It’s a legal question expected to be handled in court, primarily because of different interpretations of Chesapeake’s city charter — seemingly the only charter for a major Hampton Roads city that puts the city in this novel position.

Multiple council members are challenging mayors this November elections in surrounding cities, like Virginia Beach and Portsmouth. Yet Chesapeake finds itself in this situation as it’s the only Hampton Roads city with a provision in the city charter that requires council members to formally resign from their council seat during their mayoral election bid instead of after. Carey’s council term is set to end Dec. 31. Chesapeake’s charter provision calls for a council resignation by June 30, though it was established when Chesapeake held city elections in May.

The ongoing legal question has spurred division among council members, some of whom are practicing a boycott of certain city business they don’t believe Carey should be part of, like closed sessions, as a result.

At a July 23 meeting, some residents said Carey was being penalized for an oversight issue in the charter, and called for council to make the appropriate changes in lieu of legal action. But that’s challenging in a Dillon’s Rule state like Virginia, where the General Assembly determines the scope of local governments’ power. That means when a city needs to update its charter, state legislators are the ones who can make it happen.

“No two local government situations are alike, and they’re often quite obscure provisions that are at issue,” said Richard Schragger, a law professor at the University of Virginia.

He added that in Chesapeake’s case, it can be tricky because even if the dates should have been changed, the charter also clearly states June 30.

“So then the question becomes, if there’s ambiguities in the interpretation of that provision, who makes that decision? And generally we end up in courts when that’s the case,” Schragger said.

For most Hampton Roads cities, council members who declare candidacy in a mayor’s race must formally resign their council position following the election or upon the start of the newly elected mayor’s term, according to the respective city charters. That includes Norfolk, Hampton, Suffolk and Virginia Beach.

In Virginia Beach, Councilman Chris Taylor, representing District 8, has joined a crowded field to challenge the sitting mayor. To do so, Taylor had to file a formal resignation letter effective after the election since his council term spans until 2026, which will necessitate a special election. His resignation will take effect Dec. 31, regardless of whether he wins or loses the mayoral race.

Sabrina Wooten is another Virginia Beach council member challenging the mayor, but her term ends at the end of the year.

Portsmouth’s charter lacks any resign-to-run requirement. The current vice mayor, Lisa Lucas-Burke, is challenging sitting Mayor Shannon Glover. There is no apparent provision in Newport News’ charter that addresses resign-to-rule stipulations, but a process for filling vacancies is included.

General Assembly action in 2021 shifted Chesapeake’s elections from May to November, but the accompanying provision for resignation was not altered, according to an opinion issued in May by Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. His opinion concluded that Carey was required to step down by June 30.

In March, Carey declared a bid to challenge Mayor Rick West. On July 9, a majority of council members directed the city attorney’s office to file a writ of mandamus with the Circuit Court asking a judge to compel Carey to resign from his position as he seeks election as mayor.

While it’s still unclear when the city will formally file the petition in Circuit Court, Carey said he was officially served last week by the city with a notice of intent to file. City Attorney Catherine Lindley previously said a “reasonable time” must lapse before filing with Circuit Court, though she has declined to specify what that timeframe will be.

Carey has previously called the move political and unethical.

“Citizens realize how foolish this endeavor is for council to waste taxpayer dollars to attack a political opponent,” he said in a phone interview Monday.

Carey was first elected to City Council in May 2020. He assumed his role July 1 when Chesapeake still held local elections in May instead of November. In Miyares’ opinion, he stated that though resignation would have the effect of shortening Carey’s term, it’s “due to his voluntary decision to seek election to the office of mayor, as was the case prior to the 2021 amendments for council members seeking to become mayor in middle of their otherwise four-year term.”

Around a dozen residents spoke at a July 23 meeting, mostly expressing frustration with division among council and the city money and resources that will be dedicated to litigating the issue. Others said he should stay in his seat through the end of his current term.

Resident Nancy Pettigrew and George Reed of the New Chesapeake Men for Progress argued that the intent of the charter change law wasn’t to result in a monthslong vacancy when a council member runs for mayor.

“Forcing Councilman Carey off the council at this point in the year will hamper the work that the City Council does,” Pettigrew said. “And in fact, we are already seeing that happen.”

