Author Archive
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Swing States Project
Four stories to follow in Virginia
November 13, 2012 02:50 PMVIRGINIA — Election Day has come and gone, leaving many vital story threads for Virginia’s political reporters to continue to pursue. Here are four to follow in the weeks and months ahead: 1. Purple Virginia The changing demographics of... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Was it Obama’s policies—or the pie?
November 5, 2012 02:00 PMVIRGINIA — As part of his closing pitch to voters here in Virginia, Mitt Romney went hog wild. It was pork barrel politics of a different sort as the Romney campaign late last week crafted an online ad that lays... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
In Virginia, skirmishes in the voting wars
November 1, 2012 11:00 AMVIRGINIA — With Election Day fast approaching and this swing state looming large in the contests for both the White House and the Senate, there’s a chance for a large-scale outbreak in the “voting wars”—the running battle over the way... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Awash in ads in Roanoke
October 19, 2012 07:00 AMVIRGINIA — Much is always expected of those graced with favor. And when you consider that Virginia television stations this year have been the beneficiaries of an unprecedented flood of political advertising dollars, the bar is set pretty high for... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Hey, big spender
October 17, 2012 12:10 PMVIRGINIA — A millionaire homebuilder and frequent conservative political donor from Texas has contributed $1 million to the Virginia Senate race, in support of Republican George Allen, a Federal Election Commission report released Friday shows. This, you’d think,... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Covering the role of coal in Virginia
October 8, 2012 03:00 PMVIRGINIA — Mitt Romney likes coal. A lot. And the coal industry in Virginia likes Romney back. Unfortunately, there’s not enough to like about how this state’s news outlets have covered the role of coal in the presidential campaign. Romney... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
After VA Senate debate, how to cover Kaine’s gaffe?
September 21, 2012 04:08 PMVIRGINIA — If you’ve heard one thing about Thursday’s hour-long debate in McLean between Senate candidates George Allen and Tim Kaine, it’s this: in an exchange about Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” video, Kaine, the Democrat, said he “would be open... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
As Senate ad war heats up, time for press to step up
September 20, 2012 03:00 PMVIRGINIA — Presidential race advertising dominates swing state airwaves, but viewers in Virginia are also being bombarded with an influx of ads in a high-profile Senate race. Democrat Tim Kaine’s campaign has laid out $4.5 million on advertising, while the... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
To follow the political money: a wonderful tool
September 6, 2012 03:29 PMVIRGINIA—It might have been overwhelming for any newsroom to try to track the political advertising cash flowing into the Commonwealth this year. But it isn’t. As noted in earlier Swing States Project pieces, reporters here have... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Checking the foundation of ‘We Built It’
August 30, 2012 03:00 PMVIRGINIA — The Republican National Convention may be happening in Tampa, but the theme for the gathering’s opening Tuesday night—“We Built It”—was Virginia-made, and one of the speakers espousing that line was the commonwealth’s governor, Bob McDonnell. Unfortunately, the way... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Last week’s GOP local TV blitz
August 22, 2012 11:00 AMVIRGINIA — The word “exclusive” is routinely devalued in broadcast political reporting and last week was no exception. Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan granted “exclusive” face time Thursday and Friday to assorted local television reporters in key states including... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
A super resource on super PACs in Virginia
August 16, 2012 03:00 PMVIRGINIA — Super PACs have been pouring money into Virginia for months, now, seeking to sway the presidential contest and the Senate race between Republican George Allen and Democrat Tim Kaine. But they’ve also been filling their coffers with money... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Covering Paul Ryan’s big day in Virginia
August 13, 2012 07:00 AMVIRGINIA — You expect nuance and quantity from The Washington Post and The New York Times when it comes to coverage of major political news, like the selection of a vice presidential nominee. But can a local paper tell the... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
In sports or politics, you can’t tell the players without a scorecard
August 2, 2012 11:00 AMVIRGINIA — No matter the game, you’ve got to know who’s on whose team to keep up with the action. That adage also applies in one of my favorite spectator sports, politics. Unless you want to resort to visiting multiple... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
In VA, allegations of racism ignite a controversy
July 27, 2012 11:00 AMVIRGINIA — The butterfly effect has been in effect here this week, as a Democratic state senator’s comments about racism in presidential politics on a Hampton Roads talk radio show led to a storm of condemnation from the right, drawing... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Roanoke Times excels at campaign ‘event coverage’…
July 18, 2012 06:50 AMVIRGINIA — Last month, the New York Times made an effort to help readers navigate some of the “selective truths,” largely economy-related, being told out on the campaign trail. “To listen to Mitt Romney tell it,” began... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Tracking campaign cash in the commonwealth
July 10, 2012 04:15 PMVIRGINIA — If you want to follow political money in Virginia—and there’s plenty of it here, as this is one of four states with no limits on campaign contributions—the Richmond-based, non-partisan nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project is the... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Political money talks. PolitiFact Virginia listens—and then talks back
June 29, 2012 01:18 PMVIRGINIA — Need proof that Virginia is a battleground state in the 2012 election? In one recent week, the presidential campaigns and their super PAC allies aired more ads in Richmond than in any other market, according to <a href=http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-news/2012/jun/24/tdmain01-all-eyes-on-henrico-ar-2009847/... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
When ads attack in Virginia
June 19, 2012 04:45 PMVIRGINIA — Turn on a local morning television newscast on any given day in Virginia and you’ll likely get a bit of political bashing to go with your coffee. For months now, an influx of outside money has paid for... Continue reading
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