David Sherfinski

Ballot rules deprive Virginia primary of drama

Virginia might well fulfill its expected role as a swing state in the 2012 presidential race, but strict ballot rules have largely reduced the commonwealth to under-card status on Super Tuesday when 10 states hold primaries or caucuses.

March 4, 2012

Passing a budget on time remains hurdle for Virginia legislature

Call it an $85 billion game of chicken.

March 4, 2012

Va. Supreme Court denies Cuccinelli’s bid for climatologist’s emails

The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday rejected a bid by Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II to acquire records about a former University of Virginia climatologist.

March 2, 2012

Virginia House to try budget do-over after Senate’s deadlock

The Virginia House of Delegates on Thursday agreed by unanimous consent to introduce another budget in hopes of staving off a potential fiscal catastrophe and the prospects of gaveling out the 2012 session without the legislature having passed a spending plan.

March 1, 2012

Cuccinelli doubling Bolling in new poll

Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II leads Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling by 19 percentage points in the likely Republican nomination contest for governor in 2013, according to a poll released Thursday.

March 1, 2012

Va. ultrasound bill headed to McDonnell’s desk

A controversial measure that will require women to undergo ultrasound imaging before having an abortion is on its way to the desk of Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.

March 1, 2012

Virginia Senate panel kills ‘Tebow bill’

A push by home-schoolers to get their children onto Virginia's public school playing fields died in the General Assembly on Thursday, with Democrats leading the charge against the so-called "Tebow bill."

March 1, 2012

Senate Democrats block Virginia budget

Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked the House version of Virginia's spending plan for the next two years, throwing the prospects of an on-time March 10 adjournment into flux and portending the eventual possibility of a partial government shutdown if an agreement isn't reached by July 1.

February 29, 2012

McDonnell signs repeal of Virginia’s one-gun-a-month law

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on Tuesday signed a measure to repeal the state's nearly 20-year-old ban on purchasing more than one handgun per month, delivering a major victory to gun rights advocates in the state.

February 28, 2012

Va. Senate passes bill mandating ultrasound before abortion

The Virginia Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that will require women to undergo ultrasound imaging before having an abortion, after a torturous process through the legislature that saw Gov. Bob McDonnell broker a compromise on the high-profile measure.

February 28, 2012

Poll: Allen has 8-point lead over Kaine

Poll results released Tuesday show significant daylight between Republican George Allen and Democrat Tim Kaine in the campaign to replace retiring Sen. Jim Webb from Virginia.

February 28, 2012

Va. Senate committee kills repeal of funding for some abortions

The Virginia Senate Finance committee Tuesday morning killed a bill that would repeal state funding for low-income women to have abortions if a doctor determines their child will be born with a physical deformity or mental deficiency.

February 28, 2012

After HPV loss, ultrasound delay, Virginia GOP turns focus to budget

Despite virtually unchecked Republican power in Richmond, another conservative priority was shot down Monday as the GOP tries a pivot to budget issues amid significant backlash over high-profile women's health measures.

February 27, 2012

Va. judge tosses redistricting lawsuit

The Richmond Circuit Court on Monday dismissed a lawsuit that sought to have the court draw Virginia's congressional districts for the 2012 elections.

February 27, 2012

Divided Virginia Senate passes voter ID bill

The Virginia Senate on Monday signed off on legislation that would require voters who can't produce identification at the polls or are not recognized by an election officer to cast their ballot provisionally.

February 27, 2012

Virginia Democrats try to regain footing

Virginia Democrats had finally picked up momentum in the 2012 General Assembly session after helping beat back two high-profile abortion-related bills — momentum that last week's standoff over budget issues threatens to halt.

February 26, 2012

Va. budget vote could stem Democrats’ momentum

Democrats on Thursday night voted in lock step against the Senate's budget proposal, and the topic du jour quickly shifted from "personhood" and ultrasounds to obstructionism and petty partisan politics, threatening to obliterate the party's potentially short-lived swagger after a string of disappointing electoral defeats.

February 25, 2012

McEachin drops lawsuit over Bolling’s tie-breaking authority

Senate Democratic caucus Chairman A. Donald McEachin has dropped his lawsuit challenging the authority of Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling to break ties on organizing the Senate.

February 24, 2012

McDonnell: Legal, medical issues led to changes in ultrasound bill

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said Friday that legal and medical concerns led to his proposal earlier in the week to amend a bill he previously supported that could have required women to undergo an invasive ultrasound procedure before having an abortion.

February 24, 2012

Senate Democrats derail Virginia budget bill

Virginia Senate Democrats flexed their muscles Thursday and successfully blocked the chamber from passing its two-year budget blueprint — a move Republicans decried as obstructionist, partisan politics at its worst.

February 23, 2012