Reed cited a summary document about the 2021 law when it was passed, which states the terms of mayor, council and school board members should not be shortened as a result of shifting elections to November. It also states all those members elected at a May general election and whose terms end as of June 30 “shall continue in office until their successors have been elected at the November general election and have been qualified to serve.”

Another election-related bill passed that year amended that portion of state code and the clause Reed cited was removed.

“We ought to have a writ of mandamus to get our city attorney to configure our charter to meet the state law,” Reed said. “I say to you there must be a different agenda. You should explain that agenda to the public. Because it’s certainly not running good governance with transparency and accountability.”

Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com

“Everybody ought to be concerned (with data security),” Del. Cliff Hayes, a Chesapeake Democrat, said Thursday. “We are in the age of artificial intelligence and security breaches, and many people don’t even realize that data is being collected about them online.”

The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act was signed into law in 2021 and took effect last year. Hayes carried the legislation in the House of Delegates. It allows residents to request to review the data that companies have collected about them, and to opt out of having their data collected or sold.

In a May 7 letter addressed to Johnny Ayers, the chief executive officer of Socure, an identity verification company based in Nevada, Hayes asserted that the company is not abiding by these rules, which the company denies.

When a consumer submits a request about their data, Hayes said they receive an SMS text that links to a landing page where they are asked to verify their identity. The page requires consumers to agree to Socure’s Terms of Use before moving forward.

“Within the Terms of Use are provisions requiring the consumer to waive his or her rights to future class action lawsuits against Socure, as well as an agreement to binding arbitration,” Hayes wrote. “If the consumer chooses to not agree to Terms of Use, the identity verification process is canceled, thus ending one’s inquiry.”

Hayes said those provisions should be deemed contrary to public policy. But he asserted even those who agree to the terms are unable to receive a full disclosure as required under the law.

“My office has observed firsthand that once an individual exercises his or her ‘right to know’ to Socure, they receive an encrypted email with a zip file,” he wrote. “My first concern here is that this practice discourages access to the information, especially with individuals that are not technologically proficient. This practice could discriminate against people of lower incomes and appears to be inequitable.”

Hayes, who works as a chief information officer for the city of Portsmouth, added that his own team was unable to access the contents of the zip file.

Hayes asked Ayers to provide a written response to the “apparent noncompliance” with the data protection act and to explain how the company intended to comply with the law moving forward. He further requested a detailed list of the types of information that Socure collects and all the sources the company utilizes to obtain that information.

“Virginians have a right to know under the law what information you gather and hold on them, and so far it appears you are actively attempting to make that information extremely difficult to obtain,” Hayes wrote.

Jennifer Kerber, senior director of government relations for Socure, wrote back to the delegate on July 1.

“We take seriously the rights granted by all privacy laws, including Virginia’s VCDPA, and have developed a careful process to respond to all requests in a timely and compliant manner,” the letter states. “Upon review, we are confident there is no disruption to Virginians’ ability to exercise any rights granted by the VCDPA, as a result of the processes we employ.”

Kerber said the only requests for access in Virginia have come from the delegate or individuals hired by the company’s competitors. She said those who experience technical difficulties could contact the company for assistance.

Socure implements “robust identity-proofing measures” before sharing any data because fraudsters can impersonate individuals, Kerber added.

The Consumer Data Protection Act provides gives the state Attorney General’s office exclusive authority to enforce violations of the law.

Hayes said Thursday that he was not satisfied with the response and has contacted Attorney General Jason Miyares.

“I can only imagine what a (private) individual would be going through with this company,” he said. “It is our hope that there will be a response from the attorney general.”

A spokesperson for Miyares confirmed Friday that the office had received Hayes’ letter and said the office is looking into the matter. The office could not comment further.

When the Consumer Data Protection Act was adopted, Virginia was only the second state to adopt a data privacy law. But data privacy experts and public interest groups have critiqued the commonwealth’s law as not going far enough and for not being user friendly.

“Virginia’s privacy law puts a lot of work on you if you want to stop companies from collecting and selling your data,” the U.S. PIRG Education Fund wrote in a consumer alert this year. “It’d be better if instead companies were limited to what data they can collect on you and what they can do with it in the first place.”

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

Virginia Beach Housing & Neighborhood Preservation is currently collecting information online from organizations that could make land they own available for the development of affordable housing.

“We have heard from churches over the years that have brought this up that they’d like to be part of the solution,” said Sharon Shoff, the city’s housing finance coordinator. “The first thing we want to know is who is really interested in doing something about affordable housing with their land.”

