Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington, said data center policy was a priority of the Democratic majorities in the legislature last year. “But the gridlock in Richmond meant that the topic was kicked down the road until this year,” Farnsworth said.
“This story of Spanberger as a tax queen has been part of the conversation in Virginia for a week now, and silence is not in the governor’s interest,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “Failing to respond to disinformation only increases the likelihood that there will be more and greater disinformation going forward.”
“By slicing up Northern Virginia as thinly as this plan would do, you are maximizing the chances that not only will Northern Virginia have more clout, but there will be more Democratic seats than is currently the case in Virginia,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington.
University of Mary Washington political science professor Stephen Farnsworth said that can be beneficial for likely-vulnerable legislators like McAuliffe and Franklin, but it can cut both ways. “The big majority gives the speaker a lot more flexibility, not only to let individual lawmakers walk away from what a majority of what Democrats might want, it also gives the speaker the opportunity to kill bills from the far left that the governor doesn’t want to see on her desk,” Farnsworth warned.
Stephen Farnsworth of the University of Mary Washington said Democrats are “very likely to take over the House,” citing strong candidate recruitment and Republican retirements. Farnsworth added that while Republicans may gain advantages through redistricting in some states, Democrats have countered those efforts in blue states, limiting the overall effect.
Political scientist Stephen Farnsworth of the University of Mary Washington said that silence carries risks. “One of the things that we’ve learned in the world of social media is that the truth is a rare and not very highly valued commodity,” Farnsworth said. “You don’t need evidence to make a claim online, and increasingly, people don’t even care.”
