Virginia Democrats Vote Themselves 178% Pay Raise While Campaigning on Affordability

Virginia Democrats voted to nearly triple their own pay — a 178% raise — while simultaneously campaigning on a platform of affordability for struggling families, sparking immediate Republican criticism over the jarring disconnect between their legislative priorities and their political messaging. The pay vote arrives as midterm campaigns heat up across the country and both parties jockey for position on kitchen-table economic issues. Republicans seized on the vote as a symbol of the kind of self-dealing that has eroded voter trust in elected officials, while Democrats defended the increase as long-overdue compensation for public service.