One in three Virginia Beach households (about 59,000) are housing cost-burdened, which means they pay 30% or more of their income on their total housing costs, according to a recent city housing study. Increased competition in the housing market is making it harder for first-time and moderate-income buyers to purchase homes, and for many renters — especially seniors who live alone — to find quality, affordable units, according to the city.

“We have significant housing affordability challenges, and there’s just demand for more options for low-income renters,” Shoff said.

After gathering information from area nonprofits, city staff will consider the location, the amount of land available and the current zoning of each property. The city can provide resources to help nonprofit organizations interested in developing their land for affordable housing, Shoff said.

“The city would not be purchasing the land,” she said. “It’s really about them taking the next step.”

Virginia Beach has more than 200 churches, according to the city.

Several state groups are pushing for legislation that would cut through some of the red tape that religious institutions face if they want to offer affordable housing on land they own. A bill introduced this year in the Virginia General Assembly session that would streamline the process for faith communities to build affordable housing on their land was referred to a subcommittee and continued until next year.

About 12 religious organizations in Virginia have built affordable housing on their land, according to Sheila Herlihy Hennessee, an organizer with Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.

“It’s really exciting when government works with faith communities because so often the process is so confusing and so expensive the good intentions get lost along the way,” Hennessee said.

Virginia Beach recently updated its housing study to analyze the current housing market and identify strategies to address housing needs. In May, the City Council directed the city manager to advance discussions with the Virginia Beach Development Authority to fund new, large-scale, mixed-use development projects; design a housing education campaign with community engagement; and research opportunities to simplify the permitting and review process.

Permanent affordable housing has not yet been built on a religious organization’s property in Virginia Beach, according to the city.

The Judeo-Christian Outreach Center, a nonprofit organization, recently broke ground on a supportive housing project for people experiencing homelessness. JCOC already owned the property near the Oceanfront and previously operated an emergency shelter there.

Shoff said it’s an example of a nonprofit using its land for affordable housing, but the city is also interested in helping to facilitate projects for the broader community, including low-income seniors and families.

In a public survey conducted last fall on what should be the City Council’s top priorities, respondents ranked “affordable housing/housing affordability and homelessness” among the top five.

The city is offering an online quiz at www.speakupvb.com to help gain insight into the community’s understanding of what affordable housing is and why it is important to have an adequate supply. The quiz is open until Aug. 11.

For those organizations interested in developing their land, a request for information form is available online at VirginiaBeach.gov/HousingRFI until 5 p.m. Aug. 14.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com

“I will do everything in my power to deliver Virginia for Vice President Harris,” state House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, said in a statement. “Just as we did last year, when we flipped the House of Delegates, we will also reject the MAGA extremist Project 2025 agenda. We will win Virginia again, and elect the first woman President in the history of the United States.”

Biden ended his bid for reelection Sunday after his debate performance last month fueled divisions within the Democratic Party about whether it was time for the 81-year-old to pass the torch to a younger candidate. Biden quickly endorsed his vice president to take on former President Donald Trump, but Harris still has to formally secure the nomination from the around 4,700 Democratic convention delegates and superdelegates.

“The Party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward,” Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said Sunday. “Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.”

More than 30 Democrats in Congress, and some major party donors, publicly called on Biden to step back as polls showed his numbers slipping against Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.

In a Monday statement, the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus credited Biden for rescuing the nation and economy from the “darkness” of the pandemic and facilitating historic investments in American infrastructure. The caucus praised his decision to step aside.

“President Biden took the selfless action of choosing to put the future of the country and the good of the American people before any personal desire,” the statement reads. “We extend our deepest thanks to President Biden for his lifetime of service and extraordinary leadership.”

All 21 members of the caucus endorsed Harris for the presidency, including Majority Leader Scott Surovell and President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas of Portsmouth.

“Please know that I and other leaders are already hard at work ensuring that Virginia’s votes at the convention will strongly back Kamala for President,” Lucas said.

The Democratic National Convention will kick off Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Harris has also received the seal of approval from Virginia U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats.

“While there has to be an orderly process and the decision ultimately rests in the hands of the DNC delegates, I believe Vice President Harris has the experience, energy, and resolve to lead our nation,” Warner said in a statement.

