There’s no reason to either overanalyze what Virginia means for the nation in 2022 or 2032 (or to diminish its stakes) — when there’s so much to say about why next week’s elections matter for Virginia, & even if you’re not there for voting rights & crim justice & so much else.
If you care about rights restoration: the future of Virginia’s policy (established by McAuliffe in his first term) of enabling people with felony convictions to regain the right to vote hangs in the balance. As does the multi-year process to amend the constitution over this.
If you care about mass incarceration: VA is notably desolate when it comes to giving people a chance at release after decades in prison, and changing that has been a goal for advocates there after some recent change (esp. for youth). It’s also something GOP wants to preserve.
If you care about labor, Dems did not touch the ‘right to work’ statutes in the state after gaining the trifecta in 2019, but as labor plans to continue pushing for gains who is in power in Richmond will mean an open or shut door for their advocacy.
All in all, what Virginia Democrats did (and didn’t do) in the year after taking control of state government is a pretty good illustration of why it matters who has power in a state — without needing any federal impact embellishment.
https://twitter.com/taniel/status/1375507499537682436?s=21
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