At one time, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, represented a portion of Midland County and so became involved in issues related to the oil and gas industry that dominates the Permian Basin. The San Antonio native was recently named the most effective lawmaker in the 112th Congress by a study conducted by political scientists at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University.
While Governor Chris Christie embarked on his RGA countrywide tour over the summer, political observers and those in the governor’s camp dismissed talk of an early Christie exit. They said Christie, who is in the first year of his second term, would benefit by staying at the Statehouse even if he decides to launch a run for president. "I’d be stunned," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said in June. "I am going to be surprised if Christie isn’t laughing about this (speculation)."
Tuesday's midterm elections were supposed to be a night of nail-biters, from Sen. Mitch McConnell's re-election race in Kentucky to veteran Sen. Pat Roberts' battle in Kansas. The too-close-to-call refrain was expected to be heard throughout the night. Instead, when the dust settled, Republicans rumbled to one of their biggest victories in decades. How could so many polls get so many races so wrong? "I want an investigation of the polls in Virginia," University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato told Fox News. "They were completely wrong, ju...
President Barack Obama will be in Asia starting Monday with an itinerary that includes attending the APEC CEO Summit, a state visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia. For a president that may be looking at a tough road ahead on his domestic agenda, it makes sense to switch focus to foreign policy, says Russell Riley, a presidential historian at the University of Virginia.
A new GOP star was born in Virginia with Republican Ed Gillespie's near-upset of Sen. Mark Warner (D). In a race few thought Gillespie could win, the consummate political insider nearly pulled off the most shocking victory of the midterm cycle. "The Virginia GOP's bench is pretty empty," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "Now they have a potential candidate that nearly toppled the person thought to be the state's most popular politician."
In the aftermath of the resounding Republican takeover of the Senate this week, most everybody agrees two things are true. The GOP is going to face a much tougher Senate map and electorate in 2016. and the upper chamber is going to be populated for the next two years by a number of prominent Republicans (Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio) with presidential ambitions. "There's no question that 2016 will be challenging for the GOP," Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, told TPM, "though a 54-vote GOP Senate is a much tougher nut for...
Katie Couric, a University of Virginia alumna, is back to town for a Virginia Film Festival screening of "Fed Up," a documentary exploring factors behind the rise in childhood obesity. The documentary "Fed Up" provides an often shocking look at the nation's distressing intake of sugar and its dire consequences. After the screening, the film's co-executive producer, Katie Couric, will be joined by Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Christine M. Burt Solorzano to discuss the subject of the film and field questions from the audience.
David Baldacci has been to our festival so many times it’s hard to keep track.The Virginia Festival of the Book, that is. “We went back and looked, but there is one year we can’t account for,” said Jane Kulow, director of the 20-year-old book fest. “But we know for sure that David Baldacci has been here for at least eight years.” It is easier to count Baldacci’s appearances at our “other” festival. The graduate of the University of Virginia’s law school and the best-selling author of 28 novels will be making his debut as a special gue...
The Republican party did better this year among women, young adults, blacks, Hispanics, and singles than it did in 2012, when President Barack Obama relied on the new demographic coalition that the Democratic Party has been building, made up of these groups, to help him chart a path to the presidency for a second time,” W. Bradford Wilcox points out in “Minding the Marriage Gap: The 2014 Election Edition.” From Cory Gardner in Colorado “to Thom Tillis’ come-from-behind victory in the North Carolina Senate race,” this year’s election “tells us tha...
A global nonprofit organization, Water is Life has introduced a new “drinkable manual” that teaches safe water tips and serves as a tool to revolutionize water purification as a means of tackling the global water crisis. The organization in collaboration with scientists from the University of Virginia and Carnegie Melon University, say the book’s high-tech filtration paper, can provide up to four years of safe drinking water for any water-deprived community.
Some big names in Hollywood are in Charlottesville Thursday to kick off the 27th Annual Virginia film festival. Opening night featured the world premiere of "Big Stone Gap," a film shot entirely in the commonwealth. The Paramount Theater here was packed Thursday night with film lovers of all ages. The audience was the first in the world to see a movie that's very close to home for some of the main stars.
For 27 years in Charlottesville, the Virginia Film Festival has provided an annual showcase of movies, everything from independent films to classics to documentaries, along with panel discussions and other special events. Not to mention an opportunity for local folks to rub elbows with some big names in film. In this era of smartphones and streaming, when you can pretty much watch whatever whenever from the comfort of wherever, do movie theaters matter anymore? Jody Kielbasa thinks so. "I think film is a communal experience that’s shared in movie theaters, and that’...
Former NFL player and NASA astronaut Leland Melvin returned to the University of Virginia Thursday night to talk about how the STEM education program shaped his life. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. The 1990 UVA School of Engineering graduate says he also likes to add in an "A" - for arts – to STEM, because he feels they are just as important, and necessary for a well-rounded education.
As citizens of the world mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Sunday, the University of Virginia will commemorate the day by gathering at 5:30 p.m. at the “Kings of Freedom” Berlin Wall exhibit, in the Library Quad, adjacent to Alderman Library, with a reception to follow in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom -- which the public is also cordially invited to attend.
WTJU, the University of Virginia community-owned radio station, is asking for the public help them win a $25,000 grant to spread music through the community.The grant is part of the station's efforts to host a 10 week series of free outdoor concerts in the coming year. The series would be held at the Ix Art Park, and feature a variety of artists from around the area and Virginia.
Expect to see more police patrol around U.Va. in the coming months. An advisory group from the school plans to add more officers and a sub-station around grounds. More specifically, the Corner in Charlottesville will be the location and focus for this sub-station, and this isn't the first time we've had one around U.Va.
Would strengthening marriage and family help to restore the American dream? U.Va. professor W. Bradford Wilcox, co-author of a new report tackling that question, explains his findings and a then a diverse panel responds to his ideas: Michelle Singletary of the Washington Post, Ross Douthat of the New York Times and Jordan Weissmann of Slate.
Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said that a recount makes little sense unless “some massive vote discrepancy” shows up quickly in the canvass.
In the aftermath of Election Day, about 186 ballots cast at the University Hall precinct in Albemarle County remained in limbo Wednesday due to a technical error with a voting machine. In a Wednesday afternoon conference call with reporters, Warner campaign attorney Marc Elias, chairman of the Perkins Cole political law practice, said there is no basis for a recount in the Senate race and that Warner has “achieved victory.” Geoff Skelley, a political analyst at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, said anti-Democratic sentiment definitely played a role in shaping...
Now that Election 2014 is over, attention has shifted toward the presidential election of 2016. The future Republican presidential nominee will likely be a white man, said University of Virginia political scientist Geoffrey Skelly to Kropf. And if the GOP starts looking for some racial, ethnic and/or gender balance, Haley - an American of Indian ancestry - fits both bills.