Warner had sought to assemble a group of Democratic senators to push Biden to exit the race, as previously reported by The Washington Post. 

Harris is a former prosecutor and U.S. Senator from California. She is the first woman, Black person and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.

Editorial: Virginia voters will need to hear from VP Harris on the issues

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus announced Monday that all of its members serving as a delegate at the upcoming convention have pledged to support Harris. Several of those members are from Hampton Roads, including Scott, Lucas, Sen. Mamie Locke and Dels. Alex Askew, Jeion Ward and Michael Feggans.

The caucus praised Harris as a champion of civil rights, environmental protections and reproductive health care.

While Locke is among those endorsing Harris, the Hampton senator has also repeatedly taken to social media to scold Democrats at the national level who showed a “sheer disregard” for Biden during discussions about his bid for reelection.

“The leadership of this party has been so disrespectful to an individual who has done so much for them and this country,” she wrote this week.

Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said it doesn’t matter which Democrat is on the ballot.

“Make no mistake,” he wrote Sunday on social media. “Whether its border czar Kamala Harris or someone else, it’s the Biden/Harris Administration’s weak leadership and resulting chaos around the world and here at home that is on the ballot this November.”

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

Regulations from the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority stipulate that a minimum 45% of the total gross sales must be from food and nonalcoholic beverages, while liquor sales should comprise no more than 55%, for eateries with a mixed beverage license.

“This is an antiquated rule that does not work in today’s society,” said Bill Stanley, a state senator and attorney involved in the litigation. “We can’t use an antiquated philosophy or policy and apply it to a modern day business. It’s not right.”

The plaintiff is Fish and Slips, a bar and grill within Tidewater Yacht Marina. The lawsuit, filed in the Portsmouth Circuit Court, names Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Dale Farino, the chief executive officer of beverage control authority, as defendants, as well as the Virginia Alcohol Control Board.

The governor did not respond to a request for comment. A Virginia ABC spokesperson explained Thursday the agency was aware of the litigation but had not yet been served, and subsequently declined to comment further.

The lawsuit states the historical framework of the food-to-alcohol ratio requirements harken to the days of Prohibition.

“Today, the (Mixed Beverage Annual Review) law does not achieve the rationale of prohibiting saloons but rather it is effectively adversely impacting the ability and freedom of restaurant entrepreneurs to freely price the food and meals that they serve to their customers,” the lawsuit reads. “… For any restaurant that is maintaining the 45/55 ratio, if the ABC raises prices (for liquor), the restaurant, to maintain the required ratio and to keep its license to sell mixed beverages, has no choice but to raise its food prices.”

The Mixed Beverage Annual Review (MBAR) is the name of a report that documents the food and beverage sales of mixed-beverage licensees.

The lawsuit further asserts that it creates an unlevel playing field because exemptions have been granted to other types of businesses, such as amphitheaters and gaming facilities.

“A law passed by the General Assembly in 2022 allowed Virginia to exempt casino and gaming parlors from MBAR, enabling them to operate (24 hours a day) without the same food-to-beverage ratio requirements imposed upon Virginia restaurants, thereby giving those establishments that have a bar and restaurant facility within them a competitive advantage over restaurants that operate in the same region as the gaming establishment,” it states.

Fish and Slips is about 4 miles from Rivers Casino Portsmouth, which opened in January 2023.

The lawsuit argues the regulations are subsequently in violation of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to due process and equal protection under the law, and the state constitution, which says that no man or set of men are entitled to exclusive or separate privileges from the community.

Fish and Slips is asking the court to declare MBAR statues, ABC regulations and exemptions granted by the General Assembly as unconstitutional, and to grant temporary and permanent injunctive relief, and any other relief the court finds just.

Stanley said he believes the current rules go against “everything we believe in Virginia.”

“This comes from the belief that the MBAR structure that we have in Virginia is unconstitutional and adversely effects small businesses and small restaurant owners who are competing in a world where we are giving special advantages to things like the casinos,” he said.

Legislation that would have eased the rules around how much food Virginia bars and restaurants serving liquor must sell died in the House of Delegates this year.

Several Hampton Roads restaurant operators voiced support for the bill. But the measure faced opposition from a Richmond-based lobbying group called the Virginia Restaurant Association, made up of owners of restaurants such as The Tobacco Company Restaurant in Richmond and Northern Virginia’s Great American Restaurants group.

