Youngkin and GOP push Dot Heffron to resign now, not December
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Gov. Youngkin and other Republicans are pushing back on a Chesterfield School Board member's decision to delay her resignation until the end of the year, following her post about the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
The big picture: The pressure campaign against Dot Heffron comes alongside a nationwide push to oust officials over comments about Kirk's killing — and just days before early voting begins for Virginia's November election.
Driving the news: On Monday, Virginia's governor called it "beyond unacceptable" for the School Board to allow Heffron "to push off this resignation till December."
- "She must resign immediately," Youngkin wrote in an X post, echoing statements from the Virginia GOP, statewide candidates, and Chesterfield lawmakers Del. Mark Earley and Sen. Glen Sturtevant.
- The issue has captured national attention, with the Republican National Committee — and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — posting about it.
Heffron, who announced her resignation on Sunday, tells Axios she's not making any further statements at this time.
Reality check: Neither Youngkin nor the School Board can legally force her out, according to state law, which says only a court could remove an elected official through a voter-led petition process.
- That petition would have to be signed by registered voters within Heffron's Clover Hill District and be equal to 10% of the total votes cast during Heffron's last election.
- Per the state elections database, that would amount to about 2,540 people.
Between the lines: The issue could test Republican influence in one of the state's largest counties, which has increasingly leaned more Democratic in recent elections.
- That blue shift includes last year's presidential race and Heffron's once-longtime Republican Clover Hill district in 2023, when Democrat Jessica Schneider flipped the Board of Supervisors seat with 45% of the vote.
What we're watching: Whether the issue surfaces at Chesterfield's Board of Supervisors meeting on Wednesday and next month's School Board meeting.
Go deeper: Exclusive: Chesterfield School Board member to resign after Charlie Kirk post