Tag: Joe Biden

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Local perspectives on Biden dropping his reelection bid

President Joe Biden was first elected to public office in 1970. File photo.

In an unprecedented move, President Joe Biden announced on July 21 that he is ending his bid for reelection. The president has endorsed his former running mate and current Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination, but much is still up in the air ahead of the Democratic National Convention next month.

Since entering the Senate more than 50 years ago, Biden’s political and personal careers have been defined by his perseverance. 

“I thought that his mentality was, ‘Okay. I could get through this just like I got through everything else in the last 50 years,’” says Miles Coleman, associate editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia. “He was obviously talked out of that.”

While doubts about Biden’s candidacy have plagued the entirety of his 2024 bid for reelection, it was the June 27 debate against Donald Trump that likely shifted the Democratic Party’s calculations, according to Coleman.

“You could very plausibly argue that that is the most consequential presidential debate in our history,” he says. “The coalition of voters he had, I would argue, wasn’t as much of a pro-Biden coalition as it was anti-Trump. I think that was part of it. He was thinking, ‘Okay, well, am I the one who can best beat Trump?’ … I think one of the big favors he did was right off the bat he endorsed Harris.”

A recent article from Sabato’s Crystal Ball—published on July 18, three days before Biden’s announcement—details the president’s declining polling numbers and increasingly “grim electoral future for Democrats.”

In the article, Coleman and Crystal Ball managing editor Kyle Kondik assert that increasingly shaky polling around Biden, especially in crucial swing states Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona, makes the gamble of switching to Harris more attractive.

“Harris, to me, is a little untested in terms of being on the national stage and having to actually win votes,” says Coleman. “I’m really not sure if she is going to play in the Midwest, which, in my mind, that’s probably going to be the region that’s going to decide the election.”

Existing polling on Harris shows the vice president slightly outperforming Biden with Democratic core groups, specifically women and minorities. Her numbers are slightly lower with men, but the aforementioned core groups have the real potential to make or break Democrats’ bid for the presidency, according to Coleman.

While another member of the party could mount a rapid campaign against her for the position, the vast majority of the Democratic establishment has quickly gotten behind Harris.

A number of state and local Charlottesville Democrats have expressed their support for Harris and respect for Biden, including Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, state Sen. Creigh Deeds, and Del. Amy Laufer.

“As I have been saying for weeks, President Biden is a patriotic American who has always put the needs of our country ahead of himself. …  His decision today reflects the same patriotism that George Washington and Teddy Roosevelt demonstrated when they selflessly put their country above their own political ambitions,” shared Kaine in an official statement shortly after Biden’s announcement. “I’m looking forward to working with my friend Kamala Harris and a great ticket mate to keep Virginia blue so that we can continue to build on our progress.”

Vice President Kamala Harris broke the all-time single-day fundraising record, garnering $81 million for her campaign. File photo.

With Harris now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, the question of her running mate remains. At press time, a formal selection for the Vice President spot on the ticket has not been made, but a few names and trends have emerged.

“Something that we talk about often when it comes to picking the vice president is the idea of balance,” says Coleman. “At this point, I think it would be a big shock if [Harris] doesn’t end up picking another white male to replace Biden.”

Among the most likely contenders for the job are North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. All four are white men with good electoral track records in politically purple states.

Cooper has quickly emerged as a potential frontrunner for the VP pick, having won twice in a state that went for Trump in 2016 and 2020. The governor is also at the end of his eligibility, presently serving his second consecutive term in office, which removes pressure to keep him in his current role to oppose state-level Republican efforts.

Moving to Kentucky, Beshear stands out as a younger contender for the running mate position. The 46-year-old won his bid for reelection to the governorship last year, winning 52.5 percent of the vote against Republican challenger Daniel Cameron.

Beshear also has local ties, having earned his law degree from UVA in 2003.

In Pennsylvania, Shapiro recently came into the national spotlight in the wake of the failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump at an outdoor rally. “He won some bipartisan praise about how he handled the assassination attempt on Trump last week, at least how he set the tone for the aftermath of the assassination attempt,” says Coleman.

Republicans and Democrats praised Shapiro for his quick response, intentional and prompt release of information, conversations with state representatives, and call to the family of Corey Comperatore in the aftermath of the assassination attempt. Comperatore was killed in the shooting, sitting in the section immediately behind Trump.

