(This article appeared in the Roanoke Times, Jan. 29, 2023) Youngkin’s ambition nixes good jobs and Virginia’s trust Like many rural sections in our nation, southern and southwest Virginia face severe economic challenges. Higher unemployment and greater poverty than the rest of the state have generated frequent pledges by Virginia governors to invest in the region with “game changing projects” to create new jobs at higher wages ..read more

Americans justifiably worry about our national divisions, the effective operation of our institutions, and the future of democracy itself. Republican-led states differ dramatically from those run by Democrats, and these differences reveal themselves both in the capitol buildings of our state capitals and in Congress ..read more

This year’s version of the General Assembly has commenced and Governor Youngkin is promising tax cuts. Republicans are proposing a 15 week ban on abortion, while Democrats suggest additional gun safety measures, and some hope that the Commonwealth will take positive steps for mental health.  ..read more

Please join us for a book reading and discussion of Bellwether: Virginia’s Political Transformation, 2006-2020 THE CENTER at Belvedere Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 6:00 pm A book signing will follow. If you’ve already purchased a book, please bring it for David to sign ..read more

Read on the Washington Post website or below. From the Washington Post: After a quarter-century in public office, former Virginia lawmaker David J. Toscano has developed an insight that can be boiled down to two deceptively simple words: States matter. Yes, it sounds obvious ..read more

Wednesday, October 5 at 12:30pm Live Interview: “I Love C’ville” Podcast Listen at: https://Ilovecville.com/politics/ Tuesday, October 25 at 6:30pm States Matter, And Virginia More Than Most Book Talk And Signing at 2nd Act Books 214 E. Main St., Charlottesville, VA 22902 (Downtown Mall Across From Sal’s ..read more

Our new attorney general is trying to make a name for himself.  Adopting the play of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and attorneys general across the nation,  Jason Miyares cultivates the “stop the steal” crowd with his proposal for an “election integrity commission,” and seeks to build a “tough on crime” image by undermining locally elected commonwealth’s attorneys and their “prosecutorial discretion” to charge and punish wrongdoers in their communities ..read more

From the Radio IQ website: “When Glenn Youngkin was elected governor last year, some people were surprised. Democrats had been winning statewide elections for years, and they had concluded Virginia was a blue state. In fact, Democrat David Toscano – a former mayor of Charlottesville and a delegate for 14 years – knew otherwise ..read more

The culture wars around abortion rights have been rumbling in the Virginia legislature since I first became a Delegate. Below is an excerpt from Bellwether: Virginia’s Political Transformation, 2006-2020 and a link to an article I just posted in Slate: I distinctly remember my first days as a Delegate, entering the majestic hall of the Virginia House of Delegates for our daily sessions ..read more

It has been over two weeks since the shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas took 31 lives and once again crystallized the need for more effective measures to combat these outrages. It is not clear whether Congress can summons the will for even the most minor of reforms, but our leaders need to transition from “thoughts and prayers” to real policy change if we are ever to combat the scourge of gun violence in this nation ..read more