“The federal shutdown in Washington is a key part of campaign messaging for Democratic candidates across Virginia,” said Stephen J. Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va.
“This is an extraordinary moment no matter what the circumstances of how we got to this point. This has been a horrific situation for all concerns going back two years, and for there to be a cease fire that has even held this long, and all indications are that it is going to hold a while longer, that is an extraordinary accomplishment for the president,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington.
“Well, you could clearly see which candidate thought they were behind and had to be extra aggressive to try to get caught up, said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington.
“This was a lot of combat, lots of personal attacks, and in many cases, a policy-thin conversation,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “In fact, you could barely hear at some points what Congresswoman Spanberger was trying to say because of the constant interruptions.”
Following the 7 p.m. debate, 7News’ Scott Thuman sat down with Dr. Stephen J. Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the University of Mary Washington, to analyze the controlled yet chaotic event.
“When you add up all those people who have directly or indirectly some downstream effect of federal employment, it is a very, very damaging environment for Republicans,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington.