Cooper, Beshear, and Shapiro have all served as state attorney general at some point in their careers, something the three share with Harris. Coleman highlighted that Democrats could potentially use a ticket with two former attorneys general on it to push back against Republican law and order appeals.

Kelly is also a potential contender for the VP spot but a less likely pick compared to the aforementioned governors. While he could help turn out voters given his popularity in his home state, Kelly is also only in his first term as a senator.

Looking more locally, Coleman says it’s unlikely either Virginia senator will be named as Harris’ running mate. “The biggest strike against Kaine (or Warner) is that Youngkin would appoint a replacement,” he says. “A Virginia pick is just a lot less attractive to Democrats this time around compared to 2016.”

Regardless of who ends up as Harris’ running mate, Coleman speculates that the election is still going to be close. “To me at least, in terms of the electoral map, the Democrats are going to have to win those three midwestern states (Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin).”

Though switching to Harris might be a gamble this late in the election cycle, the move and its timing have several potential upsides for Democrats.

“For much of this year, the Trump campaign had been preparing to run against Biden, and now that’s kind of shuffled up,” says Coleman. “Had Biden announced this time last year that he wasn’t running, then this whole last year the Republicans would have turned their fire on Harris. I’m sure they are going to still very much be going after her now, but they only have four months.”

“One of the biggest criticisms of Biden, not just from Republicans, but from Democrats as well, is his age,” says Coleman. “Now the oldest person to ever run in a presidential general election is going to be Donald Trump because he’s older right now than Biden was in 2020.”

Trump’s recently announced running mate J.D. Vance was also selected with a Biden ticket in mind. Rather than choosing a more moderate VP candidate or someone with different potential selling points, Trump “doubled down and went for Vance.”

Looking ahead, the next month will be especially crucial for Democrats. A divided Democratic Party come August would spell disaster, says Coleman, but that seems increasingly unlikely. “At least theoretically, [Harris’] biggest contenders for the nomination would have been people like Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer; they’ve kind of ruled that out,” he says.

“In terms of getting names on ballots … the point of no [return] is going to be more like late August, early September,” says Coleman. “That’s when the first few states start to print their ballots. There are some states, like Virginia, that give people 40 plus days to go vote early.”

Early voting for the November general election starts on September 20, 2024.

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Deja vu: Local activists and leaders on how to move forward after chaos

Thousands of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6. PC: Starmax/Newscom Via ZUMAPress

Two weeks ago, the far-right riot at the U.S. Capitol—fueled by President Donald Trump’s false claims that he won the election—shocked people across the world. But for many, it was a familiar scene. As the country looks ahead to a new administration and beyond, Charlottesville’s leaders and activists have hard-won advice for President Joe Biden.

“[The January 6 siege] is the same horrific play we’ve seen over and over again in this country,” says community activist Don Gathers, who was at the infamous 2017 Unite the Right rally. “So much of the opening act of that play looked just like Charlottesville, where the police stood by and did nothing.”

For weeks, watchdog groups and activists repeatedly warned law enforcement that Trump supporters’ plans to violently storm the Capitol—and assault, kidnap, and even kill members of Congress—were posted across social media.

Despite these warnings, the Capitol Police anticipated a crowd in only the “low thousands,” and prepared for “small, disparate violent events,” according to Representative Jason Crow.

So, like in Charlottesville, police on the scene were massively unprepared for the thousands of people who showed up to Trump’s rally. Insurgents later overpowered the police and stormed the building, resulting in dozens of injuries and five deaths.

“It’s not like they were secretive…It was all over the internet,” says community activist Ang Conn, who was also at the Unite the Right rally.

Before August 11 and 12, 2017, members of the far-right also openly discussed their plans to incite violence and threatened local residents online, as well as held a few smaller “test” rallies in Charlottesville, says Conn. Local activists continuously alerted law enforcement and urged the city to stop the event from happening, but were not taken seriously.

“The people who were supposed to be keeping the peace had all of this information given to them and they ignored it,” says Tyler Magill, who was hit on the neck with a tiki torch during the Unite the Right rally, later causing him to have a stroke.

Video evidence also shows several Capitol officers moving barricades to allow rioters to get closer to the building, as well as one taking a selfie with a member of the far-right mob. Some rioters were members of law enforcement themselves, including two off-duty Virginia police officers.

The scene at the Capitol serves as a stark contrast to the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests last year, during which police deployed tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and other types of force against thousands of people, and made over 10,000 arrests.

“If Black and brown folks were to do that exact same thing [at the Capitol], we would be dead,” says Conn.

