From the Virginia Politics segment: I was talking to Stephen Farnsworth, the political science professor at University of Mary Washington, who keeps an eye on a lot of this. He had a good line about this. He said that usually all politics are local, but that this year, he thinks that all politics are national in Virginia.
“The old saying that all politics is local doesn’t really apply in Virginia in 2025,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. “Even though Donald Trump’s name is not on the ballot, the president will be at the center of these conversations.”
“The biggest challenge for Virginia Republicans is President Trump,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington.
“Polls do show that Abigail Spanberger right now looks pretty good in the general election,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “The reality of 2025 may very well be that if Spanberger wins, it will be one of the brightest spots for Democrats this year. It’s clear that the Virginia Democratic Party is more energized than the national Democratic Party, which continues to seem to struggle with questions of identity.”
Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, said the primary electorate will likely be small, but highly motivated.
Political science professor at the University of Mary Washington Stephen Farnsworth says these talks are about trying to get to President Trump – and it’s worth a shot. “The Canadian premiers are hoping to come out of this meeting with a process where American governors are in a position to pressure the administration a bit more to relax some of the increasingly strict standards that the Trump administration is imposing and wants to further impose going forward,” Farnsworth said.
