Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth recently presented several public lectures reviewing the 2025 Virginia Elections, including presentations before the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, the American Association of University Women (Fredericksburg, VA chapter), the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fredericksburg.
Media mentions for Farnsworth include:
Field of candidates growing in DC mayoral race (WJLA)
Steve Farnsworth, PhD, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, describes Bowser’s agenda as “full” throughout her time in office. Read the full article from WJLA.
Midterm election warning signs stoke Trump lame-duck talk (Washington Examiner)
“In politics, it seems like there’s always buyer’s remorse about a year into a presidency, there’s often a great deal of dissatisfaction with what the voters decided a year earlier,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “A year in is when the opposition tends to be energized.” Read the full article from the Washington Examiner.
Trump’s warm embrace of Mamdani complicates 2026 GOP messaging (Washington Examiner)
“I imagine Republicans will continue to run against the specter of Mamdani in special elections and the midterm elections to come,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “His vision of the Democratic Party is the vision that energizes the Republican base.” Read the full article from the Washington Examiner.
U.S. Congress Votes to Force Release of Epstein Files (CTV News)
“Well, I don’t think that this signature is going to necessarily amount to all that much to be honest. There is a good chance that many of the documents that people are interested in will be withheld by the Justice Department,” said Stephen Farnsworth. Watch the full segment on YouTube.
Virginia governor-elect Spanberger aims to use carrots, not sticks to build support for new housing (Homes.com)
“Particularly in urban areas of the state, there’s been this rapid escalation in home prices,” Stephen Farnsworth, who teaches political science at the University of Mary Washington, told Homes.com. “That creates all kinds of economic uncertainty for people who want to buy a house and wonder if they’ll ever be able to.” Read the full article from Homes.com.
Virginia youth vote helped spark largest Democratic win since 1961 (The Commonwealth Times)
Stephen Farnsworth, director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, said it can be a challenge for candidates to connect with young people as the world changes rapidly. He said Spanberger was effective in connecting with younger voters by speaking about economic anxiety. Read the full article from The Commonwealth Times.