Now, those who were present for the Unite the Right rally say a key to moving forward is to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Since January 6, federal authorities have arrested around 100 people, and say they could arrest hundreds more.

“This cannot be seen as anything other than armed insurrection,” says City Councilor Sena Magill, speaking solely for herself. “It needs to be very clear that people who participated in this need to be prosecuted, and not lightly. …Representatives who instigated this also need to be held accountable.”

Tyler Magill says it’s crucial to expand our definition of white supremacy. “We as a society just don’t take far right extremists seriously,” he says. “We think of it as rednecks [and] trailer park people when it’s not—it’s everybody. The people at the Capitol riot tended to be middle class and above, and the same happened in Charlottesville.”

Other activists have warned that arrests or the threat of arrests will not be enough to deter far-right extremism on—and after—Inauguration Day, pointing to white supremacist calls for violence online.

“We know that they’re not finished,” says Gathers. “I’m fearful for what may happen on the 20th of January, not only in D.C. but really all across the county.”

And though Biden’s inauguration, and the end of Trump’s term, will be a cathartic moment for many, Conn emphasizes that it won’t solve our problems overnight. After the inauguration, she anticipates more white supremacist violence across the country, and says she doesn’t expect President Biden to handle the situation in the best possible manner. Instead, she fears the new administration will ramp up its counterterrorism programs, which are “typically anti-Muslim and anti-Black,” she says.

“The change of the administration doesn’t change the fact that the system of white supremacy is embedded in the fabric of what we call America,” she explains. “We cannot expect [anything from] an administration that condemns uprisings stemming from state violence against Black and brown folks but calls for unity without resolve.”

Gathers also does not agree with the calls for unity made after the riot. “You can’t and shouldn’t negotiate with terrorists, and that’s who we seem to be dealing with,” he says.

However, both activists hope that now more people will not only see white supremacy as a serious threat, but actively work to dismantle it.

“We’ve got to figure out how to change not only laws, but hearts and minds,” says Gathers. “If what we saw [at the Capitol]…and in Charlottesville in 2017 wasn’t enough to turn people around, I’m not sure what it’s going to take.”

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In brief: Turkey time, planner peace out, and more

Volunteers hand out birds at the We Code, Too turkey drive on Saturday. PC: Zack Wajsgras

Turkey time

Community is hard to come by these days, especially as we’re all hunkering down for a long winter indoors. But at the Jefferson School on Saturday, the community put on an impressive show. During the annual We Code, Too turkey drive, 200 birds were handed out to those in need ahead of the holiday. Some of the turkeys were contributed by retailers, and many more were purchased using money from individual donations. Cars snaked through the parking lot, as recipients remained socially distant during distribution. It’s the seventh year in a row that the drive has taken place, proving that even in difficult times, some things remain constant.

Planner says peace out 

Charlottesville city government’s staffing woes continue. On November 4, the city announced that Parag Agrawal had been hired as the Director of Neighborhood Development Services. Agrawal even made an introductory appearance at a press conference the next day. But less than two weeks later, Agrawal is gone, after announcing last week that he’s taken a job as the planning director in Prince William County instead. There’s been a lot of turnover at City Hall recently, but this is a new record.

Looking on the bright side, at least the city won’t have to pay Agrawal a severance package. Mike Murphy got nine months of additional pay after spending a year as interim city manager, and former city manager Tarron Richardson got a $205,000 lump sum after less than a year and a half at the helm. Maybe it would’ve been in Agrawal’s best interest to stick around for another week or two—who knows what he might have walked away with.

After 16 months on the job, former city manager Tarron Richardson walked away with $205,000 in severance pay. PC: Eze Amos

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Quote of the week

“Quite honestly, I just don’t have the time to address every crazy thing she says. It would be a full-time job.”

—Virginia Senate Republican Mark Obenshain, when asked to respond to Republican gubernatorial candidate Amanda Chase’s latest remarks

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In brief

White House bound?

After just two years as UVA president, Jim Ryan may be moving on to the White House—at least, if Nicholas Kristof has his way. The New York Times columnist floated Ryan as a secretary of education pick for Joe Biden’s cabinet last week, praising his “strong moral compass” and more than a decade of experience in higher education. Ryan was “flattered” by the mention, but said, “My focus has been and will continue to be leading the University of Virginia.”

