Laura Vozzella
@LVozzella
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Washington Post reporter covering politics in Richmond.
Joined December 2009
The first Black woman to serve in statewide office in Virginia gavels the Senate to order. @WinsomeSears
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.@WinsomeSears gaveled Virginia Senate to order with high-heeled patent leather pump after an unknown prankster hid her gavel. She took the trick in stride: “One shoe can change your life. Just ask Cinderella.”
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Richmond protesters pull down statue of Jefferson Davis tonight, per Washington Post photographer John McDonnell.
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"I will be asking for votes and laws, not hopes and prayers." @RalphNortham calling for special session on guns.
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With bipartisan support, Va Senate approves Dem @ChapPetersen floor amendment to R @Dunnavant4VA bill giving parents the right to choose if their kids wear masks.
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Virginia Senate finally turns to marijuana bill, right at 4:20.
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Another Confederate toppled in Richmond, this one near VCU.
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.@SenLouiseLucas is doing a photo shoot - right outside @GlennYoungkin’s digs on Capitol Square.
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For .@BernieSanders fans in Richmond, even "hearing aids," "eyeglasses" and "home health care" are applause lines.
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.@SenLouiseLucas quietly corrected @GlennYoungkin after he mistook her for another Black senator -- but went public days later after guv's hardball political gambit to save Cabinet appointee.
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.@SpanbergerVA07 campaign says it just ousted 'volunteer' who turned out to be Project Veritas mole.
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Longtime Va legislators say they've never seen a governor sign a bill and veto the identical (companion) bill from the other chamber. @GlennYoungkin did it 6 times to @AdamEbbin, vetoing his bill while signing the House version.
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.@WinsomeSears gets chance to break her first tie, on a Dem bill to make judges provide a written explanation when departing from sentencing guidelines.She called D sponsor and R critic to the dais to make their cases. Ultimately votes with Rs.
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Huge crowd at Capitol, on their knees. “I don’t see no riot here!” they chant.
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4 gun-control bills have flown out of Senate panel: Red flag, background checks, 1 gun-a-month & just now, giving localities power to ban firearms at certain events.
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.@GlennYoungkin pops in Senate committee to present red Youngkin vests to @SenLouiseLucas & @SenatorLocke. "I'm worried that you have knock-offs. Based on your fashion sense, I want you to have the original.".
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Meanwhile, in Va guv's race, @GlennYoungkin posted his own guard outside ballot room. Guard falsely claimed he'd been sent by RNC but eventually confessed. Hotel security booted him.
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UPDATE: Good point from a grammarian: @GlennYoungkin's son - at 17, too young to vote - tried twice to vote. (Not tried to vote twice.).
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Virginia Democrat in key House district performed sex acts online for tips.
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With no debate, Va Senate votes to give localities the power to remove Confederate monuments. All 21 Ds were for it, all 19 Rs against.
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Facebook suspends self-described "Trump in heels" @AmandaChaseVA's official account for 60 days, she says just now on her personal FB page.
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Virginia Republicans are having to call security on security. GOP candidates vowing to bring about "election integrity" don't trust their own nomination process.
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Every living Va guv but quarantined @TerryMcAuliffe here to see @GlennYoungkin sworn in.
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Thank you, masked stranger, for pouring water on my eyes.
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.@SpanbergerVA07 raises $3.6M in 3rd Q — more than @DaveBratVA7th's in past two campaigns COMBINED.
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Looters hit ABC on Broad Street. One man filled a garbage can from the store with liquor, then ran into traffic, handing out bottles.
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In a pivotal year, Danica Roem uses her spotlight to boost other Virginia Democrats
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Va LG @FairfaxJustin steps off rostrum as senator praises Robert E Lee on Confederate General’s BD.
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.@SenLouiseLucas was not buying it. “He should have said that yesterday then. He just told me he didn’t think it’s him. And I said, ‘Ralph, this is a day late and a dollar short. It’s too late.’”.
.@RalphNortham refusing to resign and now says he's not sure he's in the blackface/Klan picture.
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Bill reinstating Va's 1-handgun-a-month law passes Senate committee. Law had been in effect from 89 to 2012, then repealed by Rs.
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.@RalphNortham orders all Virginia schools closed for a minimum of two weeks due to coronavirus.
