Virginia
Ebbin ‘analyzing’ proposal for new Caps/Wizards sports complex in his district
Gay state senator hasn’t made a decision on proposed $2 billion facility
The proposal by Monumental Sports & Entertainment owner Ted Leonsis and supported by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to move the Washington Capitals hockey team and Washington Wizards basketball team from D.C.’s Capital One Arena to a new $2 billion sports and entertainment complex in the Potomac Yard section of Alexandria would be in the district of gay Virginia State Sen. Adam Ebbin.
Ebbin, a Democrat whose 39th senatorial district includes parts of Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax counties, won election to his Senate seat in 2011 after having served in the Virginia House of Delegates for eight years.

The Potomac Yard neighborhood is located adjacent to Richmond Highway, also known as Rt. 1, just south of the Crystal City section of Arlington, which is host to the new East Coast national headquarters of the corporate giant Amazon.
A longtime advocate for LGBTQ issues in the Virginia General Assembly, Ebbin is quick to point out that both the General Assembly and the Alexandria City Council must approve the proposed sports complex before it is finalized, and he plans to carefully study the proposal and its ramifications for his constituents.
“I will evaluate it closely,” he told the Washington Blade in a Dec. 14 interview. “It’s certainly a major boost to the Potomac Yard-Alexandria-Virginia economy,” he said. “But there are also some transportation challenges that have to be weighed very seriously,” he points out, noting the proposed deal includes funding of up to $200 million for transportation improvements
Supporters of the proposal point out that the project would be located next to the recently opened Potomac Yard Metro station and many of those attending games would be expected to travel by Metro. But Alexandria city officials note that the small size of the Potomac Yard station would have to be greatly expanded to accommodate the thousands of people arriving to attend Capitals and Wizards games.
The sports complex proposal calls for 2,500 parking spaces in an underground garage and additional above ground parking is also planned.
Despite these plans, some critics of the proposal say a large influx of people who will arrive by car will cause major traffic backups that could spill over into the nearby residential neighborhoods.
“I’m going to be analyzing the proposal very closely, weighing the tremendous economic development potential against any community concerns that arise, particularly in the area of transportation,” Ebbin said.
“And I’m going to be looking to learn more about how the $200 million transportation improvements will be spent and whether that is adequate and how it would benefit my constituents,” he told the Blade.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council have come under criticism from local sports fans and local business advocates who say the mayor and Council failed to take adequate steps to work out a deal with Monumental Sports & Entertainment owner Leonsis to keep the two teams in D.C.
Critics point out that the loss of the two teams will create a major economic blow to the Chinatown-downtown D.C. area where the Capital One arena is located as well as an economic blow to the city as a whole.
Bowser and City Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) dispute claims that they failed to take adequate steps to keep the two teams in D.C. They say the city did all it could, given its financial constraints, to offer Leonsis a $500 million deal to keep the two teams in D.C.
But critics say the offer was too little too late, and the mayor and most but not all Council members ignored Leonsis’s outreach to Virginia officials over a year before the Potomac Yard deal was announced last week.
When asked by the Blade what message he has for D.C. sports fans, including his D.C. LGBTQ friends who may be upset over the potential loss of their hometown teams, Ebbin said he did not think they are losing the two teams.
“This isn’t my deal. It’s a deal that I’m evaluating very carefully for community benefit and benefits for the commonwealth and for the city [of Alexandria],” Ebbin said. “So, I don’t really have a comment as to or if the hockey fans will have to ride a few more stops on the Metro or for the basketball fans who would have to ride a few more stops on the Metro,” he continued.
“I know fans are very invested in their team’s location,” he said. “But it is not like they’re moving to Arizona or even to Fairfax County. We’re still within the DMV,” Ebbin said.
“But again, I haven’t made any final decision,” he concluded. “I recognize that this is a big catalyst and that it could have a total economic impact of over $12 billion over the next several decades. And transportation is a big part of the planned development. But I’m looking forward to learning more.”
Although the Potomac Yard proposal appeared to draw support from Alexandria city officials and many local Northern Virginia sports fans, a group of Alexandria residents on Dec. 13 began circulating a petition strongly opposing the project on the website change.org.
The website, which as of Dec. 17 claimed 164 people signed the petition, says the project would ruin their communities and “put taxpayer money into billionaire pockets.”
Virginia
Winsome Earle-Sears ‘Life and Marriage Tour’ to include Northern Va. stops
Voters to consider marriage equality, reproductive rights referenda in November
Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears has announced her campaign against efforts to enshrine marriage equality and reproductive rights in the state constitution will make several stops in Northern Virginia.
