EP61 - Race for Governor: Earle-Sears vs. Spanberger Debate Analysis. The first and only debate of the 2025 race for Governor of Virginia took place tonight at Norfolk State University. On episode 61 we look at the first few moments of a historic conversation featuring two woman as the major party candidates for the first time in Virginia’s history.

Republican nominee, Lt. Governor Winsome Earle Sears and Democratic nominee and former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger spoke on issues facing Virginia for an hour. But one issue dominated the first section of the hour: The issue around private text messages send to a GOP colleague from three years ago by the Democratic nominee Attorney General, Jay Jones.

The debate featured a relentless strategy of interruptions by Lt. Governor Earl-Sears as Spanberger, who is the favorite in the race, answered questions. The political season favors Democrats and Earle-Sears appeared to realize she had to do something dramatic to change the trajectory of a race almost all polls have her behind in. Attorney Paul Goldman adds commentary on the debate as the race for Virginia Governor enters the final four weeks.

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EP60 - Interview with Cat Porterfield. Black Virginia News podcast 60 features an interview with the Democratic nominee for the Virginia House of Delegates in House District 99, Cat Porterfield. District 99 features Virginia Beach.

Porterfield talks with Lauren Burke about the issues she’s hearing about from voters in Virginia House District 99 and discusses the state of play in her race as the campaign heads into the final weeks. With only 27 days left in the 2025 campaign, many believe that a wave election is likely in Virginia — but in an era of unpredictable news anything is possible.

Porterfield is challenging Republican incumbent Delegate Anne Ferrell Tata.

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EP59 - GOP Hypocrisy on Violence and Jay Jones with Paul Goldman. Richmond attorney Paul Goldman, a former Chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia, weighs in on the current state of play in the race for Attorney General in Virginia.

There are only 30 days left to Election Day in Virginia. Early voting began on September 19. Last week a controversy arose in the race between Republican Jason Miyares and Democratic challenger and former Delegate Jay Jones when private text messages from Jones to a Republican delegate became public. In podcast episode 59, Goldman and Lauren Burke discuss brazen Republican hypocrisy on the subject of political violence, messaging strategy and what may happen next in Virginia as Democrats look to sweep all three statewide offices as Donald Trump scares the hell out of everyone and challenges the bedrocks tenants of American democracy.

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A LOOK AT THE VIRGINIA GOVERNOR’S RACE. Podcast 58 features Sam Shirazi, the host of Federal Fallout: The 2025 Virginia Elections and Lauren Burke discussing the race for Governor of Virginia. The 2025 race for Governor features sitting Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee, against former Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger, a former member of Congress.

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LOOMING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN! As Congress fails to reach agreement on funding bills or a continuing resolution, the federal government is on the brink of shutting down at midnight tonight. A major question point of disagreement is whether a deal can be reached on health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

Black Virginia News podcast 57 features Virginia U.S. Representatives Bobby Scott and Jennifer McClellan discussing the state of play hours before midnight. This podcast also includes audio of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke.

If a shutdown takes effect, hundreds of thousands of federal employees could be furloughed, while many “essential” personnel would be required to work without pay until funding is restored. Key agencies, such as Health and Human Services, are preparing to cut a significant share of their workforce, jeopardizing critical functions like public health monitoring and research.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has instructed agencies to draft plans for not only furloughs but possible permanent job cuts via “reduction in force” if the impasse continues.

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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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