As this article indicates, Bristow dentist Dr. Steve Pleickhardt wins GOP ‘firehouse primary’ for 50th District House seat | News | princewilliamtimes.com. News coverage stinks.

Let’s consider just one aspect what is involved with being a member of the House of Delegates. Working with the Virginia Senate, the House of Delegates controls the state budget. Last year our governor, Ralph Northam signed (Northam signs $135B two-year state budget | Virginia Business) a $135 billion biennial budget (for 2021-2022). That’s almost $70 billion per year, serious money. Nevertheless, there is hardly anything in the news about the selection of this nominee.

When the United States was created, the founders expected most government to take place at the state and local level, as close to the people as possible, and that still happens. State and local governments still operate most of our police forces, administer the public schools, build roads and bridges, regulate utilities, and so forth. That is, on a day-to-day basis, if we come into contact with a government official, that official most likely works for a local or state government.

Does the Federal Government spend more than twice as much money as state and local governments combined? Yes. Here of late that is especially true (see US Government Finances: Spending, Deficit, Debt, Revenue since 1792 (usgovernmentspending.com)). Federal spending is exploding, but most Federal spending generally goes to Social Security and Medicare. Much of Federal spending is also handed over to state and local government where state and local officials spend it. The largest chunk of discretionary spending by the Federal Government is related to national defense, usually only about 20 percent of the Federal Budget. Therefore, if for no other reason than the control he has over the state budget, when someone wins the opportunity to run for the House of Delegates as a major party nominee, that is a big deal.