Senate Democrats have a narrow 21-19 majority, making the Special Elections key to the party’s efforts to preserve a majority in both chambers.
With the gubernatorial Primary still more than a year away, there’s still time for another Democratic candidate to emerge.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell told reporters in a video call after Youngkin’s speech that lawmakers would be closely scrutinizing the Governor’s amendments.
House Speaker Don Scott faulted the governor for bringing the Legislature into the conversation too late in the game.
Currently in Virginia, home cultivation and adult sharing of marijuana are legal.
‘This was not only the right thing for the community, the right thing for the city, the right thing for us, it’s a really smart business deal.’
‘He is not very smart when it comes to politics. He thinks that he is the boss of all of us.’
House Speaker Don Scott and House budget committee chairman Luke Torian said Youngkin’s remarks — similar to those given in other speeches — were inaccurate and far overstated the scope of the firm’s work.
Three years after Virginia became the first Southern state to legalize marijuana in 2021, lawmakers approved legislation this year to allow recreational retail sales of the substance to begin in 2025.
The deal’s leading opponent and a sharp critic of the Governor, L. Louise Lucas told reporters she remains firmly opposed to the proposal, in large part because of its reliance on bonds backed by the state and city governments.
