Elections Blog

Everyone, meet Isaac Wood, a student at the University of Virginia and the state’s master political prognosticator. Wait. That title is already taken by U-Va. uber-pundit Larry Sabato. But more on that later. Wood is the winner of the Stalemate Invitational, having picked June 16 as the day the legislature would reach a deal on the budget. He did that on March 22 and bested dozens of others who claimed to know about Virginia politics. Wood, it turns out, is not even a Virginian. He’s from North Carolina who just finished his freshman year at U.Va. In an email claiming his prize, he wrote: “Just in case you are wondering why a North Carolinian cared at all about the Virginia budget stalemate, I go to U-Va. I can’t wait to brag to Mr. Sabato about the ‘clarity’ of my own ‘crystal ball’.” That’s a reference to Sabato’s Crystal Ball newsletter,

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(Photo Courtesty of VA General Assembly) It’s been months in the making. But finally we are able to announce the winners of the Ricnmond Report’s First (and we sincerely hope, last) Stalemate Invitational. Loyal readers of our blog will recall we asked you on March 16 the following question: When will we have a signed and completed budget agreement? The answers poured in. (If you can say that 64 responses consitute a flood.) Many of you optimistically pegged dates in April or May. Henny said: “April 4. Very optimistic.” A Republican wrote: “I predict April 1. An appropriate day don’t you think?” Others were less hopeful. KevinMDS offered that “July 10th sounds like a good day to me. Mostly because it’s my birthday!” A collection of you suggested June 30, the very last day before the government could have shut down without a new budget. John Anderegg picked that

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