Democrats, Newly Dominant in Virginia, Race to Make New Laws

After flipping eight legislative chambers since 2018, Democrats now hold both chambers in 19 states, including Virginia. The result has been a wave of legislation to expand voting access, add anti-discrimination rules and bolster protections for abortion rights.

In Virginia, where Democrats won control of the General Assembly in November, lawmakers are rushing to shift the state’s course as quickly as possible.

“This is really a once-in-a-lifetime moment for us,” said Terry McAuliffe, a former Democratic governor of Virginia who campaigned for many of the newly elected Democrats. “We’ve been working on this for 25 years, and voters are desperate for Democrats to lead. For us, it’s do something or risk getting sent home in two years.”

But control also carries political risk. There are concerns in Virginia that Democrats are in danger of moving too fast, setting off internal divisions on issues like gun control, which Democrats representing areas with many hunters might be reluctant to support in an important presidential election year.

“We have a split caucus,” said Joshua Cole, a Democrat elected in November to the House of Delegates from Northern Virginia, who describes himself as a progressive. “We have old-school Democrats, moderate Democrats who represent moderate areas, and then you have progressives. You are going to see bills that are very aggressive, but the question is whether they make it out of committee.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/06/us/virginia-state-legislature.html?emc=rss&partner=rss