Durty deal

You can get anything on Craigslist—even a much-loved Charlottesville bar. Durty Nelly’s Pub is for sale, and last week the whole shebang was briefly posted on the online classified board with a price tag of $75,000. Durty Nelly’s is still open and doesn’t plan on closing, but the post suggested that the owner is looking to move on.

Pass it around

After Governor Ralph Northam’s recent announcement that he would support marijuana legalization in next year’s General Assembly session, State Delegate Lee Carter proposed that money generated from pot sales be spent on reparations for Black and Indigenous Virginians. It’s “a moral commitment our history demands of us and a necessary first step in Virginia,” Carter wrote in a press release.

Bottom lines up

It’ll come as no surprise that one business in particular is thriving during the pandemic: Virginia ABC stores have reported record sales through the last few months, turning in $22 million more in revenue in October 2020 than during October 2019. Usually, restaurants make up roughly 20 percent of the ABC stores’ businesses, but the liquor shops are having no trouble making ends meet even with that flow interrupted.

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In brief: Biden defeats Trump, ’Hoos rank high, and more

In Washington, D.C., thousands flocked to Black Lives Matter Plaza—close to where federal agents teargassed protesters over the summer so Trump could take pictures holding a Bible—to celebrate Joe Biden's electoral victory. PC: Eze Amos

Bye-bye, Trump!

A quiet fall day on the Downtown Mall quickly turned into a party on Saturday morning as word spread that Joe Biden had won Pennsylvania, giving him enough electoral votes to win the presidential race.

People cheered and clapped in celebration of the Democrat’s long-awaited victory, while cars sporting Biden-Harris flags honked as they passed the mall.

Several hours later, community organizers Don Gathers and Katrina Turner led a last-minute victory rally at the free speech wall. Following several speeches from activists and community members, the crowd sang and danced, overjoyed at Donald Trump’s defeat.

“It is a historic moment. We now have a woman going into the executive office, and to put the cherry on that sundae, a Black woman,” said Gathers.

Celebrations erupted across the country as Biden’s win dominated headlines, sparking fireworks, parades, and other festivities.

In nearby Washington, D.C., thousands flocked to Black Lives Matter Plaza—close to where federal agents teargassed protesters over the summer so Trump could take pictures holding a Bible—waving flags, banging pots and pans, dancing, and popping champagne bottles amidst whoops and hollers. Others reveled in front of the fenced-off White House, later booing and flicking off Trump’s motorcade when he arrived back from hours on the golf course.

“Sha na na, hey hey, goodbye!” shouted the crowd at the White House.

Confederate time capsule

In September, Albemarle County removed the Confederate statue from in front of the courthouse, and in the process revealed a dented, waterlogged time capsule that had been filled with mementos and buried below the monument more than a century before.

Archivists at UVA library have now sifted through the time capsule’s contents. Most of the documents are unreadable, the paper not having survived “a century of immersion in dirty, acidic water,” the librarians wrote in a blog post. Other things did last, however, including three bullets that had been collected from a local battlefield. The capsule’s creators must have thought they were burying Confederate bullets, but modern historical analysis reveals that the bullets were in fact fired by Union guns.

                                                      PC: Eze Amos

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Quote of the week

“That man is gone! That’s it. Trump is gone.”

—community activist Katrina Turner, speaking to NBC29 during an impromptu Downtown Mall rally on Saturday

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In brief

Hopeful ’Hoos

UVA men’s basketball clocked in at No. 4 in the nation in the first AP preseason poll of the 2020-21 season. The Cavs are still, technically speaking, defending national champions. The team will look to build on a strong finish in last spring’s COVID-shortened season. UVA opens on November 25 with a neutral-site game against St. Peter’s.

Tragedy on 29

After being struck by a car on U.S. 29 last Tuesday evening, 23-year-old Marcos E. Arroyo died of his injuries at UVA hospital on Monday. He had been trying to cross the highway near the intersection of 29 and Twentyninth Place, close to Fashion Square Mall. Last year, 41-year-old Bradley Shaun Dorman also died after trying to cross 29 North near Gander Drive, highlighting the need for improved pedestrian infrastructure on the busy highway.

Free college

Piedmont Virginia Community College will use CARES Act funding to offer free spring tuition to those who’ve received unemployment benefits since August 1—or who’ve taken on a new part-time job that pays less than $15 per hour. The no-cost classes will apply to high-demand career areas, including early childhood education, health care, IT, and skilled trades. Students must enroll by December 14.

