“Virginia voters usually rally behind the party that lost the White House in greater numbers when they vote for governor a year later,” said Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, the director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington.
“The [election-year] legislative session always sets a template for what both parties will campaign on,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. “Democrats can point to things they wanted to do and couldn’t because of the vetoes and Republicans to the things the Democrats wanted that were vetoed.”
Trump looms large as Virginia turns to election season (Daily Progress) “Donald Trump’s name will not appear on the Virginia ballot, but the reality is the gubernatorial race this year will be all about President Trump,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “Democrats will bring up the president at every opportunity, given his unpopularity in the commonwealth as a way of motivating the Democratic base.”
Why a GOP primary challenge is upending Virginia’s governor race (Washington Examiner) 
Dr Stephen J Farnsworth, director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies, University of Mary Washington, underscores the significance of this shift. “The Democrats in Congress have yet to agree on a unified strategy for countering Trump. While minority parties cannot do a lot to counter an opposing party’s president, it’s clear that aggressive efforts by some Democrats — like the anti-oligarch rallies — are finding a lot of support among Democratic activists,” Farnsworth tells TRT World.
“Angry voters are more likely to turn out, and that benefited Republicans during the Biden years, and it’s benefiting Democrats during the Trump years,” Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, said. “What’s particularly interesting about 2025 is that Democrats are also able to use Elon Musk as the villain.” Farnsworth said that he sees a pivot, at least in Wisconsin, to an “anti-oligarch” narrative.
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of Political Science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies recently presented a co-authored research paper titled “Patterns of Political Ridicule in Late-Night Political Humor in the United States" at the Character Assassination and Reputation Politics (CARP) Conference at George Mason University.
In addition, recent media mentions for Farnsworth include:
