Virginia Senate President pro tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, listens to debate on the Senate floor, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Ryan M. Kelly)

The US Department of Justice has charged Lucas, along with six other defendants that include members of her family, with an alleged marijuana scheme. 

Over the course of a roughly 20-minute press conference in Norfolk this morning, US Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel laid out their case against Lucas. 

Blanche was asked about the timing of the indictment, given that the midterm elections are less than two weeks away. Blanche defended the timing, saying the investigation had been years in the making. 

“This was the right time to bring the charges,” Blanche said. “She’s not up for election.”

But in a statement this afternoon, Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) criticized the timing of the indictment. 

“The timing of this indictment undermines the U.S. Department of Justice’s previously longstanding policy of not taking legal actions — to include indictments or significant investigative steps — close to an election,” Spanberger said. “And sadly, this timing further erodes the trust the American people deserve to have in the Department of Justice.”

For her part, Lucas issued a statement saying she would fight back. 

“I’m not new to this,” Lucas said. “I’m true to this. I will not be intimidated. I will not back down.” 

• Democratic Socialist Glen Pine launched a Democratic primary campaign against state Del. R. Kirk McPike of Alexandria. Pine said he would advocate for collective bargaining rights and a “livable minimum wage” if elected, James Cullum at ALXnow reports.

• William & Mary students are rallying in support of dining service workers represented by UNITE HERE who were removed from their positions after serving undercooked chicken, Liam Glavin at The Flat Hat reports.

   

  • One student said, “We believe the College and its dining services provider should pursue a fair, transparent and constructive process that prioritizes food safety, accountability and appropriate corrective action.”

• California state workers held a one-day strike, urging Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) administration to agree to a new contract that increases workers’ pay, ensures affordable healthcare access, and allows more flexibility for remote work, Sophie Austin and Terry Chea of the Associated Press report. 

A sign at a collective bargaining town hall organized by SEIU Virginia 512 on Oct. 3, 2026. (Michael O’Connor/Dogwood)

Talks are underway about what a new bill to bring public-sector collective bargaining to Virginia would look like. 

LaNoral Thomas, president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Virginia 512, tells me that she’s met with Spanberger, and the governor’s administration and the coalition of public-sector unions are in talks about what the legislation would look like. 

“Ideally, we go into session with a bill that we all agree on,” Thomas said in an interview. “We’re working with the bill patrons and the administration to make sure that we’re aligned on the priorities in the bill before session begins.”

Part of that work involves making the case that localities can succeed and thrive with a workforce that has the right to collective bargaining, Thomas said. 

“SEIU represents the three largest localities, along with the city of Richmond, and so we have examples of ordinances where it is working and working well, and so we should pull language from those ordinances to create this expanded law,” Thomas said. 

SEIU Virginia 512 is holding a town hall on Oct. 24 in Fairfax County to discuss expanding collective bargaining rights in Virginia. 

(Rose in San Francisco/YouTube)

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