The Jefferson Journal
Commentary
5/19/2026 — Assuming Dominion Energy Virginia is indeed absorbed into an expanded NextEra Energy, the more things change the more they may stay the same. The average consumer might see no real difference in their service or their cost. This step was probably inevitable. Credit (or blame) the massive electricity demand...
5/18/2026 — In advance of the 2025 election, the Jefferson Forum outlined in this June commentary the energy challenges facing Virginia. New Governor Abigail Spanberger (D) and the General Assembly have now concluded work on the 2026 energy legislation and Virginia has made zero progress – and may be losing...
5/14/2026 — Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, the sponsor of a sweeping public-sector collective bargaining bill (Senate Bill 378), said Governor Spanberger told him Wednesday that she planned to veto the legislation. If she does, she will be making the right decision for Virginia taxpayers, local governments, students, public...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jefferson Forum calls for civility as candidates and voters move forward with the bipartisan Congressional maps they voted for in 2020 May 8, 2026 — Jefferson Forum today praised the decision of the Supreme Court of Virginia striking down the controversial congressional gerrymandering referendum, calling the ruling “a landmark...
For several years, opponents of data center growth in Virginia have advanced a simple political narrative: data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity, therefore they “must” be driving up electric bills for ordinary Virginians. It is an emotionally intuitive and persuasive argument. It is also increasingly unsupported by the evidence. A new analysis from the Institute...
4/30/2026 — Between Friday March 6th and Tuesday April 21st, a narrow majority of Virginia voters went to the polls (or to their mailboxes) and voted in favor of the disenfranchisement of rural Virginia, as part of a national effort to make New York Representative Hakeem Jefferies the Speaker of the House...
4/27/2026 — One of the most striking themes from last Wednesday’s reconvened session was the widespread rejection of Governor Spanberger‘s recommendations. Legislative Information Services shows that of 180 bills amended, the legislature adopted 137, placing those bills straight into law without returning them to her desk. For the first time...
This session, the General Assembly sent over 1,000 bills to Governor Spanberger for her signature. She signed 852 into law, vetoed 8 and proposed amendments to 180. Even though some of her amendments were little more than window dressing (see article on Paid Family and Medical Leave) and a few...
Governor Abigail Spanberger (D) has proposed that the General Assembly return to the misguided practice of dictating by law a utility profit margin, overturning a bipartisan reform approved just three years ago. It is no different than her effort to end the bipartisan reforms against political gerrymandering and again put politicians in charge of that. A profit cap on...
Cosmetic Amendments: Trims minor bureaucracy but leaves the expensive, massive program unchanged. Automatic Tax Hikes: Funded by mandatory payroll taxes that can rise automatically without a legislative vote. High Risk of Abuse: Keeps a dangerously broad definition of “family members” eligible for paid leave. Classroom Disruptions: Fails to exempt public...