus,” used as a mass casualty transport and made by First Line Technology, with company president Amit Kapoor (left) in Chantilly on Tuesday. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

Allen points up local impact of defense cuts

U.S. Senate candidate George Allen donned a state-of-the-art, heat-activated cooling vest and made his way around the offices of a small defense contractor in Northern Virginia on Tuesday, highlighting an example of a business already being impacted by looming federal defense cuts that have fast become a political flashpoint.

July 31, 2012
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was quick to defend presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney when he irked Palestinians with a remark during his visit to Israel. (Raymond Thompson/The Washington Times)

GOP closing ranks to defend Romney

It had been mere hours since Mitt Romney angered Palestinians by saying Israel's culture was part of the reason the country has prospered. But that didn't stop former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, previously one of Mr. Romney's most bitter rivals in the Republican presidential primaries, from rushing to his defense Monday.

July 30, 2012
In November 2008, Cassandra Calderon and her sister, Jennifer Calderon, of Manassas volunteered to campaign for Sen. Barack Obama. Dennis Barrow, a volunteer from the District, praises their efforts. Obama supporters came to Virginia to encourage people to vote for Mr. Obama. (The Washington Times)

Pace of new voters poses problem for Obama camp

President Obama did a spectacular job in 2008 of registering and turning out tens of thousands of new Virginia voters — but the pace of registrations this year has dropped precipitously ahead of his re-election bid.

July 30, 2012
Mitt Romney’s campaign has asked Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli to investigate pre-filled voter-registration forms mailed to pets and persons ineligible to vote. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

Romney hits suspect voter mailings

Mitt Romney's campaign has asked Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli to launch an investigation into a nonprofit group's mailing of voter registration materials to ineligible voters in the state -- including cats, dogs, infants and, yes, the dead.

July 25, 2012
Tim Kaine, running for the U.S. Senate in Virginia as the Democratic Party candidate, is the subject of an ad run by Crossroads GPS that prompted a complaint to the Federal Elections Commission. (Richmond Times-Dispatch via Associated Press)

Crossroads’ ad takes sides, says watchdog

A government watchdog group has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Crossroads GPS, the conservative advocacy group affiliated with the super PAC American Crossroads, over an ad the organization is running on several U.S. Senate candidates, including Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine.

July 25, 2012