Who’s Your… Momnibus?

VPM | By Rich Meagher

Published February 26, 2025 at 6:03 PM EST

What’s 45 days long, based in Richmond, and shapes the future of the state of Virginia? On this episode, Rich unpacks this year’s General Assembly with veteran state politics reporter Michael Pope.
A big question EVERYONE is wrestling with is how to prepare for the changes coming out of Washington. Separately, Democrats are headed towards yet another veto showdown with Gov. Glen Youngkin. But there are glimmers of bipartisanship, and it’s called… a Momnibus? That, and more, in this end-of-session recap on what passed, what didn’t, and the politics shaping it all.

We’re also shining our community spotlight on two VCU students who are at the heart of General Assembly coverage, Sarah Hagen and Andrew Kerley. They’re part of what’s known as the Capitol News Service, which has students writing for news outlets in need of state coverage. It’s a win-win, but Rich asks, isn’t it a troubling time to get into journalism?

Michael Pope is the host of a NEW podcast from VPM and the Virginia Public Access Project called The Virginia Press Room. Find out more at https://www.vpm.org/vapressroom. Follow Capitol News Service on Instagram (@vcucns), Andrew Kerley on Twitter (@andrewkerley_), and Sarah Hagen on Twitter (@sarah_hagen).

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Rich Meagher

Richard J. Meagher [pronounced MARR] is Professor of Political Science, Director of Social Entrepreneurship at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, and the host of RVA's Got Issues.

Meagher is an expert observer of local and state politics in Richmond and has been featured everywhere from print to television to radio. He is a political analyst for WRIC 8 News, and his commentary and opinion have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and his own RVAPolitics site.

He is also a Faculty Fellow for Brandeis University’s Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation (ENACT), a national program engaging undergraduates in state-level legislative change. Meagher's 2020 book, Local Politics Matters, argues for the importance of participation in city and county politics.

In 2023, he launched the Virginia Amendments Project, a resource for scholars and citizens about amendments to the Constitution of Virginia.

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