With an eye toward future political aspirations, Representative Abigail Spanberger (D) of Virginia’s 7th Congressional District is set to host a telephone town hall on Thursday, May 16, from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

The town hall, a staple of political engagement for elected officials, comes following a security breach at Quantico Marine Corps Base, located within her district boundaries. On May 3, two men inside a box truck, claiming to work for Amazon, tried to run the gate and were stopped by military police, and turned over to ICE.

Spanberger did not respond to a request for comment following the incident.

Sources tell Potomac Local one of the men is on a U.S. terrorist watch list, and had crossed the southern border into the country just days before the incident. No one one was injured at Quantico. However, it comes after multiple, similar, deadly incidents at the White House and at other military installations in Virginia and California.

Spanberger, currently serving her second term in Congress, announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection to Congress. Instead, she has set her sights on the Virginia Governor’s mansion, with plans to run in the upcoming 2025 gubernatorial race.

Spanberger did not respond to a request for comment following the incident. On April 9, 2024, Potomac Local pressed Spanberger on whether or not, if elected governor in 2025, she would use the Virginia National Guard to assist Texas in securing the southern border. In response, she said the border is a federal issue, not a state issue, blamed House Republicans for not working with the president on his plan to secure the border, said “I’m working on it,” and jumped into an SUV and left the area.

In her announcement regarding the telephone town hall, Spanberger expressed her anticipation to engage with constituents, stating, “I look forward to hearing from you, answering your questions, and sharing updates about my work for Virginia.”

The telephone town hall offers multiple avenues for engagement for those interested in participating. Participants can dial in directly to the event at 833-380-0670 to listen live or pose questions directly to the congresswoman.

Additionally, for those preferring to watch the conversation unfold visually, Spanberger has provided online streaming options. The event can be viewed live at spanberger.house.gov/live or via her Facebook page.

Virginia State Police reported a collision on Interstate 95 late on May 8, 2024, involving Maria Martin, a candidate for U.S. Congress in the 7th District.

According to Virginia State Police, the incident occurred at 11:40 p.m. on Interstate 95 in Prince William County near exit 150, Quantico. Martin’s Ford F-150 drifted into the right lane and collided with a tractor-trailer. Martin was not injured.

She described the event as “very shocking” and recounted feeling “completely out of control” as her vehicle bounced multiple times.

Martin was returning to her home in Triangle after a day of using her pickup to erect campaign signs in the western areas of Virginia’s 7th Congressional District in Culepper and Greene counties. The sprawling district includes eastern Prince William County, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties, and Fredericksburg. Martin also highlighted the diversity within the 7th District. “The 7th Distirct has two types of people,” she said, noting the contrast between the densely populated northeastern side and the agricultural lands in the west.

Martin’s vehicle sustained damage in the collision, and police cited her for making an unsafe lane change. The truck that hit her did not stop.

Authorities are still investigating the incident. Martin said she remains determined in her campaign for Congress and continues to advocate for the interests of the district’s residents. However, as her truck is undrivable, she might need the help of a volunteer with a pickup. Martin is one of eight Republicans running in a June 8 Primary Election seeking the 7th District seat.

The race is expected to be one of the most expansive this year, and the winner will replace Rep. Abigail Spanberger who opted to step down from the seat to run for Virginia Governor in 2025.

Martin has been a consistent candidate in multiple elections since 2019. Last year, the Prince William County Circuit Court tossed out Martin’s request for a recount after she lost a Republican Primary Election to Nicky Rattray Baldwin in a bid for a Virignia State Senate seat.

Longtime Manassas business owner Xiao Yin (pronounced Shee-ow Yin) “Tang” Byrom has announced her candidacy for the Republican ticket for Mayor of Manassas. She will challenge incumbent Michelle Davis-Younger, the Democratic Party nominee.

This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.

In a recent political survey conducted by John Zogby Strategies, the competition between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump appears to be heating up in Virginia, with Trump holding a narrow lead.

The poll, conducted from April 13 to April 21, 2024, involved 23,683 likely voters across the U.S., 586 of whom were from Virginia.

In Virignia, the results show Trump slightly ahead of Biden, capturing 45.4% of the vote compared to Biden’s 44.9%. The margin of error for the Virginia subset is higher than the overall survey’s ±0.6%, emphasizing the close nature of the contest and the potential for shifts as the campaign progresses.

In terms of party alignment in Virginia:

• 35% identified as Democrats
• 33% identified as Republicans
• 31% identified as Independents

Voter sentiments in Virginia also show varied opinions on candidate favorability. 45% of respondents viewed Biden very unfavorably and somewhat favorably 21.9%, reflecting a polarized perception among voters. Conversely, 48.4% viewed Trump very unfavorably but also received a high very favorable rating from 24.2% of those surveyed, indicating similarly strong sentiments on both sides.

“The main thing to gather from this survey is that Virginia remains a far more purple state than many national political observers seem to think. The fact that this poll is well within the margin of error demonstrates that both political parties would be wise to focus on Virginia in 2024, as they did in several previous election cycles – but not in 2020,” said Professor of Political Science and International Affairs & Director, Center for Leadership and Media Studies Dr. Stephen J. Farnsworth.

