EP56 - More Money Talk: Virginia Politics and Money with Josh Stanfield. This podcast is part two of a discussion on money and politics in Virginia.

Below: Wilder Commission Report attached. "Public Service, Public Trust" from December 1992

Josh Stanfield leads Activate Virginia and writes the substack Virginia Politics Revealed.

The reality of contemporary politics is that money is dominating everything: Candidate time, policy focus and what’s discussed and ignored. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2010 in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission campaigns have become increasingly expensive. In Virginia, campaign fundraising numbers are exploding. In this podcast, Josh and Lauren discuss the factors at play regarding money and politics in Virginia and in the nation.

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EP55 - Money in Politics in Virginia with Attorney Phil Thompson. In this episode of the Black Virginia News podcast Loudoun attorney Philip Thompson and Lauren Burke discuss money and politics in Virginia. After a blowup on social media on the topic we can see that there are a lot of issues connected to fundraising, vendors and the growing size of donations in Virginia.

In a political world where candidates are told they have to raise money to even be considered as viable, money has played an outsized role in politics — particularly since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2010 in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case. That’s when the floodgates opened. Elected officials are now engaged in an endless cycle of fundraising.

In Virginia and most states in the U.S., party leadership is required to fundraise big and lead the work of electing majorities for the party. For the first time in Virginia’s history many of the biggest fundraisers are African American. With the rampant corruption and self-dealing of the Trump regime as a backdrop, billionaires on the far right are now making the stakes even higher for Democrats as they fight for the very existence of democracy as we speak.

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On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed a bill into law that included the largest cut to Medicaid in history. The legislation, H.R. 1, threatens the health coverage of over 15 million people in the U.S. In the crosshairs of those cuts are rural hospitals, which is why Republicans included a multi-billion dollar “fund” to assist with a major budgetary shortfall for most facilities when Medicaid payments stop.

Since President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010, Republicans on the federal level have fought to dismantle the law in the courts and legislatively. In Virginia, Medicaid expansion was passed, with a few Republicans voting in favor, in 2018 and went into effect in January 2019.

On July 10, 2025, U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, Senator Ghazala Hashmi, Victor McKenzie, Executive Director of SAARA of Virginia and Dr. Larry Clark spoke out at a press conference on the impact of President Trump’s budget decisions on rural hospitals. The presser was hosted by Katie Baker, the Virginia State Director for Protect Our Care and co-sponsored by SEIU Virginia State Council. This podcast will feature Rep. McClellan, Senator Hashmi, Dr. Clark and McKenzie.

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EP53 - BATTLEGROUNDS with FERGIE REID, JR.— Fergie Reid, Jr. is the son of historic Virginia House of Delegates member William Ferguson "Fergie" Reid, Sr. In 1968, the senior Reid became the first African-American elected to the Virginia General Assembly since the days of Reconstruction. In this episode of the Black Virginia News podcast Reid, Jr, and Lauren Burke discuss battleground races for the Virginia House of Delegates.

Fergie Reid, Jr. has been recently quoted in The Virginia Mercury and The Nation for his relentless effort to recruit candidates to run for the Virginia House of Delegates in Virginia.

RELATED: The Stakes Have Never Been Higher in an Off-Year Election (The Nation, June 4, 2025)

With the June 17, 2025 primary elections in Virginia finalized, attention turns to how the Democrats could maximize the moment in a year that mirrors their successful 2017 cycle. Virginia will be the bellwether location to gauge how voters feel about the direction Donald Trump and his administration is leading the country.

Democrats have a candidate in each of the 100 House of Delegates races that will be on the ballot on Election Day November 4, 2025. One of the reasons for that is Fergie Reid, Jr. who relentlessly focuses on Democrats having a candidate in each and every race.

In 2015, The 90 for 90 campaign organized by Chesterfield County Democrats to encourage voter participation in gerrymandered precincts. The 90 for 90 effort was organized in honor of Reid's 90th birthday. He turned 100 this year.

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RELATED: EP51 - Dems Running in ALL 100 Virginia House Districts w/ Fergie Reid, Jr. (May 9, 2025)

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EP52 - Health Care and Messaging with U.S. Reps. Jennifer McClellan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett. On May 15, 2025 Lauren Burke spoke with three members of Congress on Democratic messaging as the party fights House Republicans on cuts to health care and aid to the poor.

The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress are pushing historic cuts to parts of the federal government and attempting to dismantle Medicaid. Democrats on the Energy & Commerce Committee showed a lot of communication strategy at a 26 hour marathon hearing this week. What happens next will be a result of who can nail their messaging to the public in a convincing way.

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EP51 - The Race for the Virginia House: Dems Go 100 for 100 with Fergie Reid, Jr. - This week Virginia Democrats hit a milestone: They have a candidate running in all one hundred seats for the Virginia House in 2025. Even in deep red rural areas of the Commonwealth, Democrats have a candidate. This podcast with featuring Fergie Reid, Jr., who recruited many of the candidates, explains why that matters.

