Virginia

The Trump administration's May 2025 shutdown of the VA Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, which had let struggling veterans roll missed mortgage payments into a new loan at a low fixed rate, has left thousands facing sharply higher payments. An NPR investigation found more than 15,000 veterans who got loan modifications after VASP ended saw payments rise by at least $150 a month, with over 700 facing increases of $1,000 or more — far higher rates than for conventional Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. Industry groups had warned the VA against ending VASP without a replacement ready. A new Partial Claim Program launched over a year later, but it does not help veterans already stuck in costlier modified loans, and foreclosures on VA loans have since hit a 10-year high.

Project 50, a political group founded by Illinois abortion-rights veterans including former state Sen. Heather Steans and ex-HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, is working to replicate Illinois' decades-old shift toward abortion access by targeting state legislative races in conservative states with bans or heavy restrictions. After early setbacks in Arizona, the group refocused on culturally conservative states in 2023, winning three races in its first three years and four more in 2025, including in Virginia. It has raised over $3.7 million from donors such as Michael Bloomberg and Gov. JB Pritzker. Organizers say the strategy targets voters uneasy with total abortion bans, not broad support for unrestricted access. Abortion-rights opponents call its electoral impact limited so far.

Virginia voters head to the polls Nov. 3 to decide three constitutional amendments — on reproductive rights, marriage equality, and automatic restoration of voting rights for felons after sentence completion — alongside federal races. Sen. Mark Warner seeks a fourth term against Bert Mizusawa, while competitive U.S. House contests play out in the 1st (Wittman vs. Taylor), 4th (McClellan vs. Murray and Bell), and 5th (McGuire vs. Perriello and Harvey) districts. Richmond and Chesterfield voters will also weigh a 1% sales tax increase to fund school construction, alongside 45 other Virginia localities, plus local School Board and Board of Supervisors races. Early voting runs through Oct. 31.

Virginia's 1st and 5th congressional districts have drawn roughly $1.1 million in combined trading on Kalshi and Polymarket, the most activity among the state's House races, as both could factor into control of Congress. In the 5th District, Republican Rep. John McGuire is favored over Democrat Tom Perriello. In the 1st District, Democrat Shannon Taylor is favored to flip the seat held by Republican Rep. Rob Wittman. A third race, the 2nd District rematch between Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans and Democrat Elaine Luria, has also seen heavy betting, with markets strongly favoring Luria.

More broadly, prediction markets favor Democrats to retake the House and give them an edge in the Senate, with over $165 million traded on House control and $99 million on the Senate across both platforms.

Ohio has made gains against opioid addiction and overdose deaths under Gov. Mike DeWine, who championed the RecoveryOhio initiative. With his term ending and a new governor to be elected soon, advocates and lawmakers are watching whether Democrat Amy Acton or Republican Vivek Ramaswamy will keep up the state's focus on treatment and prevention. Acton, who helped lead RecoveryOhio as state health director, pledges to expand treatment access and hold corporations accountable; Ramaswamy's campaign says he supports continuing the initiative and prioritizes behavioral health. Legislators cite concerns including workforce impacts from failed drug tests, looming Medicaid funding cuts, and debate over expanding treatments like cannabis and psilocybin for addiction-linked depression.

Virginia voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to amend the state constitution to remove its existing ban on same-sex marriage and replace it with language affirming marriage equality. The proposed amendment also references "sex" and "gender," language that opponents say extends protections tied to gender identity. If approved, Virginia would become the fifth state to repeal a constitutional same-sex marriage ban through a ballot measure.

The measure has drawn sharp debate, with supporters framing it as codifying marriage equality and critics raising concerns about privacy, safety and religious liberty tied to gender-identity provisions. The vote is being watched as part of a broader pattern of states revisiting dormant constitutional bans following federal recognition of same-sex marriage.