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.@JenKiggans bill meant to cull dead folks from Virginia's voter rolls weekly instead of monthly passes state Senate on bipartisan 32-8 vote.
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Both sides of the aisle in Virginia Senate gave standing ovation to @SenLouiseLucas today, the 40th anniversary of her 40th birthday.
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Steve Bannon-led rally for (absent) @GlennYoungkin & ticket begins with the pledge - to a flag said to have been in present "at the peaceful rally with Donald J. Trump on Jan. 6.".
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Virginia Senate votes, 22-18, to nix Lee-Jackson holiday and replace it with an Election Day holiday.
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In joint presser, @TerryMcAuliffe & @RalphNortham call for universal background checks, in-person, no excuse absentee voting.
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.@SenLouiseLucas, later in the meeting while discussing a bill: "You think that red vest has got to me? Don’t count on it.".
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Commanders stadium bill dead, Virginia Senate leader says.
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BTW, @WinsomeSears is officially Winsome Earle-Sears now. She’d shed the maiden name & hyphen during the campaign for simplicity’s sake, but it’s back now.
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Senate votes 21-18 to ban weapons from Capitol Square and state office buildings, codifying policies already in place by executive order and General Assembly rules adopted last year.
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Tonight's tele-rally with Trump for @GlennYoungkin & the rest of the GOP ticket will be closed press, says @jfradioshow.
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.@GlennYoungkin, who banned TikTok as national security threat, accepts $2M from donor w/ $21B personal stake in app’s parent company.
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Gonna miss my “office” at the Va GOP convention. (Bob Brown/RTD)
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"Donald Trump won," AZ 'audit' advocate, SOS candidate Mark Finchem tells crowd at rally for Virginia GOP ticket, drawing them to their feet.
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Early voting and absentee ballot requests near 1M so far in Virginia, up from about 616K for all of 2016.
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Va Capitol is a gun-free zone now, per rules adopted by Dem-controlled House-Senate committee. That applies to legislators.
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.@mike_pence hires Richard Cullen, atty for guy who plied @BobMcDonnell w/ cash, gifts & Ferrari ride. via @ashleyrparker.
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Fun story by @Meagan_Flynn: A 72-year-old congressman goes back to school, pursuing a degree in AI
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It’s official: @AaronRouseVaBch is sworn in and Dems have a 22-18 edge in Virginia Senate.
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.@GlennYoungkin's Dept of Elections blames unspecified tech problems on backlog in voter registration processing.
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UPDATED w/ reax from Trump spox ("There will be a reckoning") and Virginia Trump chair, who thinks @GlennYoungkin is behind @WinsomeSears's flip ("We will crush him in his own state.")
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Utah's @SpencerJCox, stepping up as GOP Gridiron speaker after @GlennYoungkin backed out, assures crowd the Va guv is OK: "He's just out hiking the Appalachian Trail. He sent me a pic w/ someone named Kate Middleton. It looks like it's been slightly edited.".
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With Maury and two cannons plucked from Monument Avenue, workers say they’re done for the day.
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Weirdly off brand for Trump, but clearly welcome news for Team Youngkin.
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Donald Trump will call in to address a rally with Steve Bannon for the GOP ticket in Henrico tonight, host @jfradioshow says. @GlennYoungkin won't attend, but running mate @WinsomeSears will.
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Bill to allow no-excuse absentee voting in Virginia -- basically, early voting -- clears Senate P&E.
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.@GovernorVA seemed game to prove he can do the moonwalk, but @PamNorthamVA tells him, “inappropriate circumstances.”.
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Area known as zone 2.
.@GovernorVA orders evacuation of lowest-lying areas of Hampton Roads & E Shore, starting Tues 8 am.
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Va Senate votes unanimously to cover 12-month of birth control pills under Medicaid, w/ conservatives touting as way to reduce abortions
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A brave reporter would knock on the door to get the story. I’m gonna keep driving.
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"I served 8 yrs in Army. I showed up for this country. U've been K St lobbyist. Only time u show up is when u get paid." @RalphNortham.
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“You’re gonna do great,” outgoing @LGJustinFairfax assures incoming @WinsomeSears in a visit to the Va Senate chamber.
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John Findlay, ex exec of Va GOP & @AmandaChaseVA observer, at ballot counting. "I just wanted to fit in with the circus that is this process."
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