The University of Mary Washington will host a 1st Congressional District Debate on Monday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium.
Independent candidate Gail Parker will join Democratic challenger Matt Rowe and incumbent Republican Rep. Rob Wittman. The 1st District includes more than 15 counties and includes parts of Stafford, Spotsylvania and the city of Fredericksburg. The event is free and open to the public.
Wittman, a resident of Montross, has held the seat since 2007. He co-chairs the House Chesapeake Bay Watershed Caucus and serves on the House Natural Resources Committee. Prior to his election to Congress, he served in the House of Delegates for the Northern Neck.
Rowe serves on the town council in Bowling Green. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and earned a post-baccalaureate certificate in geographic information systems from Virginia Commonwealth University. He works in Stafford County as a G.I.S. analyst.
Parker has a graduate degree in business administration and is a certified Information System Security Professional.
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies, will moderate the program and serve as a panelist. The other panelists will be Ted Schubel, news director of News Talk 1230/WFVA and WBQB radio, and Jim Toler, editorial page editor of The Free Lance-Star.
The event is sponsored by UMW’s College Republicans, Young Democrats and the Legislative Action Committee of the Student Government Association, in conjunction with the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and The Free Lance–Star.
For more information about the debate, contact Stephen Farnsworth at sfarnswo@umw.edu. Additional information on each candidate can be found on their websites: www.robwittman.com, www.mattrowe.org and http://gailparker.us/
