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Gingrich's Iowa bounce helped by Cain backers

Hayley Peterson — Tue, 19 Jan 2038 03:14:07 +0000

Hayley Peterson Examiner Staff Writer DES MOINES, Iowa -- Republican presidential contenders Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann are attracting most of businessman Herman Cain's former Iowa supporters, according to Steve Grubbs, Cain's top Iowa adviser. Cain lost roughly 25 percent of his Iowa supporters in the month of November, after several women alleged Cain sexually harassed them and another said she had a 13-year affair with him, said Grubbs, who hasn't decided whether to endorse a candidate. Roughly eight in 10 of those...

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Romney's watchwords in Iowa: Divide and conquer

Michael Barone — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 01:05:00 +0000

Michael Barone Senior Political Analyst Elections are contests held during a moment in time between candidates who have records stretching back, often far back, into the past. So there is always a tension between the man (or woman) who is running and the moment. That tension is greater than usual when the contest is for the nomination of a political party dominated by a large number of newcomers to politics motivated by strong opposition to current policies. That was the case 40 years ago when members of the peace...

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N.Y.'s Cuomo tops Dems' 2016 list while O'Malley is at the bottom

Paul Bedard — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Paul Bedard Examiner Columnist Win or lose in the fall elections, President Obama will be off the 2016 ballot and many Democrats are already considering a shot at the White House. Topping the list, say several Democratic insiders: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, among the nation's most popular governors for his budget toughness and Clintonesque charisma. "I don't know of anybody who tops him right now. We have some senators and a couple of governors, but he's the talk," says a Democratic official. While he has a liberal pedigree...

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Virginia GOP hits limits pushing conservative agenda

Steve Contorno — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:10:00 +0000

Steve Contorno Examiner Staff Writer A laserlike focus by Virginia Republicans on gays, guns and God have defined the first month of the new General Assembly, but there remains a line even some conservatives don't want to cross just yet. Since Republicans took full control in Richmond in January, conservative social bills are quickly making their way through the Virginia legislature. The state's long-standing limit of one handgun purchase per month is on its way out,...

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Obama's energy plan mixed bag for Va.

Steve Contorno — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Steve Contorno Examiner Staff Writer Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell remains at odds with President Obama over the issue of energy, even as Obama moved Thursday to fast track a critical piece of McDonnell's own energy agenda. The Obama administration completed a review that showed offshore wind energy projects posed little threat of environmental damage, clearing the way for new wind turbines along the East Coast, including off the shores of Virginia and Maryland. Leases...

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Ron Carnegie

Steve Contorno — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Steve Contorno Examiner Staff Writer For seven years Carnegie has played founding father George Washington at historic Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, the world's largest living history museum. How did you get the role of Washington? My manager at the time pulled me aside and offered me an opportunity to audition. It's not something I thought about because you don't look at me and think, 'He looks like George Washington.' I was asked whether or not I wanted to do this. What am I going to say, "no"? It's obviously an...

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Leaked NATO report says Taliban plan to rule Afghanistan after U.S. leaves

Sara A. Carter — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Sara A. Carter National security correspondent A NATO report leaked to British news outlets found that Taliban leaders are confident they will regain power in Afghanistan after the U.S. withdraws, and said the insurgency has not been seriously eroded by the military efforts of America and its allies. That report illustrates the hazards of negotiating with the Taliban while preparing to pull out of the country, according to military analysts and Afghan officials. The...

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Va. Supreme Court allows redistricting challenge to continue

Steve Contorno — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Steve Contorno Examiner Staff Writer A lawsuit challenging the Virginia legislature's authority to draw new congressional boundaries can move forward, the state's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The high court rejected an appeal from Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to throw out the case. Cuccinelli insisted that a Richmond City Circuit Court judge who initially advanced the lawsuit didn't have the authority to intervene in the affairs of the General Assembly. The lawsuit, brought by voters, contends that the legislature shirked...

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Black lawmakers challenge Va. election changes

Steve Contorno — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Steve Contorno Examiner Staff Writer Black Virginia lawmakers invoked memories of the Jim Crow laws and poll taxes of the Old South Tuesday to protest new Republican-backed voting rule changes that are moving quickly through the General Assembly despite warnings that they'll suppress minority votes. Republicans easily pushed the first of several voting-related legislation through the House of Delegates -- a bill that changes how a voter casts a ballot if he or she forgets to bring an ID. Voters who don't show an ID currently...