Military surveillance

Just days after The Washington Post published a scathing report last month on the “relentless racism” Black students and alumni faced at Virginia Military Institute, Governor Ralph Northam ordered a third-party investigation into the state-funded school. Last week, Northam pushed forward with the plan, adding $1 million to the proposed state budget for the probe. Lawmakers will review and approve budget revisions during this week’s special session.

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Campaign pain: Joe Biden talks about Charlottesville a lot. Charlottesville isn’t sure he’s listening.

Area activists wonder why Joe Biden, who’s made Charlottesville a central part of his campaign, hasn’t visited the city. PC: Gage Skidmore

When Joe Biden announced last year that he was running for president, the first words he uttered were “Charlottesville, Virginia.” The campaign video that followed featured footage of the Unite the Right rally overlaid with a voiceover from Biden, responding to President Trump’s infamous comment: “[You] had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”

Throughout his campaign, Biden has continued to bring up the events of August 11 and 12, 2017, most notably during his first debate with President Trump—yet he has not visited Charlottesville, or reached out to city residents since announcing his presidential bid. Those who were closest to the violence have noticed.

“Don’t use us as a prop,” says activist and deacon Don Gathers. “[The rally] is a very sore spot for many of us. It’s painful reliving that weekend.”

After neo-Nazi James Fields rammed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, “I stood there on the corner and watched the [EMTs] feverishly working on Heather…I literally saw life leave her body,” he says. “You just can’t get that sort of thing out of your head.”

Though Gathers will be voting for Biden, he believes the former VP still owes Charlottesville a visit, even if it’s after Election Day.

“He needs to have a public forum with some of the activists here,” Gathers says. “He needs to hear how we feel…We have got to make people [know] that we are more than a hashtag, more than just a blip on the troubled racial history of this country. We deserve better than that.”

UVA library employee Tyler Magill was also frustrated with Biden for using the rally as a talking point, but now tries to not let it bother him too much.

“When he first mentioned Charlottesville, I was originally very angry…but it’s going to happen,” says Magill. “The powerful will use my trauma…It is another thing that is taken from me, that is taken from us.”

Magill attended the August 11 torch-lit rally on the UVA Lawn just to observe. But after seeing the crowd of white supremacists and neo-Nazis surround and attack a group of student counterprotesters, he stepped in to support them. Magill was threatened, doused in gasoline, and hit on the neck with a torch, which damaged his carotid artery. A few days later he suffered a stroke.

Though Magill has largely recovered from his injuries, he still has a small blind spot, and a “difficult time having new memories stick,” explains his wife, Charlottesville Vice Mayor Sena Magill. “We’re still dealing with PTSD. He gets triggered all of the time.”

“I wouldn’t not do what I did,” says Tyler Magill, “but there are days I feel it has ruined my life.”

Like Gathers, Tyler Magill will be voting for Biden, but wishes the former VP had reached out to rally victims, as well as Black Charlottesville activists and residents.

“It would be nice if people would come to us,” he says. “Don’t say you fucking care…if you’re not asking people.”

While Sena Magill does not like seeing Charlottesville continuously brought up as a symbol of hate, she believes it’s important to note why Biden talks about Unite the Right so much. The rally is a crystal-clear example of Trump’s repeated failure to condemn white supremacy.

“The fact that hundreds of people thought…that they could have a Klan rally in 2017, and the president of the United States did not 100 percent disavow and say how horrendous that was…We have to use that to change,” says Sena Magill.

If not for the death of his son Beau and the pandemic, Magill believes Biden would have paid a visit to Charlottesville before the election. “We need to give the man a little more grace for that, for not coming here in 2017 and 2018,” says the city councilor.

UVA alumna Alexis Gravely doesn’t think there is a reason for any political candidates to use Charlottesville as a part of their campaign, unless they personally experienced it. As a reporter for The Cavalier Daily, Gravely trailed the neo-Nazis and white supremacists during the torch-lit rally on the Lawn, and witnessed their violent clashes with counterprotesters on the Downtown Mall.

“There were very few public figures, if any, who came to Charlottesville, and offered support to those who’ve been affected and the community,” says Gravely, speaking solely for herself. “So for me, anytime Charlottesville comes up in politics, it’s very disingenuous…They had nothing to do with that day, [or] picking up the pieces in the months and years afterwards.”

“Three years later, August 11 and 12, that whole week is a very difficult week for me,” she says. “To have to constantly relive it, just because I am tuned into politics, it’s not that great of a feeling.”

