Senator McPike doubles down on Commanders: ‘Snyder has a lot to answer’

Prince William County State Senator Jeremy McPike (D-29) says the Washington Commanders have a lot to work out if it wants to bring a football stadium to Woodbridge.

McPike said the team has no plans to mitigate the traffic effects drivers on Interstate 95 would feel if a new stadium were to be built at the Horner Road Commuter Lot, the state’s largest, just off Prince William Parkway.

“They have no concrete plans for transportation, and our commutes are long right now,” said McPike, during a Zoom call with Prince William Chamber of Commerce members on Wednesday, August 17.

In December, we were first to report the team was considering multiple sites in eastern Prince William County for which to relocate a stadium from Maryland to Virginia. Plans for the Horner Road lot, dubbed Prince William Landing, included a mixed-use stadium complex with retail shops and a performance stage.

McPike also doubled down on his comments made in June, saying a deal between the team and the state government was “all but dead,” following comments posted to Twitter by a team assistant coach saying the January 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol were a “dust-up.” He also questioned why team owner Daniel Snyder would allow an employee to make the post on social media.

“Frankly, we lost police officers on January 6,” said McPike. “The entire Snyder organization has a lot of questions to answer.”

Brian Sicknick, 42, a U.S. Capitol Police Officer of Springfield, died of natural causes while on duty at the Capitol on January 6. The media reported Sicknick died due to injuries suffered during the riots.

Prince William County will gain billions in revenue should the team relocate to Woodbridge.

McPike also talked about recent legislation he carried through the General Assembly to reform the Virginia Unemployment Commission, which has been notorious for late benefits payments to unemployed residents. The legislation now allows employers to submit claims electronically to speed up the process. 

However, the Commission on Unemployment Compensation hasn’t met since June 2o21.

Other pieces of McPike’s legislation will provide $450 million to schools to replace leaky roofs and other school building reconstruction projects. “These things deter a good learning environment,” said McPike.

McPike also touted a new Circuit Court judge and funding for water system improvement for Quantico town as legislative achievements.

The Virginia State Supreme Court left the 29th Senate District — the district to which McPike is elected to serve — largely untouched during last year’s political redistricting efforts. In 2023, whoever is elected to the district will be the primary State Senator for Prince William County.

McPike ran unopposed in 2019, a big year for Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly and local offices in Prince William County.

The county had been split across five State Senate districts before the Supreme Court approved the new maps, which will take effect in January 2024.