by Danielle Finley, Associate Director of Political Engagement
Welcome to FIVE FOR FRIDAY: A weekly roundup of Public Policy Issues and Headlines. In this Issue: In this Issue: 1. NAR Staff Discuss GSE Reform With Treasury and FHFA 2. Home Builders Association praises Virginia legislative changes, looks to 2026 to address housing demands 3. Walkinshaw outperformed mentor with landslide win 4. Weak jobs report may herald economic ‘headwinds’ in Va. 5. Subramanyam Joins Calls for Underground Power Line.
By KEN FEARS, Washington Report
This week, NAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer Shannon McGahan and Ken Fears, director of conventional finance and valuation policy, took part in two roundtables on reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs). The events took place at the US Treasury and at the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
Polling shows Virginians’ top concern ahead of the 2026 legislative session is housing affordability. Industry advocates praised recent legislative success and asked for more solutions at a Virginia Housing Commission meeting this week. According to a YouGov poll from August, 84% of Virginians want the legislature to make housing more affordable. Earlier reporting suggests rezoning efforts may make headlines but market conditions actually led to housing booms in states like Texas. Andrew Clark is with the Home Builders Association of Virginia. He pointed to two recent changes he said should help Virginia’s housing market even if zoning reform comes later.
The main question surrounding the special election [Tuesday] wasn’t whether Democrats would hold onto Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, but by how much. Even in an area as deeply blue as Fairfax County, a 50-point victory came as a welcome surprise for James Walkinshaw, who secured just under 75% of the vote to best Republican nominee Stewart Whitson, according to unofficial results. For a Democrat, it’s a record margin of victory in a general election for the 11th District, surpassing even Walkinshaw’s predecessor and mentor, the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, who topped out at 71% of the electorate in 2018 and 2020. It’s also one of the largest margins ever for a winner from any party.
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Kent Engelke didn’t expect much from the federal report on new jobs in August, with a forecast of 75,000 new jobs created in the U.S. economy. Instead, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday that the economy created just 22,000 jobs last month and revised estimates for June to show a loss of 13,000 jobs instead of a gain. ... “I didn’t think it was going to be that bad,” said Engelke, chief economic strategist and managing director at Capitol Securities Management, Inc., in Richmond. In Virginia, the jobs report deepened concerns about an economy frozen by uncertainty — over tariffs that Trump has imposed on U.S. trading partners; cuts to the federal workforce and cancellation of federal grants and contracts; and persisting inflation ...
By HANNA PAMPALONI, Loudoun Now
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10) has joined the growing list of elected officials raising concerns about Dominion Energy’s plans to build a transmission line in eastern Loudoun. The Golden to Mars project is the next phase of a transmission line loop that will connect new 230 kilovolt and 500 kV lines with new substations, providing additional power infrastructure to the county.