Her “Life and Marriage Tour” will include stops in Manassas, Winchester, and Harrisonburg. Earle-Sears said the “Life and Marriage Tour” will also travel to Virginia Beach, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Charlottesville, and other cities across Virginia “throughout September and October.”
The announcement did not include specific dates.
“Virginia, you’ve been asking where the Life and Marriage Tour is headed — here’s a look at our current tour locations,” she said on X on Tuesday. “We’ll be traveling across the commonwealth throughout September and October, and we’re still building the journey.”
Current Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, last November defeated Earle-Sears, a Republican, in the race to succeed Republican Glenn Youngkin.
Voters in 2006 approved the Marshall-Newman Amendment, which defined marriage in Virginia as between a man and a woman.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Youngkin a decade later signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.
Two successive legislatures must approve a proposed constitutional amendment before it can go to the ballot.
Spanberger signed bills that finalized the marriage equality and reproductive rights referenda’s language.
The referenda will take place on Nov. 3.
Virginia
Doug Ollivant to face Eugene Vindman in Va. 7th Congressional District
Republican defeated challengers in Tuesday’s primary
Republican Doug Ollivant will face off against incumbent U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.
Ollivant defeated his Republican opponents in Tuesday’s primary. Vindman ran unopposed.
Vindman in 2024 ran to succeed then-Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger in the U.S. House of Representatives after she ran for governor. Spanberger succeeded Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2025.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Tuesday easily won his primary. All other Democratic incumbent members of Congress from Northern Virginia also won their respective primaries.
Virginia
Winsome Earle-Sears launches campaign against Va. marriage equality amendment
Former LG lost to Abigail Spanberger in 2025 gubernatorial race
Less than a year after losing Virginia’s gubernatorial race, former Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is campaigning across the state against constitutional amendments that would protect marriage equality and reproductive freedom.
She is launching a statewide “Life and Marriage Tour” ahead of November’s election.
Although same-sex couples can legally marry under the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, Virginia’s constitution still contains language that defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Supporters say removing the language would protect marriage equality should federal precedent change.
The original ban was written into the state constitution in 2006.
It has been hinted at in the past by Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas that he would consider revisiting Obergefell v. Hodges regarding contraception and marriage rights for same-sex couples. He stated this in his concurring opinion regarding the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, which allows for state-level abortion bans.
Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman said removing the ban would bring the state’s constitution in line with existing law.
“20 years after banning marriage equality, it’s time for our commonwealth to fully complete our evolution — and finish the job on protecting marriage equality for all,” Rahaman said.
In an email to supporters, Earle-Sears said these amendments “raise serious concerns” and could alter principles about which Virginians care.
“That is why our efforts are focused not only on informing voters, but also encouraging them to carefully consider these proposals and vote NO on both amendments,” Earle-Sears said.
Virginia voters will consider three constitutional amendments this November.
Earle-Sears is campaigning for voters to reject two of them: the Virginia Remove Constitutional Same-Sex Marriage Ban Amendment and the Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment.
A “Yes” vote on the Same-Sex Marriage Ban Amendment would include removing a provision that states marriage is between one man and one woman and prohibitng the state from denying a marriage license to two adults based on their sex, gender, or race, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
In 2025, during debates against now Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Earle-Sears argued it is not discrimination to think that gay people should not be allowed to marry. She claims it conflicts with her faith.
According to ABC 8, in 2024 she wrote that she had a “moral opposition” to marriage equality, after former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, signed a marriage equality bill that barred denying marriage licenses based on sex, gender, or race.
According to the Virginia Department of Elections, a “Yes” vote on the Reproductive Freedom amendment supports adding a section to the state constitution that would give Virginians the right to make and carry out decisions regarding reproductive healthcare, except in specific exemptions.
The Virginia Department of Elections wrote that if accepted, the amendment would allow the state government to pass laws to regulate abortion care in the third trimester of pregnancy, but require abortion care when it is medically needed to protect the life and health of the pregnant person or because the fetus is not viable.
During the 2025 election cycle, Earle-Sears was clear on her anti-abortion stance.
According to the Virginia Independent, she utilized campaign funds to donate to the Family Foundation of Virginia. The group is a faith-based, anti-abortion, and anti-in vitro fertilization non-profit.
The “Life and Marriage Tour” will include traveling throughout Virginia to speak with citizens, churches, community organizations, and local leaders. The exact locations have yet to be announced.
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