Stephen Farnsworth at the University of Mary Washington says a governor’s first budget is particularly important. "If a governor is able to get a lot of what he wants in the budget – that will create an environment where maybe he will be more successful," Farnsworth says. "If a governor gets basically rolled by the opposition party or by the legislature, that's a sign that perhaps the governor isn't quite ready for primetime."

State lawmakers could finally vote on a budget proposal next week (WVTF)

"I thought the dam would break after the Connecticut shooting with all those elementary school children," said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia.

12 Children, 2 Teachers, Killed in TX (CTV News Canada)

In an interview with the Washington Post, Stephen Farnsworth, a University of Mary Washington political scientist, believes that this budget is a test of the new governor’s power to wrest sweeping tax cuts out of a divided Capitol.

Virginia Budget Negotiators Indicate a Deal is Close (The Republican Standard)

“2022 is a year full of changes that people are going to be experiencing. We have a new early voting system in place, we have new congressional districts, and depending on where you are in Virginia, the Republican primary may be a Republican convention instead,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “It’s a very complicated system for voters, and without an awful lot of effort, turnout is likely to be pretty low as a result of all these changes.”

Virginia early voting, GOP conventions: What you need to know (Washington Post)