“Regardless of your party, Charlottesville isn’t a talking point,” she adds. “It’s a real event that happened.”

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Coronavirus News

In brief: Students test positive, Dem Convention hits downtown, and more

PC: PBS Newshour

Biden busted

The Democratic Convention won plaudits for its creative all-virtual roll call vote last week, as viewers were taken on a hokey, state-by-state tour of the country. Charlottesville local and Gold Star father Khizr Khan, who made a name for himself by delivering an impassioned speech at the 2016 convention, represented Virginia in the roll call.

Khan delivered his brief remarks in front of the free speech wall downtown. But sharp-eyed Twitter user @fern_cliff noticed that the colorful “Joe Biden” and “Vote 2020” written on the wall behind Khan had been chalked on top of preexisting Black Lives Matter protest art.

In one corner of the wall, the words “systemic racism” poke out from between the “Joe” and the “Biden.”

On the campaign trail, Biden has repeatedly mentioned that the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville—and Donald Trump’s ensuing “very fine people on both sides” comments—inspired his presidential run. The first words of Biden’s official campaign announcement in April 2019 were “Charlottesville, Virginia.” The former veep has not visited Charlottesville, however, even before travel was restricted by coronavirus. This latest chalk-job can’t help Biden’s standing among local activists who already feel as though they’ve been used as a campaign prop.

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Quote of the week

“The board put me on leave, took away my duties as prez, and that’s not permitted by my contract. And they put me on leave because of pressure from self-righteous people.”

—Jerry Falwell Jr. on his resignation from Liberty University, shortly after reports emerged that he and his wife had a yearslong sexual relationship with a former pool attendant

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In brief

Passing the test

Students returning to UVA for the fall semester were required to submit a COVID test before arriving in Charlottesville. The school has now received 13,000 tests—three-quarters of the kits they sent out—and just 36 students, or .3 percent of those tested, have come back positive, reports NBC29. In-person classes begin September 8.

Shut it down

A group of UVA employees have formed a union—United Campus Workers of Virginia—demanding that the university move fall classes entirely online, cancel move-in for most undergrads, and provide hazard pay for employees during the pandemic. A press release from the union says the group formed as “a direct result of growing dissatisfaction” with the school’s disregard for student and employee input in pandemic response planning.

Heads off

Not long after being splattered with an arc of red paint, UVA’s George Rogers Clark monument was once again recontextualized last week, as a nighttime visitor attempted to remove the general’s head with a saw, per photos shared by Twitter user @tormaid. The visitor left a good gash in the general’s neck, but wasn’t quite able to finish the job. Maintenance crews have been spotted trying to repair the damage, but the university has not released a statement.

Former VA guv Terry McAuliffe filed paperwork to run again. PC: John Robinson

Governor guesses

Terry McAuliffe’s long, coy flirtation with a governor’s run got a little more serious last week. After raising money through his old PAC for months, the former governor filed official paperwork to run as a Democratic candidate. He still claims he will not make an official decision until after the presidential election.

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Dems do battle: Charlottesville heads to the polls for Democratic primary on Super Tuesday

The Virginia democratic primary will likely narrow a still-crowded field.

Mike Bloomberg’s Charlottesville campaign office is cavernous—and, on a Wednesday afternoon with the Virginia primary less than two weeks away, totally empty. The ninth-richest man in the world set up shop across the street from Friendship Court, one of Charlottesville’s largest low-income housing neighborhoods, but it doesn’t seem to have led to any foot traffic. Bloomberg’s website says there’s a canvass scheduled, but the office is locked and dark. 

Bloomberg is the only presidential candidate so far to establish a permanent physical location in Charlottesville ahead of March 3—Super Tuesday—when Virginians will head to the polls to cast their votes in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. (The Virginia Republican Party voted to cancel its primary, one of a handful of states to do so.) 

A late entrant, Bloomberg has poured resources into Super Tuesday states like Virginia. But the race here is pivotal for any candidate hoping to stay in a field that will soon narrow. Virginia’s 99 delegates make it the fourth most valuable state out of the 18 to vote on March 3 or before. 

Bekah Saxon, the co-chair of the Charlottesville Democratic Party, says Virginia’s mix of demographics makes the state especially useful as a tool for determining who might have nationwide success. “Virginia is a cross section of the country,” Saxon says. “We have urban areas, we have large numbers of recent immigrants who are now citizens, we have lots of young voters from all of the colleges we have, we have rural areas. It can be a real litmus test as to how the rest of the country is thinking.”

