David Sherfinski
Articles by David Sherfinski
Senate control looms large over Virginia’s Allen-Kaine contest
At last year's 63rd Shad Planking, Virginia's annual spring confab for politicos and potential candidates to see and be seen, Gov. Bob McDonnell joked that Tim Kaine and George Allen were "two guys running for a job that neither one of them really wants. What a battle that's going to be." Published October 31, 2012
Down ticket, few reach for Obama’s coattails
President Obama's hope-and-change coalition powered his party to wins up and down the ticket in 2008, but the campaign this year has taken on a far more self-serving focus, as both Mr. Obama's campaign and his fellow Democrats see benefits in keeping their space from each other. Published October 30, 2012
Officials give early voters an extension
Early and absentee voting will proceed Wednesday in the District, Maryland and Virginia after being disrupted by Hurricane Sandy Monday and Tuesday, and all three jurisdictions have extended voting hours to make up for time lost. Published October 30, 2012
McDonnell: Virginia ‘very blessed’ that storm damage was not worse
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said Tuesday that, while there was still clean-up to do, the worst of Hurricane Sandy had passed through the state and the commonwealth was "very blessed" that the damage was not as extensive as in places like New Jersey and New York. Published October 30, 2012
McDonnell: ‘It’s still a very dangerous weather situation’
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell told residents Monday afternoon that the worst was still to come from Hurricane Sandy — especially in Northern Virginia, where Sandy's effects are supposed to grow stronger by Tuesday morning. Published October 29, 2012
Hurricane forces candidates to drop events
The arrival of Hurricane Sandy one week before Election Day has forced both presidential campaigns to shuffle schedules, but the massive "Frankenstorm" has particularly complicated the final push by Team Obama, cutting into the president's campaign time and raising concerns among his advisers over voter turnout -- especially in deadlocked Virginia. Published October 28, 2012
Virginia Senate race tops in outside spending
The U.S. Senate contest in Virginia between Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican George Allen is far and away the most expensive Senate race in the country in terms of third-party spending, underscoring the closeness of a race that's essentially been tied from the outset and its importance in determining which party will control the chamber come January. Published October 25, 2012
Wives fiery and firm in presidential campaigning
First lady Michelle Obama has become a fierce campaigner in her husband's re-election bid, regularly striking out on her own to defend him and urge voters to give him another four years to complete their agenda. Published October 25, 2012
Attorneys and former judges criticize decision to retry Va. man
Fifty-nine current or former attorneys, judges and members of the legal community are criticizing the appointment of a special prosecutor in the case of a Chantilly man whose death sentence was recently vacated by a federal court as hasty and suggested Prince William County prosecutors may have had an untoward influence on his decision to re-try the case within 24 hours of his appointment. Published October 25, 2012
Board asks Cuccinelli to look at voter fraud case
The Virginia State Board of Elections has requested that Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II investigate potential violations of state election laws after a Pennsylvania man was charged with 13 counts of voter-registration fraud in Harrisonburg last week. Published October 24, 2012
Rep. Moran’s son caught on tape, quits staff
U.S. Rep. James P. Moran's son Patrick resigned from his father's campaign after being caught on camera earlier this month appearing to give advice on how to commit voter fraud to a conservative video journalist. Published October 24, 2012
Indiana Senate candidate apologizes, explains rape comment
U.S. Senate candidate Richard Mourdock apologized Wednesday to anyone who misinterpreted his statement during a Tuesday night debate that "even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, it is something that God intended to happen," but the move did little to quell the drumbeat of Democrats quickly trying to tie the comments to Mitt Romney, who recently taped an ad endorsing Mr. Mourdock. Published October 24, 2012
Virginia lawmakers seek wider probe in voting sign-up
Three Virginia congressmen have asked U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to launch a multistate investigation into "voter registration irregularities" after a Pennsylvania man was charged with 13 counts of voter registration fraud in Harrisonburg last week. Published October 23, 2012
In final debate, Kaine, Allen exchange biggest shots
George Allen and Tim Kaine, both former governors of Virginia, immediately tossed away their gloves in the final debate in their closely watched U.S. Senate race, throwing haymakers and lobbing charges that each is an immutable partisan and misguided on the economy, spending, and defense. Published October 18, 2012
Va. Health Commissioner resigns over abortion clinic regulations
Virginia Health Commissioner Karen Remley resigned her position Thursday over controversial abortion clinic regulations that have been a political lightning rod since the General Assembly passed legislation in 2011 directing the Board of Health to craft them. Published October 18, 2012
Discarded filled-out voter forms in Virginia spur probe
Virginia officials are probing a case in which completed voter-registration forms were said to have been tossed into a trash bin outside of a store in the Shenandoah Valley just before Monday's 5 p.m. registration deadline — the latest incident in what's already been a rather eventful election year in the Old Dominion. Published October 17, 2012
Virginia bill targets sex-selective abortions
A Virginia lawmaker has introduced a bill to ban abortions based on the sex of the fetus after a Republican effort in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year to force Democrats into an uncomfortable vote on whether to criminalize the practice of so-called "sex-selective abortion." Published October 16, 2012
Wait list for Virginia AIDS program eliminated
Virginia's first-ever waiting list for its AIDS drug assistance program for low-income individuals has been eliminated in less than two years thanks to a boost in funding, a host of cost-saving maneuvers, and partnerships among local, state and federal groups. Published October 15, 2012
Virginia pro-lifers try to tug at hearts of voters
A new pro-life super PAC has launched a six-figure ad buy in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia targeting President Obama on abortion, while outside groups on the left are stepping up their own attacks on Republican U.S. Senate candidate George Allen on the same issue but at the opposite end of the spectrum. Published October 11, 2012
In porn industry poll, Obama wins in 5-to-1 landslide
Mitt Romney may have famed porn star Jenna Jameson on his side, but the pornography industry is backing President Obama’s re-election by an overwhelming margin, according to an industry poll conducted by the media organization XBIZ. Published October 11, 2012
