Blue Virginia Weekly News Roundup (6/29/25)

Sen. Kaine Rips Youngkin - “If you won’t stand up for [UVA], will you stand up for ANYTHING?”; Spanberger Calls Ouster of UVA president "extortion"; Walkinshaw wins VA11 Dem nomination in landslide;

Note: We’ve now got a Blue Virginia Breaking News list; sign up here if you’re interested in getting emails, potentially up to several per day, about breaking news in Virginia.

• Video: On Face the Nation, Sen. Mark Warner Says the Trump Administration’s “doing damage to our flagship university…and frankly, if we don’t have some level of academic freedom, then what kind of country are we?”

• VA11 Democratic “Firehouse Primary” Winners (Walkinshaw’s Campaign, the VA11 Dems, Turnout, etc.) and Losers (the WaPo, VA11 GOP, etc.)

• [UPDATE: Walkinshaw Wins with Nearly 60% of the Vote] VA11 Dems Firehouse Primary Results Thread; Votes Being Counted, but Stella Pekarsky Campaign Already Has Congratulated James Walkinshaw “for his victory tonight”

• Video: VA Senate Dems Agree That Ouster of UVA President Was “deliberately coordinated, specifically planned-out”; “the Youngkin administration coordinated this with the Trump administration”

• Video: At 2025 VA Women’s Summit, Abigail Spanberger Says Forced Resignation of UVA President Was “extortion” and “assault on academic freedom” by the Trump Administration

• Video: Speaking to a Packed, Fired-Up House at the Opening Night of the 2025 VA Women’s Summit, Sen. Tim Kaine Rips Youngkin - “If you won’t stand up for [UVA], will you stand up for ANYTHING?”

• Video, Photos: Spanberger, Hashmi, Jones Visit the Eden Center in Falls Church

• UVA President Jim Ryan’s Forced Resignation “A sad day for higher education in our country. Trump’s actions are wildly inappropriate overreach.”

• Jay Jones on Supreme Court’s “Trump v. CASA” Decision: “Your rights now may depend on where you live and if your leaders are willing to fight for you. That makes state Attorneys General more important than ever”

• After COMPLETELY Botching Their VA11 Democratic Candidates Questionnaire (Weird Yes/No Questions, Lack of “nuance and context,” etc.), the WaPo Deletes the Answers

• Flip and Defend-a-District 2025 (Volume 4): Lily Franklin, Mary Person, Angela Chainer, Del. Paul Krizek

• Spanberger on Virginia Facing Longest Unemployment Surge Since The Great Recession, While Earle-Sears Is “cheering on the White House’s chainsaw approach to cutting the federal workforce”

• Video: Jason Miyares, John Reid Ratchet Up the Fear Mongering (“crazy”/”leftist communists”/”domestic terrorist attitude”/”sided with felons over police”); Personal Insults (“Abbitard”), etc. Yes, It’s Going to Be a Looong Next Few Months.

• Democratic Attorneys General Association Announces Initial $1 Million in Virginia AG Race

• Blue Virginia Interview: VA11 Dem Candidate Irene Shin Says “I decided to jump into this race for Congress because I think Democrats voters are probably feeling like I’m feeling, which is frustrated”

• Photos: “Span Virginia Bus Tour” Keeps Rolling as Spanberger Meets Virginians in Lynchburg, Appomattox, Prince Edward and Charlottesville

• Video: Candidates in VA11 GOP Candidates Forum Basically All Agree That They “trust everything [Trump’s] done”; “support and love Donald Trump and I know you do too”; etc.

• Video: Virginians Call Out Winsome Earle-Sears’ Extreme Record – on Cutting Medicaid, Defunding Public Education, Opposing Marriage Equality, etc.

• Live Video, Highlights of VA11 Democratic Forum Tuesday (6/24) Evening

• DLCC Announces $400K Investment and Additional Target Races for Virginia House of Delegates

• Del. Michael Jones (D-Richmond) Expresses “profound dismay and unequivocal condemnation” of Recent ICE Raids at Chesterfield Courthouse

• Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08) Says Fifth Straight Increase In Virginia’s Unemployment Rate Due to Disastrous Trump/Musk Policies, Plus Youngkin’s Failure to Defend Virginia (In Fact, Rep. Beyer Points Out, Youngkin’s Actually Cheered Them On!)

• Virginia Senate Leaders File Lawsuit Challenging Governor Youngkin and Attorney General Miyares’ Unconstitutional Overreach on University Board Appointments

• Abigail Spanberger on Three Years Since Dobbs Decision: “As the next Governor…I will always protect the right to choose, the right to privacy, and the right to decide when to start or grow a family”

• Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA07) Joins Fellow Democratic Veterans in Asserting Congressional Authority Over War Powers

• Photos: Spanberger Kicks Off “Span Virginia Bus Tour” with Stops in Richmond, Petersburg, Dinwiddie, Brunswick & Danville

• Progressives Launch VOCE, a New Canvassing Tool to Take Back the Ground Game, at the VA Women’s Summit (6/27-6/29)

• Sen. Mark Warner, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Limit Presidential Authority Under the Insurrection Act

• Clean Virginia: Spanberger’s Energy Plan “tackles the root causes of high costs by investing in clean energy, improving efficiency, and making sure massive users like data centers pay their fair share”