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Special election set for Jan. 11 to fill Virginia House seat

By The Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A special election is set for next month to fill the seat of a Democratic member of the Virginia House from Norfolk who is resigning his seat.

House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn issued a writ of election Friday initiating a special election that will be held Jan. 11 to fill the seat vacated by Del. Jay Jones in the 89th House District.

The deadline to file for candidacy for the vacancy is 5 p.m. on Dec. 22. Jones announced Thursday that he would step down by year’s end.

He mounted an unsuccessful primary challenge against incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring. Jones says he expects to continue to stay involved in politics, but he wants to prioritize time with family.

Virginia judge blocks Democrats’ referendum, a blow to redistricting effort over 4 U.S. House seats

By The Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia court on Thursday effectively blocked Democrats’ planned April voter referendum to redraw the state’s congressional maps, another potentially devastating blow to the party’s effort to pick up four more U.S. House seats in the national redistricting battle. Virginia Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones has already vowed to appeal the ruling by a Tazewell Circuit Court, which granted a temporary restraining order requested by the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. The plaintiffs argue that the ballot referendum’s timing and phrasing are illegal. The court's decision on Thursday, while temporary, could kill the referendum for this year if it withstands appeal. The restraining order is in effect until March 18 and early voting is slated to start March 6. The Republican request for a restraining order — also signed by Republican U.S. Reps. Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith — argued that Democrats were ramming redistricting-related bills through the legislature despite legal hurdles that prevent such a rushed process.
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