Is Democratic-leaning Fairfax County embracing its inner tea party? A. Barton Hinkle, in a Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial, says yes.
Among the reasons Hinkle gives: The county board of supervisors wants state officials in Richmond to leave them alone, and Northern Virginia doesn't like to pay taxes to help the rest of the state.
"How very tea party of them," Hinkle writes. "Perhaps Fairfax should replace its county seal with the Gadsden flag -- that yellow banner, popular at tea party rallies, with the coiled snake and the legend, 'Don't Tread on Me.'"
It may be worth a read no matter what side of, well, anything you're on. At the very least, this look at NoVa from Richmond should get your political juices flowing on a chilly December day...
* The Washington Post reports that a Democratic candidate running for the Ward 7 D.C. Council seat was arrested early Friday morning on charges of soliciting a prostitute. Kevin B. Chavous, son of former Ward 7 council member Kevin P. Chavous, is trying to unseat incumbent Yvette Alexander. The 27-year-old Chavous's campaign manager confirmed the arrest to the Washington Post on Friday, adding that "Kevin was clearly targeted and was not soliciting in any way."
Police told the Post that the arrest happened just after midnight near First and K streets NW.
The last tweet from Thursday night on Chavous's Twitter account was, "Headed to the @reel_dc holiday party!"
* As we gaze into Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, we see that he has a few gubernatorial rating changes in a few states, including West Virginia. That's where Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, who won October's special election over Republican businessman Bill Maloney, is expected to once again go head to head with Maloney next year. Will the second verse be the same as the first? Sabato's ball has changed from an old rating of "Likely Democratic" to a new rating of "Leans Democratic." Sabato says this is a race "that bears close watching."
More from the Ball: "Tomblin’s bid to remain master of the gleaming statehouse in Charleston, capital of a state with a statewide conservative Democratic ruling class and national Republican leanings, is likely to be a test of Democratic coattails: negative coattails from President Obama, who is likely to be crushed in the Mountain State next year, and positive coattails from Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who is a strong favorite for reelection."
And if you're wondering, Sabato's Ball currently sees the Virginia senate race as a "toss up."
