"Beating the other side is more important to many voters than who exactly is representing their own team," said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. Democrats appear to turn on each other as generational divide brews within the party (Fox News)

“Virginia elections are often about angry voters, and the most angry group of voters is the members of the party that lost the White House the year before,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “Democrats are angry, and they’re putting their money where their irritation is.”

Virginia Democrats reap fundraising gains as they center campaigns around Elon Musk (Associated Press) 

“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)

With all 100 House of Delegates seats and the Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General's offices on the line, University of Mary Washington political science professor Stephen Farnsworth said both parties want to make an example out of Virginia ahead of 2026. "The reality is Virginia always has an outsized national profile because we’re the first real leading political indicator for the congressional midterms to come," he said. Virginia’s major political parties both enter 2025 election with new leadership (WVTF)

But Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington, also sees the surge of Democratic candidates in Virginia’s 2025 elections as part of a broader trend fueled by voter anger and dissatisfaction with the party in power. “Virginia elections are all about angry voters,” Farnsworth said. “The party that loses the White House is energized for elections the following year in a way that the party that won the White House is not so energized. Democrats in 2017 had a recruitment bonanza with many motivated candidates requiring many primaries. It looks like 2025 is also going to be a peak year for Democrats running for office.” Democrats seize on enthusiasm gap in 2025 Virginia House races (Virginia Mercury)