Gary Miller is a cardiologist and has served on Danville City Council since 2008 Local government doesn’t get much attention But lots of good people serving and has a big impact on daily life

Virginia elections are always my favorite But this year, Maine Senate might be most interesting race Good excuse for political reporters to take the trip up there in the summer Sadly don’t think I’ll make it this year

Decided to read more this summer I’m Booksmaxxing

It’s not quite Dave Brat knocking off Eric Cantor But progressives winning primaries in NY tonight Not a shock anymore like when AOC did it in 2018 We’ll see if forces 2028 Presidential primary further to the Left too

Increasingly difficult for incumbent governments to stay popular Generally true around the world with some exceptions Frustration with economic conditions along harsh cycles of social media part of explanation Reality of politics in an age of discontent

Virginia General Assembly reaches a comprise budget with new energy consumption fee for data centers Looks like an end to the impasse and avoids a shutdown at the end of the month “Peace in the Valley” finally reached as they say in Richmond

Big win for Andy Burnham in the Markerfield by-election Decent chance he will become UK Prime Minister soon He will try and turn around the political fortunes for the Labour Party We’ll see if Keir Starmer will try and fight to stay in office

Very special “by-election” in the UK as Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham tries to hold a seat for Labour If he does, will move to become 7th Prime Minister since Brexit But unpopular incumbent Keir Starmer might try to hold on Results later tonight as most expect Burnham to win

Virginians can FINALLY vote for something again! It’s been sooo long🤣

As @samshirazi.bsky.social points out, Virginia early voting for the 8/4 primaries starts "[Thursday] for jurisdictions closed for Juneteenth, otherwise Friday for those open then." Also, yes, there are "clear frontrunners" for Dems in VA01, VA02, VA05 and VA08 bluevirginia.us/2026/06/thur...

Voting once again starts up this week in Virginia Early voting begins for primaries on August 4 Tomorrow for jurisdictions closed for Juneteenth, otherwise Friday for those open then Primary less dramatic now that redistricting didn’t happen Most races have clear frontrunners

It's now been 2 hours and 16 minutes since the polls closed and we've yet to see any results from DC's Board of Elections.

It appears that Virginia Dems are in disarray Funding for state government runs out on June 30 We’ll see if a comprise can still be struck After big wins in 2025, not quite smooth sailing so far under trifecta

Cheering for the Iranian people tonight Hopefully they can enjoy the game and take a break from it all They have gone through so much and deserve so much better But their spirit cannot be broken

Virginia's State Senate & House of Delegates have been at an impasse for months on the next state budget. As they head towards a July 1 deadline, here's where different proposals stand currently. virginiamercury.com/2026/06/15/t...

Let us hope this deal leads to a better life for the people in Iran and the region And may peace come to the Middle East The struggle for a free Iran will continue Governments rise and fall, but the Iranian people will endure

Interesting observation VA-1 is now the median House district It was Trump +5% in 2024, but Rep. Rob Wittman won by +13% What will Harris/Wittman voters do in 2026? Spanberger won the district by 2% in 2025 so Dems will seriously target for first time centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/...

Very sad news from Delegate Leslie Mehta about her husband’s passing Sending my thoughts during this difficult time

This is the future YIMBYs want wtop.com/arlington/20...

Took the kids to the only Eiffel Tower I recognize (The one in Virginia)

GOP loses top contender in VA-7 as Tara Durant bows out But she could face tough re-election in her State Senate seat It is up in 2027 and was Yes +2% in the referendum By contrast, VA-7 not as competitive Harris +3% in 2024, but Spanberger got +13% in her old seat in 2025

Checks and balances cuts both ways Virginia Dem majorities in General Assembly have power to re-appoint Justices to Virginia Supreme Court Presumably Justices who were in majority knew that when ruling Decent chance Justice Kelsey will just retire

Regarding Spanberger vetos Dems have good chance of trifecta for at least 3 more years in Virginia Theoretically time to hash things out This first legislative session could be “feeling out” period Or perhaps indication might not be smooth sailing even with one party rule

Virginia gerrymander might come back from the dead Likely would require another referendum in 2028 But this time Dems would pass the referendum well before 2027 state elections Would be more important for 2028 and 2030 elections as more states are expected to redistrict

"For now 2 House seats will take center stage. Flipping VA-2 would give Dems a shot at majority. Flipping VA-1 should get them there." - @samshirazi.bsky.social bluevirginia.us/2026/05/brea...