“The big challenge for both campaigns is the high level of voter negativity regarding the candidates selected by the two major parties. Rather than focus on trying to win over the small number of voters who are not committed to one major party or the other, I expect both campaigns will try to focus on making their case by describing how awful it would be for the country if the other side were to win the White House,” added Farnsworth. “They will focus on getting people who would vote for their side if they showed up to vote fearful enough of the other side to cast a ballot. This strategy will also discourage voting for a third-party candidate, as walking away one’s less disliked major party may mean that the more disliked major party ends up winning the election.”

Similar to its predecessor four years ago, the 2024 Presidential Election has been characterized by a race to the bottom, with mud-slinging and negative campaigning taking center stage.

“The difference this year is that voters have had the opportunity to realize and experience the personal impact of the two candidate’s respective policies. While both campaigns may have the opportunity to capitalize on the negatives of the opposing candidate, only the Trump campaign has the ability to link those negatives on President Biden to the cost of living and public safety issues that will decide this election,” said Cameron Hamilton, a Republican seeking to Replace Rep. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia’s 7th District (eastern Prince William, Stafford, Spotsylvania counties, and Fredericksburg).

Hamilton is one of eight Republicans and nine Democrats who have filed to run in a June 18 Primary Election. The 7th District and neighboring 10th District races in western Prince William and Loudoun counties will be some of the most expensive in the nation this fall, and they will likely drive Virginia voters to the polls more than the Presidential candidates.

“Both President Trump and President Biden are lightning rods that motivate their opposition and inspire their respective base of voters. For this reason, I think we will see lower engagement and enthusiasm but a similar turnout as in past elections. I think this also opens the door for our down-ballot races for Senate and Congress to play a big part in motivating voters and getting them engaged when they otherwise may be inclined to sit this political season out,” said Prince William County Republican Committee Chairman Jacob Alderman.

Eugene Vindman, a Democrat who spoke against President Trump at his first impeachment, has raised nearly $4 million in the 7th District primary race, a phenomenal haul for a local race. Most of the cash is from donors in California and New York.

Derrick Anderson has raised the most money among the Republican candidates for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, with a total of $888,595.

“Virginia’s colleges are not preschools where petulant children need to learn basic rules and manners. Campus officials and law enforcement officers told these young adults the rules. They broke the rules, and now they’ll face the consequences,” said Delegate Todd Gilbert.

“I applaud Governor Youngkin, the Attorney General, and our law enforcement community for the even-handed way they have handled this difficult situation. Some members of the House of Delegates – including Dels. Rozia Henson (Woodbridge), Adele McClure, Joshua Cole (Fredericksburg), and Nadarius Clark – fail to recognize the unlawful nature of some of these protests. They have also associated themselves with the worst of the bigoted messages blaring from speakers on campuses.”

Gilber’s comments come after Democrats issued a statement condemning police action to reign in violent protests on campuses.

Merianne Jensen, the newly appointed Vice Chair of the Prince William County Republican Committee, discussed her journey into politics and outlined her plans to invigorate the local Republican Party and secure victories in upcoming elections.

This article requires a paid Locals Only Membership to read. Please Sign In or Upgrade to a paid membership. Thank you.

Early voting for the June Primary Elections in Stafford County begins on Friday, May 3, 2024. The election is on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.

This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.

In a letter addressed to the Chair and the Supervisors of Prince William County, Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth outlined her intention to withhold prosecution of certain misdemeanor charges, effective May 1, 2024, if county leaders don’t give her more employees.

According to the letter, the Prince William County Prosecutor’s Office is operating with 26 fewer positions than required.  A recent time study showed the office has a deficit of seven attorneys and 19 administrative staff, Ashworth wrote.

On April 18, 2024, supervisors voted in a straw poll and decided to fund an additional four attorneys and four administrative staff for Ashworth’s office. Ashworth asked for 16 new people and asserted that the office cannot sustain its current level of service and must take steps to reduce the caseload. As it stands, Ashworth is set to receive $13 million from the county government to operate her office for the coming fiscal year, starting July 1, 2024. The figure does not include funding from Manassas and Manassas Park cities, for which Ashworth also prosecutes criminal cases.

In response to the straw poll, Ashworth wrote supervisors and listed a series of Class 1 and 2 misdemeanors to which she may no longer assign a prosecutor, including petit larceny, shoplifting, narcotic charges, underage alcohol offenses, disorderly conduct, obstruction of justice, escapes, obscenity, false identification and false report to police, destruction of property, trespassing, reckless driving (unless fatal), and all traffic and operator license misdemeanors.

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors is set to approve its entire FY 2025 budget tomorrow.

“The bottom line is that this office was not properly staffed and funded for decades as the County grew up around us,” Ashworth wrote in an email to Potomac Local. “The time study was able to finally give us a clear staffing standard across the state for all prosecutor’s offices.”

Ashworth, a Democrat, was re-elected to office in November 2023 and is in the first year of her second four-year term.

