Category Archives: bio

COMMENTARY: Youngkin proves the political virtues of vanilla (The Free Lance-Star)

Opinion Column By Stephen J. Farnsworth, Stephen Hanna and Cassandra Atkinson November 14, 2021

Glenn Youngkin demonstrated that you cannot get all that many people to hate vanilla.

Throughout the 2021 gubernatorial campaign, the first-time candidate offered himself as a largely generic pro-business Republican, not overly pro-Trump but not opposed to him either. While Youngkin talked about election integrity, a favorite Republican issue this year, he did not campaign on the claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Nor did Youngkin hit the hustings as a pro-life cultural warrior, as have so many previous statewide Republican candidates.

COMMENTARY: Youngkin proves the political virtues of vanilla (The Free Lance-Star)

How critical race theory went from conservative battle cry to mainstream powder keg (USA Today)

The migration of critical race theory from cable news programming to the campaign trail proved its popularity and resonance with voters, said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “It allowed people who were mad about a range of things about their local schools to connect with Youngkin’s desire for greater parental involvement," he said. "Some people might be mad about transgender issues, or some people might be mad about CRT or some people might be mad about COVID or masks. Whatever the issue, Youngkin’s got a ballot line where you can express your frustrations."

 

How critical race theory went from conservative battle cry to mainstream powder keg (USA Today)

Youngkin Pledged More Parental Control of Education, But Changes May Prove Difficult (T74)

Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, points to multiple systems that already elicit parent engagement and ensure local decision making remains central to instructional and curriculum decisions. “It’ll be interesting to see if education is as high a priority for Youngkin the governor as it was for Youngkin the candidate,” said Farnsworth.

Youngkin Pledged More Parental Control of Education, But Changes May Prove Difficult (T74)

GOP sees a new playbook for 2022 midterms in Glenn Youngkin’s campaign against critical race theory (USA Today)

“When an issue is working, a candidate is wise to stick with it,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. Youngkin's success on the subject was all the more remarkable because critical race theory is not part of any public K-12 curricula in the state. “Granted, the largely made-up story of critical race theory in Virginia schools is about as relevant to education as the death panels talk was to Obamacare. But they work politically so expect more of them," Farnsworth said.

GOP sees a new playbook for 2022 midterms in Glenn Youngkin’s campaign against critical race theory (USA Today)

Democrats Can’t Keep Dismissing Complaints About ‘Critical Race Theory (Forbes)

“I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach,” McAuliffe said during a gubernatorial debate. That statement became fodder for what The Washington Post termed a “massive” advertising campaign, which “likely cost McAuliffe the governorship,” according to political scientist Stephen Farnsworth.

Democrats Can’t Keep Dismissing Complaints About ‘Critical Race Theory (Forbes)