Virginia’s 66th Governor, Doug Wilder, wisely advises that Virginia “must distinguish between niceties — the policies that may sound appealing or politically rewarding but do little to ease the pressures Virginians face — and necessities, those actions that directly address affordability, economic security and opportunity. Government must focus first on what helps families remain afloat, not on what merely satisfies ideological impulses.”
Virginians would greatly benefit if Governor Wilder’s advice were heeded by everyone currently serving in government.
Democrats Charge Taxpayers $5 Million for Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering is wrong whenever and wherever it happens. Virginia voters demonstrated their opposition to the practice in 2020, when a majority of voters in 132 out of 133 localities voted to prohibit legislators from drawing their own lines. Unfortunately, partisan fevers have led Virginia Democratic legislators to seek to redraw Virginia’s congressional lines in the middle of the decade.
Last Tuesday, a Circuit Court Judge ruled the Democrats’ proposed mid-decade gerrymander was illegal on at least three different counts. On Thursday, Democratic legislators defied the Court and quickly passed legislation spending $5 million of taxpayer funds for an April gerrymandering special referendum that had just been ruled illegal. Then on Friday, Democrats broke their promise to make their proposed maps public by January 31. As of this column’s submission deadline, Democratic legislators were still wrestling over how to gerrymander the Roanoke Valley and Loudoun County based on how the lines affect their preferred primary candidates — which, in many cases, is themselves.
Virginians still do not know what these maps would look like, but the very first bill to reach Governor Abigail Spanberger’s desk would spend $5 million in taxpayer funds for a Court-invalidated referendum. Governor Spanberger should not make such a partisan and misplaced priority the first law she signs.
Democrats Explore Ending State Support for VMI
Despite being recognized as one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges for decades, the Virginia Military Institute is now coming under legislative fire from Democratic legislators. House Bill 1374 would strip VMI of its own governance in Lexington and transfer it to Virginia State University, located two and a half hours away in Petersburg. Meanwhile, HB1377 would create a task force to determine if VMI is even worthy of receiving continued taxpayer support. I strongly oppose these ideological attacks on VMI.
Career and Technical Education Advance
Last week, my Senate Bill 538 passed the Senate with a 30-10 vote. This bill ensures prosecutors are notified when the Parole Board considers granting early release to an inmate. Additionally, Senate committees advanced my bills to expand career and technical education opportunities. These will be considered by the full Senate this week.
Share Your Views & Track Legislation
With two thousand votes cast each year, I do not expect us to always agree, but I always want to hear from you. You can share your views with me by taking the legislative survey at https://tinyurl.com/2026VASurvey, by emailing David@Suetterlein.com, or by calling 540-302-8486.
You can read every bill and track votes through the Legislative Information System at https://lis.virginia.gov.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve our Commonwealth.
Senator David Suetterlein represents the Roanoke and New River Valleys in the Virginia Senate. He and his wife, Ashley, live in Roanoke County, where their children attend public schools. David works as a Realtor at MKB, Realtors.