“The Commonwealth of Virginia does not fund prosecution of misdemeanor cases – only felonies. In smaller jurisdictions, it is easier for the prosecutor to just handle all the misdemeanors as well. However, other large jurisdictions do not handle all of the misdemeanors as [Prince William County] does,” Ashworth adds.

Acknowledging the impact of this decision, Ashworth emphasized the need to focus limited resources on misdemeanors deemed most critical, such as DUI, weapon offenses, and violent crime.

Ashworth’s threats to cut prosecutorial services garnered a quick response from supervisors.

“She claims her predecessor understaffed his office. I don’t recall anyone claiming Paul Ebert [Ashworth’s predecessor] didn’t prosecute enough. The question is efficiency. If Fairfax can do more with less, why can’t she?” asked Gainesville District Supervisor Bob Wier.

During a presentation earlier this month, Ashworth told the Board of County Supervisors that of her 54 office employees, 29 were prosecutors when she took over from her predecessor Paul Ebert, Virginia’s longest-serving prosecutor from 1968 until his retirement in 2019. Since that time dozens of full-time positions have been added to the Commonwealth Attorney’s office, resulting in nearly 80 employees.

“By supporting eight new positions in FY25, in addition to fulfilling the three-year staffing plan introduced by Ms. Ashworth in 2021, I am confident that this Board has provided the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney with the necessary resources to fulfill its prosecutorial duties to our residents,” said Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye. “These new positions will make our Commonwealth’s Attorney office the largest in Virginia, eclipsing even the staffing levels of Fairfax County, which serves more than two times as many residents.”

Since she took over, the Board of County Supervisors has increased funding for her office by $6.4 million and added 32 employees. This represents a cumulative percentage increase of about 93.5% over five years. All the while, Ashworth is pursuing fewer cases than her predecessor, choosing to indict 75 felonies on average per month compared to the 350-per-month average Ebert pursued.

Despite Ashworth having successfully lobbied to increase her office budget to the largest it has ever been in county history, she has the fewest average prosecutions of her predecessors. Meanwhile, the county’s murder rate has doubled, and violent crime increased by 70% since 2019.

In a letter to constituents, Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega called Ashworth’s letter a “dangerous temper tantrum” describing it as “a stain on the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office and unbecoming of an elected official.” She also questioned how a 2% increase in caseload could represent a $2 million budget request.

Both Weir and Vega pointed to neighboring Fairfax County, which cut misdemeanor prosecutions and has subsequently seen a rise in overall crime, with Vega rhetorically asking, “How has that worked out for them?”

In addition to the potential for increased crime in Prince William, the change would also increase the workload of Prince William County Police officers. In her letter, Ashworth clarified that while her office will no longer prosecute these offenses, the burden of prosecution will shift to the arresting police officer, who must handle traditional prosecutor duties such as subpoenaing witnesses, answering discovery, and presenting evidence in court.

“There will be an additional burden on the department in that we will need to train officers on how to do the legal courtroom work traditionally done by the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office,” said Prince William County Police Chief Peter Newsham. “This will also likely result in officers spending more time in court and less time in the community.”

Newsham added that there likely would be a “negative impact on conviction rates during the learning curve.” adding, “Our officers are committed, dedicated, and professional, but they are not lawyers.”

“I don’t think this board responds well to threats and Prince William County does not have an unlimited source of revenue,” Weir added when asked if Ashworth’s threats would lead to him consider changing his vote. “We’re growing the government at a level that is unsustainable given the revenues.”

The Board of County Supervisors meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at the McCoart County Government Building, 1 County Complex Court in Woodbridge. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed online.

Alan Gloss is a freelance reporter for Potomac Local News.

A note to you, our readers:

This story is free to read, but it costs money to bring it to you. If you rely on us for local news and haven’t already, please support us by becoming a member!

• • Join our Locals Only Membership Today!

President Biden is scheduled to deliver a speech today at Prince William Forest Park. The event, to commemorate Earth Day, will commence at 2:45 p.m. Those interested can watch the speech online.

A portion of the 13,000-acre recreational area near Quantico Marine Corps Base is closed to visitors to accommodate them.

The closure and restrictions imposed on the park are in response to a request from the United States Secret Service to ensure a secure staging area and perimeter with adequate standoff distance to safeguard the President during his visit, federal documents state. These temporary measures are also aimed at enabling the Secret Service to conduct security sweeps of the area, secure the landing zone for the President’s arrival, and ensure public safety.

The National Park Service, assessing the situation, deems the closure necessary to protect visitors during the Secret Service’s operations considering the nature of their activities. Although the National Park Service explored the possibility of an alternate or smaller area, the Secret Service determined that lesser restrictive measures or an alternate location would not suffice based on their security assessment.

This visit marks President Biden’s second to Prince William County in 2024. He kicked off his campaign with Vice President Kamala Harris in January at the Hylton Performing Arts Center. President Obama’s visit to Prince William County in 2012 marked the last time a Democrat running for the White House visited the area, once regarded as a bellwether for national elections. Obama held a campaign rally at Richard G. Pfitzner Stadium, formerly the home of the Fredericksburg Nationals (Potomac Nationals), where he arrived via helicopter.