Carolyn Fiddler is Dogwood’s chief political correspondent. She is also the nation’s foremost expert in state politics with almost two decades of experience in statehouse machinations, and her comic book collection is probably bigger than yours.
Carolyn Fiddler
Latest from Carolyn Fiddler
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A preview of Virginia Democrats’ 2024 pro-reproductive rights legislative agenda
In this year’s fight for majority control of the General Assembly, abortion emerged as a key election issue in races for the Virginia House and Senate. Voters elected Democratic majorities in both the House of Delegates and state Senate, signaling to lawmakers that they want reproductive rights in the commonwealth to be protected. Virginia is…
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Virginians overwhelmingly support paid sick leave, new poll shows
A poll released this week by the Virginia Interfaith Center, a member of the Virginians for Paid Sick Days Coalition, found that a whopping 88% of Virginians support a requirement that employers provide paid sick leave to their workers. Specifically, the poll asked Virginians if they “support or oppose requiring Virginia employers to offer at…
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Virginia Democrats seek to expand abortion protections in upcoming legislative session
In this year’s fight for majority control of the General Assembly, abortion emerged as a key election issue in races for the Virginia House and Senate. By electing Democratic majorities in both chambers, voters in the commonwealth told lawmakers that they wanted reproductive rights in the commonwealth to be protected. Now that Virginians’ reproductive freedoms…
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Virginia lawmakers move to bring two professional sports teams to the commonwealth
A group of 12 legislators from across the state voted early this week to approve a deal intended to lure the region’s professional basketball and hockey teams out of Washington, DC, to a new home in Virginia. The deal, which still requires approval from the General Assembly and local government officials, would create a massive…
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Major passenger rail improvements are on their way to Virginia
Virginia is making big moves towards improving passenger rail service and access. Political leaders from across Virginia convened recently for an event in northern Virginia to announce $729,000,000 in federal funding secured for Transforming Rail in Virginia (TRV) projects. Additionally, the board of directors of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority voted unanimously to take a…
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Virginia Democrats are rolling out their 2024 legislative agenda. Here’s how it could affect you
Virginia’s 2024 legislative session kicks off in just over a month, and the Democrats who will be in charge of both the House of Delegates and state Senate have made clear their priorities for the coming year. In addition to kicking off the multi-year process to establish a fundamental right to reproductive freedom in the…
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Virginia Democrats ran on abortion and won. Here’s what it means for the future of reproductive rights
In this year’s fight for majority control of the General Assembly, abortion emerged as a key issue and a bright-line distinction between Republican and Democratic candidates for the Virginia House and Senate. By electing Democratic majorities in both chambers, voters in the commonwealth told lawmakers that they wanted reproductive rights in the commonwealth to be…
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From Hampton Roads to Henrico: How economic proposals fueled Democratic victories
The 2023 General Assembly elections are behind us, and Virginia Democrats successfully faced down immense amounts of Republican spending to secure majorities in the state House and Senate. Abortion was the most visible issue in most legislative races, but polling indicates that Virginians had pocketbook issues on their minds, as well. Many of the swing…
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Glenn Youngkin and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad night
Election Day 2023 has come and gone, and while there are votes to be counted, one thing is perfectly clear: Virginians unequivocally rejected Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s conservative agenda. Reproductive rights were a main focus of Virginia’s House and Senate campaigns. Democrats sought to reassure voters that they planned to preserve abortion access in the commonwealth,…
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Democrats retake majority in the Virginia House of Delegates to win full control of the General Assembly
All 100 House of Delegates seats were on the ballot on Tuesday, and Democrats have emerged from the election with majority control of the chamber. Earlier in the night, Democrats secured the majority in the state Senate, giving the party full control of the legislature. Democrats lost majority control of the Virginia House two years…