Follow Fergie Reid Jr. on Bluesky at @90for90.bsky.social

It’s been years since Virginia Democrats have fielded a candidate in all of the 100 House of Delegates districts. Many believe this indicates political momentum. In this podcast, Fergie Reid, Jr., the son of the first African American to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates in the modern era, talks about what it means for Democrats to hit the 100 for 100 milestone.

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EP50 - John Reid, History and Blackmail? with Paul Goldman. On episode 50 of the Black Virginia News podcast Lauren Burke talks with attorney Paul Goldman about the unprecedented state of play around Republican Lt. Governor nominee John Reid after Gov. Glenn Youngkin contacted him to drop out of the 2025 race for Lieutenant Governor. Goldman, the former campaign manager for L. Douglas Wilder, will analyze the history of smear campaigns in politics in Virginia.

This podcast analyzes the current moment involving John Reid and goes over the history related to Mary Sue Terry, Justin Fairfax and L. Douglas Wilder. We’ll also discuss the challenges that non-establishment candidates have up against a power system that wants to control the game. Everything old is new again.

John Reid, a popular conservative radio host for WRVA who tossed his hat in the ring to be Virginia’s 43rd Lt. Governor, is fighting back after Gov. Glenn Youngkin called for him to drop out the 2025 race over risqué social media posts that Reid denies are his. Reid is the first openly gay candidate of either party to be on a statewide ticket in Virginia.

On April 21, Pat Herrity — the establishment-backed GOP candidate and a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors — dropped out of the lieutenant governor’s race just weeks after undergoing a heart procedure. His departure effectively made John Reid the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor.

But just four days after securing the nomination, a familiar pattern often seen when anti-establishment candidates rise to power emerged: an unexpected negative allegation against Reid surfaced on April 25. Reid, however, is pushing back hard and threatening legal action. Burke and Goldman break down every angle of the unfolding situation.

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EP49 - Rep. Jennifer McClellan's Town Hall in Richmond. At a town hall on April 23, 2025, held at Mosby Memorial Baptist Church in Richmond, Rep. Jennifer McClellan addressed pressing concerns from constituents during a pivotal moment for the nation. This podcast covers the first seven questions of McClellan’s two hall with constituents — her second in two days. Representing Virginia’s fourth district, the Congresswoman fielded questions on key issues including Medicaid, Social Security, the protection of democracy, cuts to grant money for Richmond’s water infrastructure and efforts to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.

Rep. Jennifer McClellan is the first Black woman elected to Congress from Virginia. She is a lifelong public servant and civil rights advocate and previously served in the Virginia House and Senate. Rep. McClellan is a lawyer and longtime state legislator, she has championed civil rights, education, and environmental justice. She is also a member of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee.

EP48 - Fergie Reid Jr. on the 2025 Virginia House Races - In this episode, Dr. Fergie Reid Jr., a prominent voting rights advocate and the son of civil rights pioneer Dr. William Ferguson Reid Sr., who became the first African American elected to the Virginia General Assembly after Reconstruction in 1968, offers his perspective on the 2025 Virginia House of Delegates races. Reid’s analysis sits up against the uneasy backdrop of the chaos of Donald Trump's return to The White House. Reid also talks about the record number of Blacks and women running for the Virginia House in 2025.

Check out Fergie Reid, Jr. on 90for90 on BlueSky and Twitter (not X, twitter).

Through their 90 for 90 Voter Registration Project, the Reids focus on the importance of contesting every district in the Commonwealth, including those traditionally considered unwinnable for Democrats, to bolster statewide turnout that could assist battleground Democrats in close races and help statewide candidates.

Reid's approach is particularly relevant in the current political climate, where the Democratic majority in the House is narrow, and the party seeks to maintain control against a resurgent Republican base energized by Trump's victory. He advocates for robust candidate recruitment and voter engagement across all districts to counteract potential Republican gains.​

The 2025 elections are expected to serve as a referendum on Trump's second term. Both parties and every political prognosticator in the country will be watching the results in Virginia. Reid's strategy aligns with efforts to capitalize on backlash against Trump — especially in areas where Democrats have previously made inroads. But Reid is specifically focused on increased voter engagement and playing until the buzzer goes off. His efforts underscore the critical role of grassroots involvement in local communities executed by local leaders he contacts who are often making their first run for office. Navigating a run for office, no matter what seat it may be, isn’t easy. But small efforts often win big results. Thank you for listening and thanks to all of our subscribers. RATE THIS PODCAST ON APPLE PODCASTS 🥰 Contact us at: [email protected]

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On April 1, 2025, Congressman Bobby Scott hosted a panel that focused on the civil rights agenda at a moment of adversity as the Trump Administration attempts to undo 70 years of progress. This podcast covers three of the speakers who participated in that event.

The panel showcased advocates in the trenches from the NAACP, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU. With the backdrop of U.S. Senator Cory Booker speaking against Trump on the floor of the U.S. Senate in protests to Trump’s policies, the civil rights panel did an overview of the state of legal and political play less than 100 days into Trump’s second term in office.