Opinion Column: In border politics, Youngkin stays closer to home

By STEPHEN J. FARNSWORTH AND CASSANDRA ATKINSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 3, 2023

Last fall, many Republicans thought the path to successful midterm congressional elections involved emphasizing several topics dear to party conservatives: critical race theory, parental rights, transgender policies, the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, investigating the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop and continuing hostility toward President Joe Biden.

As everyone now knows, that strategy did not work out so well. But the narrow Republican U.S. House majority continues to emphasize many of those same issues, in part because the most conservative and combative Republican voices enjoy outsized influence given that the party can’t do anything without them.

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"The reality is that we may be closer to the start of the story than the end of it. We don't know how many documents were improperly handled and that's going to be the question going forward," said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington.

More Documents Found in Biden’s Home (CTV News)

Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, told The Washington Post that he thinks the main goal for lawmakers this session “will be to get back to the district and run for reelection as soon as possible. Anything that can be delayed likely will be delayed.”

Legislative season likely to bring controversy (Fluvanna Review)

But Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, said any abortion efforts are unlikely to see success in this divided government during an election year. “With 100 House of Delegates seats and 40 Senate seats up for election in November, these lawmakers are going to put off whatever they possibly can,” he said.

Gov. Youngkin calls on lawmakers to ‘come together’ on abortion while pushing 15-week ban (DC News Now)