Four years ago, Hillary Clinton rolled through the Democratic primary in Virginia, taking the state with 65 percent of the vote to Bernie Sanders’ 35 percent. This time, though, polling suggests a much closer race. A mid-February poll from highly rated pollster Monmouth University showed Sanders taking 22 percent, Bloomberg 22 percent, and Joe Biden 18 percent of Virginia’s votes, with the rest of the field trailing far behind. The polling also suggests that many people in Virginia remain undecided about their choice in the Democratic field.

In 2016, despite Clinton’s strength statewide, Charlottesville asserted itself as one of Virginia’s most progressive enclaves—in the city, Sanders earned 4,483 votes to Clinton’s 3,889. With Sanders now considered a frontrunner by many, there’s nothing to suggest the senator from Vermont won’t turn in another strong performance in town.

Saxon says Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, and Sanders have held the most events in Virginia, and seem the most organized in Charlottesville, despite none of them splurging on an office like Bloomberg. 

The dynamic is similar over on UVA’s campus. “Warren, Buttigieg, and Sanders seem to be the most institutionalized on Grounds,” says Kiera Goddu, president of the University Democrats. “All three have student groups just for that candidate.”

Some Charlottesville-area donors have been particularly active in the primary so far. The Virginia Public Access Project records individual donations made directly to campaigns. Progressive power-donor Sonjia Smith has cut $5,600 checks for both Buttigieg and Warren. Parke Capshaw, wife of real estate mogul Coran Capshaw, has given around $1,600 to Buttigieg and $3,400 to Sanders. Farther afield, it appears that Justin Vernon, frontman of the Wisconsin-based band Bon Iver, has an LLC registered in Charlottesville, and has given $2,800 to both Sanders and Warren from that address.  

According to VPAP, Buttigieg has raised the most money in Virginia and raised the most from the Piedmont region, which includes Charlottesville and a few counties north of town. 

November might feel like it can’t come soon enough, but March 3 will be the last stand for some campaigns that have come a long way. “I can’t imagine that there wouldn’t be some campaigns that get suspended after Super Tuesday,” says Saxon.

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Youth Movement

Most of the students at Charlottesville High School aren’t old enough to vote—but that doesn’t mean they aren’t engaged.

CHS doesn’t have an official Young Democrats or Young Republicans club these days, but there are other groups around the school with a political bent. Jamila Pitre, one of the co-leaders of CHS’ Young Feminists club, is backing Bernie Sanders because of his commitment to “wealth equality, the Green New Deal, [and] his approach to foreign policy.” 

Julianna Brown, the other leader of the club, is supporting Elizabeth Warren, due to “her more liberal economic plans” and “policy experience.”

Brown thinks most people in her organization support Sanders or Warren, but says “a lot of people are struggling to balance their own personal beliefs with electability.”

For example Lily Wielar, a senior, says she supports Joe Biden, because “he has the greatest chance of beating Trump.”

At the same time, others aren’t feeling so inspired by the slate of available candidates. Noelle Morris, the head of CHS’ Black Student Union, says she has “not been following the Democratic primary” and doesn’t know who the most popular candidate is for the students in her group. No matter who the nominee is, he or she will have to figure out how to get young people united and on board.

—Charlie Burns

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News

In brief: City v. civilians, Bennett declines, memorial stomper, and more

Police Chief RaShall Brackney held a press conference in March to discuss producing arrest records in an attempt to prove transparency at the department. Eze Amos

City blasts Police Civilian Review Board

A couple days after C-VILLE opinion columnist Molly Conger wrote about the importance of the still-developing but much-scrutinized Police Civilian Review Board, the board found itself the subject of another controversy.

The CRB has been working for nine months to create bylaws to establish a permanent board that will process complaints against the cops. In an April 23 story on its most recent meeting, the Daily Progress detailed a “breaking point” between the board and Police Chief RaShall Brackney, alleging that Brackney would not schedule a public meeting with CRB members.

Then the city sent out an unusual, unsigned press release refuting those claims, and accusing a CRB member of “inaccurately characteriz[ing]” emails between Brackney and the board, specifically that the chief “refused to meet or was not available for the entire month of June.”

“I am that board member, and I said no such thing,” says Josh Bowers, who adds that he couldn’t have mischaracterized the messages at the meeting, because he was reading them verbatim.

