Commentary on Virginia and U.S. Politics & Culture
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina have been on the frontlines of partisan division for over a decade, often being viewed as swing states in national electoral contests. Now, each state’s Supreme Court occupies a similar position—making waves by using their state constitutions to overturn partisan redistricting maps and leveling the playing field for the parties in the upcoming midterm elections…
Read my full article on Election Law Blog
“In 2019, Democrats in Virginia took control of the House of Delegates and the State Senate, giving the party complete control of government for the first time in 26 years. Throughout the next two years, the commonwealth enacted one progressive reform after another — including repealing the death penalty, expanding Medicaid, and passing a $12 minimum wage. No one was more pleased to see those changes than David Toscano…”
You can read the full article on Colgate Magazine.
David Toscano was the guest on NCSL “Legislatures: The Inside Storey” podcast with host Tim Storey. The podcast link is here and the transcript is here and can be read immediately below:
After my retirement from the House of Delegates two years ago, I would frequently get the question, “do you miss it?” My response was typically: “I miss the major challenges. I would have loved to help develop the Virginia response to the pandemic.” I soon came to see that the legislature had little role to play; most of the decisions were made in the governor’s office. [Read more…]
Filibusters do occur in some state legislatures, but they rarely succeed in blocking legislation. Unlike the U.S. Senate, most state legislatures still operate on the Founders’ majoritarian principles.