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Virginia weighs tougher law for distracted driving

Steve Contorno — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Steve Contorno Examiner Staff Writer Virginia police would gain authority to bust teenage drivers talking on cell phones or adults texting while driving if one Northern Virginia lawmaker gets his way. The state Senate last week easily approved a bill that would make it a primary offense for drivers on a provisional license -- those 18 and under -- to use a cell phone while driving. A separate bill would allow cops to pull over drivers who are texting even if they didn't violate any other traffic law. For teen drivers, the...

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Post-Labor Day start day for Va. schools remains in place

Steve Contorno — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Steve Contorno Examiner Staff Writer Gov. Bob McDonnell's education agenda took a major blow Thursday when a Virginia Senate panel voted against allowing schools to start classes before Labor Day. The Republican-run Health and Education committee joined Democratic opposition to block the plan on a 9-6 vote amid strong concerns from tourism industries that rely on young workers. The bill fit with McDonnell's efforts to ease mandates on localities and provide flexibility for school districts to set their own schedules. Under...

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Virginia, feds reach billion-dollar agreement over disabled

Steve Contorno — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Steve Contorno Examiner Staff Writer Virginia will shut down four facilities that provide services for the intellectually disabled as part of a settlement agreement reached with federal authorities whose investigation concluded that the state was mistreating these vulnerable residents. Under the agreement announced Thursday, the state will spend $1.1 billion, including $580 million in new spending, over the next decade to shift its mentally and developmentally disabled residents to community-based home care. The cost of...

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McDonnell approves new congressional map

Steve Contorno — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Steve Contorno Examiner Staff Writer Gov. Bob McDonnell on Wednesday approved a new map of Virginia's 11 congressional districts in the face of Democratic warnings that the new lines suppress minority votes. The Republican governor's endorsement of the new map comes a day after a court allowed a lawsuit against the state's redistricting process to move forward. That suit alleges that the General Assembly violated the state constitution when it approved the maps last...

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Divided Virginia Senate comes to halt

Steve Contorno — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:10:00 +0000

Steve Contorno Examiner Staff Writer Examiner Archives Republicans claim control of Va. Senate (11/9/11) A game of political chicken between Senate Democrats and Republicans threatened to bring the Virginia General Assembly to a standstill Tuesday, foreshadowing future gridlock when the discussion shifts to funding roads and education. The finger pointing began when Senate Republicans pushed for a vote on legislation to elect 49 local judges, a traditionally routine procedure that met little resistance in the committee phase....

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Park Service to enforce camping ban in McPherson Square

Aubrey Whelan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:25:51 +0000

Aubrey Whelan The director of the National Park Service on Tuesday told legislators on Capitol Hill that his agency plans to enforce a camping ban at the McPherson Square Occupy camp for the first time in four months. But NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis said in a statement provided to The Washington Examiner after the meeting that enforcing the camping regulations doesn't mean that Occupy DC protesters have to leave the park – they just have to sleep elsewhere. "Typically at these vigil sites, the protesters use rotational...

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Romney paid $3M in federal income tax in 2010

The Associated Press — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:15:45 +0000

JACK GILLUM,STEPHEN BRAUN Associated Press WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney paid about $3 million in federal income taxes in 2010, having earned more than seven times that from his investments and making him among the wealthiest of American taxpayers. At the same time, Romney gave nearly $3 million to charity — about half of that amount to the Mormon Church — which helped lower his effective tax rate to a modest 14 percent, according to...

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Virginia GOP pushes for school vouchers

Steve Contorno — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Steve Contorno Examiner Staff Writer Virginia Republicans have renewed their push for a voucher-style program that would essentially pay for students to attend private schools despite Democratic charges that it would rob public schools of up to $25 million a year. Virginia's constitution doesn't allow the state to send money directly to private schools, so the program Republicans propose would give tax credits to companies that provide private scholarships to poor students who want to attend private schools. The proposal is...

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Maryland outpaces Virginia in job growth

Hayley Peterson — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Hayley Peterson Examiner Staff Writer Maryland created eight times more private-sector jobs than Virginia last year, throwing a wrench into Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's theory that his Republican-controlled state is friendlier to business than his Democratic rival to the north, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. Maryland created 26,700 jobs from January 2011 through November 2011, or roughly one job for every eight unemployed residents, whereas the commonwealth created...

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