Good morning from the Mercury.
“I want to start working on what a uniquely American universal (healthcare) coverage system can be, with the goal of building consensus and have policy ready to go.” - Mark Warner, the three-term Democratic U. S. senator from Virginia who is vying for reelection against Republican Bert Mizusawa, on his universal healthcare stance.
A campaign sign outside of a polling place in Chesterfield County, Virginia reads "Medicare For All," October 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
By Charlotte Rene Woods
One of Chesterfield County resident John Meszaros’ sons was born with a rare metabolic syndrome, which required frequent doctor visits in his first year of life and came with hefty hospital bills at the start of it.
Though his son is now covered by Medicaid, Meszaros said he and his wife have had to make numerous calls with the hospital and their insurer over the past year to sort through their son’s critical early healthcare.
“It just adds a lot of aggravation into our lives,” he said, noting that the experience highlighted his desire for universal healthcare.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks to press on April 27, 2026 at an event in Richmond. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
By Nathaniel Cline
Gov. Abigail Spanberger said on Oct. 29 that she is committed to adjusting Virginia's K-12 funding formula, after a state research group found it needs substantial changes and advanced a plan to hire an expert tasked with studying a new funding mechanism for up to 24 months.
The existing formula is over 50 years old, does not adequately reflect the real costs of operating schools, and has forced local governments to spend far more on K-12 education than the state.
(Photo illustration by States Newsroom)
COMMENTARY
By Roger Chesley
Virginians are distressed – for their wallets and our democracy – as we approach tomorrow’s congressional elections, according to an online survey that more than 350 Virginia Mercury readers responded to.
As well they should be.
It’s not just kitchen-table issues that are animating voters and driving them to the polls in huge numbers, at least through early voting for a midterm election. The cost of groceries, healthcare, and gasoline and diesel fuel has forced Virginians to make some tough choices about what to pay for – and what to do without.
By Ashley Murray and Jonathan Shorman
When the polls close Tuesday night, the 2026 U.S. election will go down as one of history’s most expensive and extraordinarily ugly midterms — galvanizing record-breaking early voter turnout among a deeply divided electorate.
Voters on Saturday crossed the high-water mark of 52.7 million early votes cast, surpassing the midterm record set in 2022, though analysts were reluctant to translate it into a Democratic wave on the way.
NEWS TO KNOW
Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere.
"D.C. and Virginia sue to block Trump’s proposed triumphal arch." | The Washington Post
"Police chief says shooting outside Virginia GOP offices has nothing to do with election." | The Associated Press
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