“The governor is showing far better judgement and far more responsible leadership than we’re getting from the president during this crisis,” said political science professor Stephen J. Farnsworth, author of “Presidential Character and Communication: White House News Management from Clinton and Cable to Twitter and Trump.”
Stephen Farnsworth at the University of Mary Washington says any effort to increase transparency would be good for Virginia politics. “Well certainly if organizations are out there pushing lawmakers to do things, they may end up being successful,” he explains. “But this is a pretty tough slog to try to convince lawmakers to support a tougher ethics regimen that would make their own lives more difficult.”
“You’re talking about a relatively vulnerable population that may not be able to get conventional loans, and that environment is the kind of place where Democrats might be ready to legislate,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor at the University of Mary Washington.
Former Vice President Joe Biden holds a substantial lead over his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination in Virginia, according to a new University of Mary Washington statewide survey.
Biden was the favorite of 23 percent of registered voters in the survey, with 9 percent favoring Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and 9 percent favoring Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. In addition, 5 percent favored California Sen. Kamala Harris and 4 percent favored South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, according to the poll, which was conducted Sept. 3-15 for UMW by Research America Inc.
Professor Stephen Farnsworth of the University of Mary Washington said that the next big decision for the Democrats in the House will be whether to impeach President Trump on the Ukraine matter, or offer a range of issues, including obstruction of justice and other matters contained in the Mueller Report. But the House seems far more likely than not to impeach in one fashion or another before the end of the year, he said.
“The latest Mary Washington survey demonstrates that Donald Trump faces an uphill battle in Virginia next year against a range of possible challengers,” said Stephen J. Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington and director of its Center for Leadership and Media Studies.
