Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Redistricting impacts Virginia elections

(This is one of three VA election stories today)

Redistricting impacts Virginia elections

Lawn signs greet voters as they enter Coleman Elementary’s polling station in Marshall, VA on Election Day.

Meaghan Downey / Medill News Service

Both Meaghan Downey and Nicole Norman are graduate students at Northwestern Medill in the Politics, Policy and Foreign Affairs specialization

ONE OF THREE VIRGINA REPORTS TODAY: As one of the key swing states for the 2024 presidential election, the Commonwealth of Virginia rightfully received considerable national attention. Today, we present three news stories all written by Northwestern University students participating in the university’s Medill News Servic e. We are proud to be partnering with the Medill News Service to present reporting written and produced by Northwestern University graduate journalism students reporting from Washington, D.C.


VIRGINIA – In Fauquier County, Sandra Rodgers stood behind a folding table with a Republican party flag draped over the front. She handed out Republican sample ballots and copies of the U.S. Constitution to voters as they entered Marshall Middle School.

Her reasons for volunteering with and voting for Republicans in Tuesday’s legislative elections were one in the same.

“Virginia needs to be a little more conservative than it is now and we’re hoping to flip that Senate in order to make that happen,” Rodgers said.

For the first time since redistricting in 2021, Virginians voted within new district lines. Prior to the election, experts predicted it would be the most diverse General Assembly in the state’s history. However, in some districts like Senate District 31, some voters felt that the new lines put them in districts that do not represent their values.

Home to one of the most watched State Senate races, District 31’s contest between Democrat Russet Perry and Republican Juan Pablo Segura attracted national attention and at least $10,393,791 million spent. Republicans hoped the open seat in this new swing district would give them the majority they needed to control the state Senate.

“This is a very consequential election. It could change things here in Virginia very dramatically,” Leesburg’s Democratic Mayor Kelly Burk said Tuesday morning. “I want to make sure that the town continues to prosper and grow and we need the help of the Senate to do that.”

When the districts were redrawn, Senate District 31 came to include parts of Democratic-leaning Loudoun County and Republican-leaning Fauquier County. In the 2020 presidential election and 2021 governor’s race, Loudoun County voted for President Joe Biden and former Democratic Governor Terry McCauliffe. Fauquier County went red in these elections, voting for former President Donald Trump and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Loudon County makes up about 90% of Senate District 31. The voters in the district were aware of the new lines, but were primarily motivated to come to the polls by the issues at stake, like Youngkin’s proposed 15-week abortion ban.

Tine Beam, a voter who rode up to the poll on her bicycle, longed for the days when Virginia had a Democratic governor and Democrats were in the majority in both chambers of the legislature.

“Five years ago we [had] all Democratic and it went very well. And look at now and all the rights that are being taken away,” Beam said.

Experts complimented Virginia’s redistricting efforts, saying it resulted in a map that fairly represents the population and its party preferences. Not everyone is happy with the outcome. Only 10% of Senate District 31’s registered voters are from Republican-leaning Fauquier County.

Some Fauquier County voters, like Henry Skinker, expressed frustration over the state’s new electoral district boundaries.

“We are in a district right now that is just completely inundated by Loudoun County. They out-populate us by so much. We're really keen to act against that,” Skinker said.

But for Virginia voters who hoped to consolidate Republican control in the state Senate and House of Delegates, the GOP came up short Tuesday. Democrats retained their majority in the Senate, although they lost one seat in District 24, and successfully flipped the House.

Perry was one of five Democratic candidates for state Senate to defeat her Republican opponent in a competitive swing district. According to the Virginia Department of Elections’ unofficial results, Perry had a five-point lead over Segura with 52.52% of the vote.

The Democrats’ victory across the state presents a new barrier for Youngkin, who had hoped to pass more conservative policies, such as abortion restrictions and giving parents more control over teachers

“I’m a little disappointed,” Youngkin told reporters Wednesday morning when discussing Tuesday’s election results. “I think the number one lesson is that Virginia’s really purple.”

Read More

This isn’t the first time moms have been blamed for their kids’ autism

There are echoes of mother-blaming in how President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are now talking about autism, pregnancy and vaccines.

(Getty Images)

This isn’t the first time moms have been blamed for their kids’ autism

JJ Hanley can still remember the pediatrician’s words.

It was the early ’90s, and the mother of two in suburban Chicago had begun to worry that her toddler-age son, Tim, was showing language delays and other behaviors that didn’t align with his older brother’s development. Hanley turned to her son’s doctor, who declared: “There’s nothing wrong with him. What’s wrong with him is you.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Fulcrum Roundtable: Political Violence

Protest, person holds sign Silene = Violence

Fulcrum Roundtable: Political Violence

Welcome to the Fulcrum Roundtable.

The program offers insights and discussions about some of the most talked-about topics from the previous month, featuring Fulcrum’s collaborators.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rebuilding Democracy After Comey’s Indictment
James Comey, former FBI Director, speaks at the Barnes & Noble Upper West Side on May 19, 2025 in New York City.
(Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Rebuilding Democracy After Comey’s Indictment

Introduction – Stress Tests and Hidden Strength

The indictment of former FBI Director James Comey in September 2025 was a stark reminder of how fragile our institutions have become under Trump 2.0. An inexperienced prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, chosen more for loyalty than expertise, pushed through felony charges at the president’s urging. The move broke with the Justice Department’s tradition of independence and highlighted the risks that arise when political power bends justice toward retribution.

This is not just a story about one man. It is a warning that America’s democracy is like a bridge under heavy strain. Crises expose cracks but can also reveal hidden strength. For ordinary citizens, this means a justice system more susceptible to political pressure, a government less accountable, and daily life shaped by leaders willing to bend the rules for personal gain.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Independent Exodus
two stickers with the words i vote on them
Photo by Mockup Free on Unsplash

The Independent Exodus

Every week, thousands of Americans - who live in the 30 states that register voters by party - go to the post office, DMV, or download a voter registration form, and change their registration status from “Democrat” or “Republican” to “Independent.”

This trend is accelerating. Nationally, 43% of Americans identify as independent. In a handful of states, registered independents outnumber Democrats and Republicans combined. But the response to this trend from the politics industry has been “nothing to see here, people…the two-party system is alive and well.”

Keep ReadingShow less