Bowers also denies saying Brackney refused to meet, though he did say it has been difficult to schedule meetings with her.

“No city official was at our last board meeting, so I’m not sure where the city got its information,” he says. “It is quite clear to me that those responsible for this press release failed to do their homework.”

Conger tweeted that it was a “deeply concerning development,” and it seemed “wildly inappropriate” for the city to issue such a “scathing” press release without any representatives at the CRB meeting.

The city also said in its release that the terms of the current board members would not be extended this summer, when a new board is supposed to be selected.

“This could be a death knell for the nascent civilian review board,” Conger wrote. “The only conclusion I can draw from this is that the city wants to smother the infant board in its crib.”

Linh Vinh, a member of the People’s Coalition that teamed up with the CRB to draft bylaws, says Brackney has been “superficially flexible” with her meeting schedule.

When the CRB expressed interest in creating a memorandum of understanding with the chief, which would focus on access to department data and files, she appeared interested in the collaborative process and asked Bowers to send her the draft.

“He sends it to her, and all of a sudden her availability is all booked up,” says Vinh. When Bowers asked if there were any dates outside of the suggested period that she could meet, says Vinh, “No response.”

Quote of the week

“I’m hoping a few more Democrats jump into the race for the White House. If the total hits 31, the party can open a Baskin-Robbins and name a flavor for each candidate.” —UVA Center for Politics director Larry Sabato in an April 24 tweet.

In brief

Confederates score

Two years into the Monument Fund lawsuit against the city, Judge Rick Moore ruled that the statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, which City Council unanimously voted to remove after August 12, are war memorials and protected by state code. Still to be decided: whether councilors have immunity and what issues the defendants can have decided in a jury trial.

Heyer memorial stomped

Over the weekend, a white supremacist in a purple T-shirt, cuffed jeans, and black boots posted a video to Instagram where he kicked over flowers at the longstanding memorial to Heather Heyer on Fourth Street. Activists have identified him as Dustin Dudley of Salem, and while police did not confirm his identity, they said the event is under investigation, and anyone with information should contact the police department.

Otherwise engaged

photo Matt Riley

UVA men’s basketball Coach Tony Bennett announced he’s received inquiries about the national champs visiting the White House, and with some of the team pursuing pro opportunities or moving on from the university, it would be “difficult if not impossible” to reunite the team. “We would have to respectfully decline an invitation.”

Rescue squad beef

The Board of Supervisors recently voted to dissolve the 45-year-old Scottsville Volunteer Rescue Squad because of a reported struggle to retain volunteers. But when the squad moved to donate its land to a nonprofit, the county wasn’t having it: On April 18, Albemarle officials filed a petition for a temporary injunction and requested an emergency order to prevent it from transferring its assets.

New job

Denise Johnson will take on the role of supervisor of equity and inclusion in Charlottesville City Schools, a job created this year. Serving as the current executive director of City of Promise and a former school counselor, Johnson is a Charlottesville native and graduate of city schools.

$2 million bill

That’s what Kim Jong Un wants the United States to pay for the hospital care of UVA student Otto Warmbier, whom North Korean officials released from their country in a coma before he died. Korean government officials say President Donald Trump pledged to pay the bill before Warmbier’s release—but Trump says he didn’t and he’s not going to.

All eyes on Biden

Joe Biden is getting some local heat for his Charlottesville-focused presidential campaign announcement.

From the moment rumors began to swirl that former vice president Joe Biden might announce his 2020 presidential run in Charlottesville, one thing became clear: Local activists did not want him here.

Biden ultimately decided to announce via video—UVA professor Siva Vaidhyanathan said “we stared him down” on Twitter—but the first word out of his mouth in that official campaign video was “Charlottesville.”

To no surprise, this prompted several local opinions, with many calling for Biden to donate to the Charlottesville Community Resilience Fund for August 12 victims, while former mayor Mike Signer joined the pro-Biden camp.

Tweeted Reverend Seth Wispelwey, “For how much #Charlottesville (and our traumatic footage) seems to be motivating and framing @JoeBiden’s candidacy, one might think we would’ve received a call or visit in the past 20 months.”

City Council candidate Michael Payne asked, “Will Biden show up for public housing in Charlottesville?…For the Black Student Union? For police accountability?”

Councilor Wes Bellamy said there’s no real way to get around the city being in the spotlight. “[I’d] much rather it be discussed and [have] national figures like the president talk about how they’re going to deal w/it.”

We won’t hold our breath.