Something in the Water Contract Delay; Dems in Virginia and Beyond Grapple with Losing to Trump; Chandler, Perry, Davis to Be Remembered at UVA
🚩 There are 56 days until the Virginia General Assembly convenes on Jan. 8, 2025 in Richmond.
🚩 There are 68 days to Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2025.
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Something in the Water: Virginia Beach Mayor Wants Contract Signed by Nov. 15
Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer is threatening to cancel next year's Something in the Water music festival if a contract isn’t signed by this Friday. The music festival was founded superstar Pharrell Williams, a Virginia Beach native.
A grumpy and recently re-elect Dyer is reportedly aiming to “pull the plug” if a deal is not confirmed this week according to 12NewsNow.
“I am pretty angry about this. I am very angry about this,” Mayor Dyer said during a Virginia Beach City Council meeting on Nov. 12. The music festival was cancelled this year on the same day tickets were to go on sale.
Video: Jay Jones Announces for Attorney General in Richmond
Video by Paulette Shipman Singleton
RICHMOND, VA — Yesterday, former Delegate Jay Jones announced his candidacy for Attorney General of Virginia. The statewide races in Virginia in 2025 will be a closely watched signal of whether or not MAGA Republicans are able to parlay Trump’s win into something wider next year.
Current Attorney General Jason Miyares has not confirmed whether he will run for re-election or run for Governor in 2025. Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor has also announced for Attorney General next year.
Above is a portion of Jones’ announcement yesterday in Richmond.
What Happened? Virginia Democrats Grapple with Losing to Trump
“Absolutely not here for the ‘we did our job in Virginia’ bullshit,” wrote Rural GroundGame Political Director Lynlee Thorne on Nov. 12 on social media in one of the many post mortems from Democrats in Virginia and beyond
Even as the final results of the 2024 presidential election are showing that Harris lost by a very small margin, a loss is a loss. And many Democrats were expecting to win. Now, looking at four years of a second Trump presidency that includes control of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, the first takes have been pointed and blunt.
“Repulsive to see Dem elected officials/party leaders offering ‘congratulations’ to the incoming tyrant. be serious, knock that shit off,” Thorne wrote pointedly on social media.
Several debriefs being held by many groups and activists reveal frustration around what Nov. 5 means and whether standard ways of campaign are actually working in a media age centered in deliberate and strategic lying and technology driven misinformation. Another point of focus is who voted and supported Trump. White women voters have been a major target as groups gear up for another women’s march to days before trump’s inauguration on January 18, 2025.
“These abortion measures doing well means a lot of white women went in there voting to save themselves and no one else,” noted Sociologist Jessica Halliday Hardie of Hunter College.
During an interview with Jon Stewart, historian Heather Cox Richardson, said “white women — we can talk about the groups of minority voters — but this is white people who put Trump in power, let’s not for get that. Including white women who will die from lack of medical care going forward.”
Democrats are grappling with how to fight moving forward and what the issues should be. They are always wondering out loud about the role of the entrenched consultant class, donors and messaging in a big tent party struggling to please everyone. But similar conversations have happened after major defeats in the past with few structural changes noted.
“A party that doesn’t confront what it did wrong will continue to lose,” University of Virginia Professor Larry Sabato told C’Ville’s Daily Progress.
Independent commentator Tezlyn Figaro, one of the only political strategist commentators who predicted Harris would lose back in July because of the short window — 107 days — of time she was required to build a campaign, was direct.
“There was never a chance in hell that VP Harris was going to have a shot at this,” Figaro said during a TV interview on Nov. 9.
Below is a clip of Jon Stewart talking with historian Heather Cox Richardson on Nov. 11, 2024.
Jade Harris, who ran for the Virginia State Senate in 2023 but lost, wrote a lengthy post on Daily Kos giving her take
Harris wrote, “we’re going to have to get a hell of a lot more acquainted with our neighbors. We have to resist the urge to stay within our own silos and talk as if everything is alright and there is no suffering in the world just because our personal circles are doing well. We can’t tell people that the economy is roaring just because the stock market and investors are thriving,” in Daily Kos on Nov. 12.
This week, Trump announced an office that would drastically cut the federal government. The tenants of Project 2025 are now being spoken about publicly less than 70 days before Trump takes office.
Chandler, Perry, Davis: UVA Honors the Memory of Murdered Students on Second Anniversary of Tragedy
The University of Virginia will play Amazing Grace today to mark the second anniversary of the murders of three student-athletes in 2022.
The shocking on-campus murders of Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr. were killed at UVA on Nov. 13, 2022. The three were on a bus with other students returning from a field trip.
“The University community will be asked to step outside Wednesday at 1:55 p.m. to observe a moment of silence in honor of the student-athletes, followed by the first verse of Amazing Grace and the tolling of the bells,” according to a press release.
Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce is Looking for Board Members
From the Virginia Black Chamber: The Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce is now accepting applications for our Board of Directors, and we’re looking for passionate, dedicated individuals like YOU to join us!
Apply Now www.vablackchamberofcommerce.org/board-of-directors-application
As a Board Member, you will:
Set strategic direction for the Chamber
Advocate for Black-owned businesses and initiatives
Lead and support community-driven programs
Make an impact on economic growth and opportunity
We’re seeking leaders who are committed to the Chamber’s mission and are ready to invest their time, talents, and vision to strengthen and support Black businesses in Virginia.
After Election Debriefs
🗓️ Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia is hosting our post-election update on November 14th. https://ppaf.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIpd-Ghqz0jEtb3m8tMCsliDGFt81A4CEhy#/registration
🗓️ Sunday, November 17th, 6:00pm: Virginia Grassroots Coalition Meeting. Zoom Link: https://georgetown.zoom.us/j/98422844279
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