Former Gov. Linwood Holton died yesterday at the age of 98. He was elected in 1969 and became the first Republican governor of Virginia since 1869. He ran against the racist Democrat Byrd Machine and is remembered as a leader in Virginia’s civil rights movement.

My family has a special affection for Governor Holton. He appointed my mother-in-law, Joan Mahan, to be the first female secretary of Virginia’s Board of Elections. I met the former governor at her funeral. He was a remarkable man.

Governor Holton believed strongly in integration and public education. Notably, he enrolled his kids in Richmond City Public Schools, which were predominately African-American. He walked his children to class on his very first day in the Governor’s Mansion. 

To live to be nearly 100 after a rich life of public service and to pass away at home surrounded by family was a well-deserved reward for this great Virginian. 

Rest in peace, Governor.

At first I thought this was a joke. But it’s true. The Biden administration wants to throw $450,000 to every illegal who was separated from family at the Southern border in 2018.

As if WE did something wrong and need to compensate these lawbreakers.

Never mind that these people violated our immigration laws and had no right to even be on American soil, Biden wants to give them a massive cash reward, courtesy of U.S. taxpayers.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas was quick to point out that when a member of the U.S. military dies serving our country, his or her family gets $400,000 in death benefits.

The fact that a bonanza for border breakers is even under consideration is a sign of absolute madness in Washington. 

How much more of this idiocy can America take?

Polling has rightfully taken a hit in recent years, and many of us cast a skeptical eye on results.  But poll after poll has been cause for concern in the McAuliffe camp. Terry McAuliffe is a known quantity. He’s essentially running as an incumbent. 

Yet he consistently failed to crack the 50% mark. 

That alarmed his campaign staff and resulted in increasingly ugly and dishonest ads. 

Meanwhile, Glenn Youngkin was a political unknown prior to 2021 and wasn’t expected by Democrats to mount a credible challenge. Yet the more the public sees of Youngkin, the more they like him. As the campaign moves into the final days, Youngkin appears to have the wind at his back. He’s climbed consistently in polls for months and yesterday surged to an 8-point lead with likely voters over McAuliffe in a Fox News poll.

Some will automatically discount any polling from that conservative news organization, but Fox Polls showed McAuliffe with a 5-point lead just two weeks ago. A swing of 13 points in a fortnight is shocking.

Maybe the newest poll is an outlier. We’ll know on Tuesday.

If Youngkin does win, it will be a victory for a candidate with fresh ideas, rather than a retread with nothing to offer but lies about his opponent’s positions.