The unsurprising end to a long legal saga in Virginia We’ll see if Virginia Dems decide to try redistricting again in 2028 For now 2 House seats will take center stage Flipping VA-2 would give Dems a shot at majority Flipping VA-1 should get them there

Sharing one of my favorite Virginia election facts The party that has won VA-2 has been the majority party in the House every election since 2008 If that holds in 2026, would make it 10 straight elections

Jumping on for a quick take Virginia Supreme Court was put in a difficult spot 4-3 decision shows a divided Court Half of Virginia would be upset no matter what happened Now Virginia will have 2 of most important House races Better to focus on that than dwell on opinion

Quick update Taking a break from posting and podcasting for now It’s been a great experience and enjoyed interacting with so many people But also a lot to balance and it’s a good time to step back I know everyone will keep things going and I’m still in Arlington so hit me up

The good news for Virginia GOP? They have flip opportunities in 2027 The bad news for Virginia GOP? Very difficult to even come close to a majority in House of Delegates Best hope is to narrow the gap And then see it political environment changes by 2029

Folks I’ll respect whatever decision the Virginia Supreme Court comes to It’s a tricky issue of Virginia state law Reasonable minds can come to different conclusions I’m giving my personal thoughts based on what I’m seeing Only people who know what will happen are 7 Justices

Maureen Edobor: “Making Sense of the Supreme Court of Virginia Oral Argument in the Redistricting Case” electionlawblog.org?p=155707

There are 2 possibilities 1. Virginia Supreme Court wants to issue full opinion and won’t rush something 2. This is shadow docket equivalent and may give hints about final ruling My money is on #1 given they let referendum go forward Would be consistent with 1 final opinion

Good point by @samshirazi.bsky.social re: the potential for an incumbent US House Republican (Ben Cline?) potentially running against Morgan Griffith in VA09. As for VA07, also would add JP Cooney as a serious candidate in addition to the ones Sam mentions. bluevirginia.us/2026/04/base...

The text of Virginia Constitution is important The amendment process is often summarized as there needs to be an election in between passage in General Assembly The text says “referred to the General Assembly at its first regular session held after the next general election”

Think everywhere is pretty much 100% reported now Yes expanded its margin with the final votes counted 3.36% margin of victory and over 100K votes Official certification is pending final ruling from Virginia Supreme Court

Fmr. VA Del. Tim Anderson is a right-wing Republican, but this is actually a solid summary of the arguments yesterday to the VA Supreme Court... bluevirginia.us/2026/04/audi... cc: @samshirazi.bsky.social

Florida map is unlikely to be a dummymader In that Florida GOP will still be better off than if they kept current map But that doesn’t mean they will gain all that they wanted this cycle And Dems could still net gain from redistricting war Thank you for coming to my TED talk

Provisional votes are being added in Virginia Yes won Loudoun provisionals with 64% These are mostly same-day registrations and low propensity voters Harris only got 48% in Loudoun provisionals in 2024 (Spanberger got 71%) Shows shifts since 2024 despite close overall vote

Important to note Florida also has a state constitutional provision against gerrymandering But there will not be a referendum like in California and Virginia There is 60% threshold for passage so could fail But Florida GOP doesn’t seem to think courts will intervene

Florida GOP has also released their map today Looks like trying to counter Virginia Not sure if it will hold up in a 2026 blue leaning environment But redistricting battle could now be more about 2030 tbh So not just about this cycle

One final hot take on Virginia Supreme Court oral argument The majority of Justices didn’t say much 2 of the Justices asked a lot of questions Those 2 seem open to rule against referendum Possible other 5 leaning towards upholding Other 2 asking questions to sway rest

The main issue Virginia Supreme Court focused on is an intervening election Essentially did the Dems pass the referendum too close to the 2025 election That’s the most unique aspect of this specific process compared to past referendums Likely issue that decides whole thing

My initial take on Virginia Supreme Court oral arguments Some Justices don’t view Yes vote as determinative and have technical questions about process This was expected and what their previous order said Still need 4 out of 7 Justices to get a majority either way

Oral arguments begin at 9 in the Virginia redistricting case!

Also wouldn’t read too much into oral arguments It will give us clues into the court’s thinking But judges will test lawyers on both sides Famously Obamacare looked like was going down after oral argument Although redistricting upheld as a tax would be an interesting outcome

Tomorrow morning: Virginia Supreme Court Hears Case on Redistricting Measure bluevirginia.us/2026/04/anot...

The Virginia Supreme Court oral argument is now CSPAN official Shows the national implications of a very specific state law case Link to watch: www.youtube.com/live/uTh3MPn...

"Virginia Supreme Court looking through the law to figure out how to avoid ruling on redistricting" - @samshirazi.bsky.social bluevirginia.us/2026/04/anot...

Richmond Circuit Court rules for Dems in redistricting case related to compactness This is rare Sunday ruling and separate from Tazewell case Basically won’t stop map based on district shapes Ultimately VA Supreme Court will rule on redistricting issues www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/u...