Similar legislation was put forth in 2019. Former state Sen. Dick Saslaw, who was among those that opposed that attempt, argued that “if you can’t meet (the current) ratio, you ain’t running a restaurant; you are flat running a bar.”

Stanley said the failed attempts at legislative reform signaled it was time to try a different route.

“When the legislature fails to act to protect its citizens,” Stanley said,” then that’s what our courts are for.”

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

The legislation, which Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed Thursday afternoon, fully repeals all changes made to the military tuition program this year through the budget, and adds $90 million from the revenue surplus to the program for the two-year budget period.

“We stand resolute with our veterans, first responders, and their families,” Youngkin said in a release. “We will always honor the sacrifice of all our military heroes, Gold Star families, first responders, and all those who have served their nation and their Commonwealth. We know that freedom is not free.”

The program will get $65 million each year during the next two years. Previously, universities had to cover the cost of the waiver program, which had grown exponentially in recent years.

In the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, Chair Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, said the bill balances out support for military families while avoiding financially burdening other students.

“As I have said before, making higher education affordable for all students is a priority that should be shared by everyone,” Lucas said.

Lucas and Del. Luke Torian, D-Dumfries, announced a plan July 2 to introduce and vote on identical repeal bills. Both legislative chambers passed the identical bills, avoiding a conference committee.

Additionally, several groups are studying the program. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission is assessing the program’s viability and will share the report with the General Assembly by Sept. 1. Youngkin has also convened a task force on the issue, and state senators formed a select work group.

On the Senate floor, Tara Durant, R-Fredricksburg, criticized Democrats for spending taxpayer money to have lawmakers return to Richmond multiple times over the past few weeks. Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, countered, saying the extra time allowed them to use the latest revenue surplus figures available.

“We did have some end-of-year growth, and we are now funding this program fully, to the degree we understand the costs, for each year of the next biennium,” Favola said, adding that wasn’t the case for previously considered repeal bills.

Previously, the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program provided tuition waivers and an annual stipend to spouses and children of veterans who are killed, missing in action, taken prisoner or at least 90% permanently disabled as a result of service.

The estimated cost of the program’s tuition waivers has nearly quadrupled, from $12 million in 2019 to $46.3 million in 2022, according to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Projections from earlier this year showed the lost tuition revenue will likely grow to over $190 million by 2026.

The Virginia budget, which went into effect July 1, imposed several new restrictions on the tuition waiver program in an attempt to curb rising costs. It required applicants to be Virginia residents and limited the program waivers to undergraduate degrees. The budget also required applicants to apply for and use other sources of state and federal financial aid first.

The changes were met with outrage from military families, including many who live in Hampton Roads.

The Senate and House had previously sparred over the best fix for the legislation. The Senate Appropriations committee advanced a bill from Lucas mostly repealing the changes on July 1, but the full Senate did not vote on the bill due to a 48-hour waiting period.

On June 18, Lucas declined to hear several pieces of legislation fully repealing the changes.

After the current bill’s passage, Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, criticized Republicans for painting those who wanted to rein in the program’s costs as anti-military. She said several family members — including her father and several brothers — were veterans. She contrasted the bill with Project 2025 — a presidential transition plan from the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank that aims to limit which disabilities will qualify veterans for benefits.

“So, who’s really anti-veteran?” Locke asked.

Lawmakers did not take up any efforts to repeal a statewide ban on skill games — slot machine-like video gaming devices once active in gas stations and other locations. During the Appropriations committee, Lucas said House leaders are not ready to deal with the issue yet, but hoped to advance legislation in an October special session.

Reporters Eliza Noe and Gavin Stone contributed to this report. 

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com

The poll was conducted between June 24 and July 3, meaning it captured some sentiment following the June 28 presidential debate but occurred before a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump on Saturday at a campaign rally.

When respondents were asked whom they would vote for if the election were held today, 39% said Trump compared with 36% who selected Biden. The difference is less than the margin of error for the poll. But the results reflect a shift toward Trump since the school’s previous survey released in January, which showed Biden leading Trump 42% to 39%.

There was a notable dip in support for Biden among Black Virginians.

“I think the results show that Virginia is truly a ‘battleground state’ for the presidency,” former Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder said in a news release. “The drop by 20 points (to 46%) of Black Virginians since December, where 67% supported Biden, should be concerning relative to turnout affecting congressional races, in particular in competitive districts 7 and 2.”

