2017 elections

July 19, 2018 - A campaign to encourage politicians to reject contributions from electric utility monopolies aims to recast Virginia politics-as-usual as unethical. Though the pledge effort is meeting opposition from those who benefit under the current conflict-ridden system, it's still going strong — and has spread beyond the state.

November 17, 2017 - This month's elections in Georgia and Virginia showed that Democrats can make inroads in Southern state legislatures, but gerrymandering still tilts the field in favor of Republicans.

November 17, 2017 - Democrats, liberal-leaning independents and a growing number of progressives lead two-thirds of the South's 30 largest cities, but their agenda is under attack from the region's conservative legislatures through preemption and other efforts to limit local control.

November 9, 2017 - A poll conducted in Virginia on the eve of the Nov. 7 election found that losing Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie's reliance on anti-immigrant race-baiting did not work — and in fact turned off many of the state's voters, most of whom support welcoming immigration policies.

October 31, 2017 - Political observers are keeping a close eye on Virginia's governor's race for signals about next year's midterms. But it's not the only critical seat up for grabs in November's off-year elections. Here are seven key races, state and local, to watch across the South.