Laura Vozzella

Richmond, Va.

Local reporter covering Virginia politics

Education: Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., BA in English Literature

Laura Vozzella covers Virginia politics for The Washington Post. Before joining The Post, she was a political columnist and food writer at the Baltimore Sun. She dutifully recorded hockey sums and breaking news for the Associated Press in Boston, covered federal court for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and chronicled everything that moved in a small Connecticut town for her hometown newspaper, the Hartford Courant.
Latest from Laura Vozzella

Kiggans and Cotter Smasal clash in Virginia Beach congressional debate

The race in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District is one of the two most competitive in the state.

October 11, 2024
Jen Kiggans, left, the Republican incumbent in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District; Missy Cotter Smasal, Kiggans's Democratic challenger. (Kristen Zeis for The Washington Post; Gregory S. Schneider/The Washington Post)

Exec admits stealing $4.8M from Va. birth-injury fund for jet trips, gold

John Hunter Raines, 38, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering offenses that carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

October 10, 2024
A New Kent County man pleaded guilty to embezzling funds from a Virginia fund for children who had severe neurological injuries during birth.

Youngkin stokes fear of vast noncitizen voting in Virginia. Records don’t show it.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin touts 6,303 noncitizens being purged from Virginia’s voter rolls, but statewide data show little or no evidence of such illegal voting.

October 9, 2024
Former president Donald Trump sits with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July.

Former Va. hospital worker found not guilty in death of Irvo Otieno

Wavie Jones, a former hospital security staffer who helped to restrain Otieno, was the first person to stand trial for Otieno’s death.

October 3, 2024
Rev. Al Sharpton delivers the eulogy at the funeral for Irvo Otieno, who died in police custody at Central State Hospital, in Richmond on March 29, 2023.

Tim Kaine and Hung Cao clash in lone Virginia Senate debate

Abortion, immigration and democracy were flash points in hour-long battle at Norfolk State University.

October 3, 2024
Left: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). Right: Hung Cao (R).

Mental crisis in custody spurred ‘death sentence,’ prosecutors say at trial

The first trial in the case of Irvo Otieno began Monday, after months of unusual moves by prosecutors scaling back what had been a sprawling murder investigation.

September 30, 2024
A young family member attends the funeral of Irvo Otieno, who was killed at Central State Hospital in Richmond last year.

Portrait of Richard Saslaw, Virginia’s longest-serving senator, is unveiled

Virginia’s longest-serving state senator when he retired in January, Richard Saslaw is getting his own portrait in the building where he spent 44 years as a senator.

September 18, 2024
Former state Sen. Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) looks on at the unveiling of his portrait on Wednesday at the Virginia General Assembly Building along with his daughter, Jennifer; grandson, Henry; and wife, Eleanor.

How the Boar’s Head plant closure could wreck this tiny Virginia town

For Jarratt, Va., a town accustomed to a long, slow slide, the Boar’s Head closure stands out as a sizable and sudden hit.

September 18, 2024
A train crosses Jarratt Avenue in Jarratt, Va., on Sept. 13.

Boar’s Head plant tied to deadly listeria outbreak to close indefinitely

The company said that the production process for liverwurst was the culprit for contamination and that it will no longer produce liverwurst at its facilities.

September 13, 2024
The Boar's Head processing plant in Jarratt, Va.

Harris leads among Virginia voters, Post-Schar School poll finds

The eight-point margin for Harris suggests Virginia would be a long-shot for Trump, whom voters view negatively and who is not significantly preferred on any issue.

September 10, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, Va., on Jan. 23.