The poll surveyed a representative sample of 809 adults. Over half of respondents (53%) said they were less likely to vote for Trump due to his recent conviction of 34 felony counts of falsification of business records, while others (31%) were more likely to support him following the conviction.

For the remaining candidates, 9% of those surveyed said they would vote for Robert Kennedy Jr., 2% for Jill Stein and 1% for Cornel West.

The poll found little change in Biden’s overall approval rating since the January survey, with 36% approving his job performance and 58% disapproving. Approval was extremely polarized, with 69% of Democrats supporting Biden’s performance and 25% disapproving, as opposed to 8% of Republicans approving and 90% disapproving.

The poll further found Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, holds a strong lead over Republican challenger Hung Cao. Nearly half of Virginians (49%) indicated they would vote for Kaine, with 38% supporting Cao.

Those surveyed identified the most important issues as the rising cost of living (31%), women’s reproductive rights (23%) and immigration (12%). Women were more likely to view reproductive rights as the most important issue (34%) compared with men (12%).

Half of Virginians (50%) approve of Gov. Glenn Youngkin job performance, with 34% disapproving. This is a 4-point drop in approval and a 3-point increase in disapproval from the poll released in January.

The poll’s news release states telephone interviews were used to survey Virginians. Design weights are often employed in telephone survey research to reduce bias and correct differences in the probability of selection due to non-response and non-coverage. This sample was weighted to match Virginia’s adult population, which was the primary sampling unit.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

“America, the land of opportunity, just doesn’t feel like that anymore,” said Youngkin, explaining many struggle with the cost of living. “But eight years ago there was an outsider, a businessman, who stepped outside of his career to rebuild a great nation — that outsider businessman was Donald J. Trump and he will do it again.”

During his primetime speech Monday night, Youngkin highlighted his own role as a political newcomer. The Virginia governor is a former private equity executive who first ran for office in 2021. He explained his wife Suzanne was caught off guard when he decided to pursue politics.

“I told her I planned to quit my job and run for governor and she looked at me with tears in her eyes and a quivering lip and asked ‘governor of what?'” he said. “We prayed together and we asked God for guidance and wisdom and said if elected we would serve.”

Youngkin said his gubernatorial victory in Virginia three years ago showed that Trump could win the state in November.

“In November 2021, Virginians elected a Republican outside businessman,” he said. “I believe this year Virginia will elect another Republican outside businessman as president of the United States.”

Trump lost Virginia in 2016 and 2020, but recent polling has shown a much tighter race between him and President Joe Biden.

The governor said he envisioned a future with unleashed energy sources, less taxes and red tape, and where businesses could proudly say “made in America.”

Youngkin also thanked God for protecting Trump during Saturday’s assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“We ask for God’s grace to be on innocent victims and we ask him to be with their families and thank him for this moment of unity,” he said.

Other speakers Monday included U.S. Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Katie Britt of Alabama and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

Earlier in the day, Trump chose Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate for the Republican ticket.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

“Fight,” he yelled to the crowd, raising his fist as he was ushered off the stage by Secret Service agents.

Soon after, his Virginia allies expressed concern as well as a renewed commitment to championing his bid to reclaim the White House.

“President Trump’s bravery in the face of danger solidifies that he is the type of leader our country needs,” read a statement from U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans of Virginia Beach. “I remain strongly supportive of him and look forward to helping him win in November.”

Kiggans was one of several speakers at a Trump rally late last month at Historic Greenbrier Farms in Chesapeake, where she was joined by many notable Virginia Republicans — including Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Early in the election cycle, the Norfolk Academy graduate’s name had been bandied about as a potential GOP challenger to Trump. In Chesapeake and after Saturday’s incident, Youngkin conveyed support for the former president.

“Last night, Donald J. Trump showed us strength and courage, and showed us compassion and gratitude,” Youngkin said in a Sunday statement. “I thank God for protecting him.

“Yesterday’s attempted assassination of President Trump was an action of pure evil — an affront against our morality, an affront against our liberty, an affront against the very foundations of our great nation. If we ever deem it acceptable, then we will lose our Republic.”

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a former Virginia Beach delegate, was part of a red wave in 2021 that swept him, Youngkin and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears into office. A Cuban American, he expressed outrage Saturday.

