U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, speaks at a campaign event in Virginia Beach featuring U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, on Aug. 17, 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
Alongside Kiggans, US House Speaker says Va.’s 2nd District ‘will determine the fate of the country’
By Charlotte Rene Woods
As part of an 18-state tour through more than 30 congressional districts, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said Monday that “Virginia’s 2nd District will determine the fate of the country because this will be a close election.”
As Johnson stumped for U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, at the Cavalier Hotel on Monday, he and the incumbent congresswoman framed partisan control of the nation’s legislature during this year’s congressional midterm elections as a battle between “common sense” and “chaos.”
Balancing optimism and caution, Spanberger says Va.’s revenues grew $2.1 billion in fiscal year 2026
By Samantha Willis
Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Wednesday highlighted Virginia’s financial wins in the fiscal year that ended in July, touting a general revenue fund that increased by $2.1 billion, record investments in public services and a new energy consumption tax lawmakers levied on data centers that is projected to add $600 million to the commonwealth’s coffers in the next year.
The state also saw significant impacts from federal shifts, the governor said, most notably a loss of 43,600 jobs, primarily in the federal government and professional and business services sectors.
A protester displays a sign opposing the Dominion-NextEra merger outside the Virginia General Assembly on Aug. 18, 2026. (Photo by Shannon Heckt/Virginia Mercury)
By Shannon Heckt
On Tuesday, Virginia lawmakers heard from utility regulation experts on the potential impact of the proposed merger between Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy. If approved, the merger would create the largest electric utility in the country.
In the days preceding this week’s Energy Commission of Virginia meeting, legislators asked State Corporation Commission Chair Kelsey Bagot, a former attorney for NextEra Energy, to clarify if she planned to recuse herself from presiding over the $67 billion merger between Dominion and her former employer.
On Monday, Bagot replied that she saw no reason to do so.
COMMENTARY
By Jim Spencer
The initial public comment period for an unprecedented proposal to mine minerals from the Atlantic Ocean off Virginia’s Eastern Shore ends on Saturday, Aug. 22. Over 1,300 comments have been filed, the vast majority opposing offshore mineral leases.
But thanks to the arcane U.S. regulatory approval process, the door to public input will close with most Eastern Shore residents lacking enough information to judge the risks to their livelihoods and shorelines.
The stakes are enormous.
ICYMI
Our weekly roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere.
DOJ probes William & Mary over alleged race-based scholarship policies | Nathaniel Cline
Judge affirms ruling in favor of former felons in voting rights lawsuit | Charlotte Rene Woods
Spanberger signs executive order to boost Virginia’s emergency preparedness | Charlotte Rene Woods
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