“This is not Cuba,” he wrote on X. “An attack on a U.S. presidential candidate is an attack on American democracy itself.”

Democratic President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020 and faces him in a November rematch, called for all Americans to condemn the assault, during which the shooter and a rally attendee were killed.

He was joined by state Democrats.

“I’m so distraught over the tragedy at President Trump’s rally yesterday,” U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine wrote on X. “I’m relieved he is safe and will pray at Mass today for his recovery and for the families who lost loved ones.”

Portsmouth’s Louise Lucas, a longtime state senator and critic of Trump, also reached across the aisle.

“I am disgusted by the events that occurred at former President Trump’s rally today,” she wrote Saturday on X. “Political violence has absolutely no place in our democratic systems.”

During his June 28 rally in Chesapeake, Trump called for the release of the “J6 hostages” who were jailed, and praised a Supreme Court decision last month that makes it harder to charge the rioters with obstruction. He said many who stormed the Capitol were “horribly treated.”

“So many of these people were told to go in,” said Trump, speaking at Historic Greenbrier Farms. “The police (told them) go in, go in.”

Gov. Glenn Youngkin and U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans of Virginia Beach — who spoke at Trump’s event — repeatedly refused questions from The Virginian-Pilot asking if they agreed with the former president’s remarks.

Several other prominent Republican legislators who were contacted for comment did not respond.

Trump led an unprecedented and unsuccessful effort in 2020 to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden that culminated in his supporters storming the U.S. Capitol as Congress was certifying electoral votes. Rioters forced their way inside — scaling walls, shattering windows and engaging in hand-to-hand combat with police officers.

Roughly 140 officers were assaulted — about 80 from the U.S. Capitol Police and 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department. Officer Brian Sicknick, who was injured, suffered two strokes and died the next day. Four officers died by suicide in the following weeks or months.

Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer, criticized Trump’s assertions about police inviting rioters inside. He said the refusal of some legislators to condemn those remarks were shameful.

“It’s a slap in the face,” Dunn told The Pilot on Thursday. “Officers were assaulted, violently and viciously. If you look at (images of) the west front, the tunnel as it has been called, officers were giving it their everything to keep those people out of the building.”

Six officers were disciplined for violations such as improper remarks related to their service on Jan. 6, according to a 2021 release from the Capitol police. But Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger has hit back on assertions that officers allowed the mob inside.

“This notion that the Capitol Police were somehow allowing these folks into the Capitol, inviting them in, helping them, just simply not true,” he said in a previous interview with CNN.

In the immediate aftermath, many Republicans in Congress condemned the attack. At the state level, the Senate Republican Caucus in 2021 publicly chided then-Sen. Amanda Chase after she expressed support for the rioters. Three Republicans, including then-Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment of Williamsburg, joined Democrats in censuring her.

Youngkin has long tiptoed around issues involving Trump, but the governor previously acknowledged Biden won the 2020 presidential election and expressed disapproval over the Capitol attack, calling it a “blight” on democracy two years ago. Kiggans previously called Jan. 6 “a dark day” and said those who broke the law should be held accountable.

Alex Keena, assistant professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, said he suspects even mild statements have now become controversial. Between Trump cinching the Republican presidential nomination and the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, Keena explained it’s increasingly risky for Republicans to voice any disapproval about the attack.

“I think the Supreme Court decision has emboldened a lot of people who were sympathetic to the Jan. 6 cause and to Trump’s efforts to overturn the election,” he said. “It’s very risky (for Republican legislators) to speak out against Jan 6 — I think they wish it would just go away.”

Trump, however, has kept the Capitol attack at the forefront of his presidential campaign this year, launching his first rally in Ohio with a recording of Jan. 6 rioters singing the national anthem from jail. He’s called the rioters “patriots” and pledged to pardon them if he returns to power.

Keena said it has placed Republicans in states with moderate political climates, such as Virginia, in a challenging position. If they speak out, they could provoke Trump or his most loyal followers. But fully embracing the attack could repel other voters.

“I think they decided the best strategy for a lot of Republicans is to just not talk about it,” he said.

Virginia’s House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, said he fears that the failure to firmly and consistently condemn the attack is sowing the seeds for more violence.

“I absolutely think we are harming American democracy by normalizing that political violence and claiming that the people who literally stormed the Capitol were some kind of victims,” he said. “I think we are going down a dangerous path.”

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com