Professor of Political Science and Director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth
Professor of Political Science and Director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth recently presented a keynote online lecture, “Shaping Tomorrow Today: Politics and Health Care Policy in Virginia in 2025,” at the Annual Conference of the Virginia Nurses Association. Richmond.
Media mentions for Farnsworth include:
They Were Rising Democratic Stars. Then Came the Leaks. (Newsweek)
Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia, told Newsweek that the fallout will likely have long-term consequences. “I expect that some Democrats will leave the AG line blank, which reduces the chances that Jones will win,” he said. “Even if he does win this time, Virginia Democrats are unlikely to forget his reckless behavior.” Read the article.
DC News Now pre-debate special (DC News Now)
“I can imagine that the Republicans will want to talk about this at every opportunity. This in many ways is the best issue that Republicans have had in months in this campaign,” said Stephen Farnsworth in response to a question about the impact of the text messaging scandal involving candidate Jay Jones. Read the article.
Government shutdown, text message scandal could reshape Virginia’s gubernatorial race (NPR)
“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.” Read the article.
RECAP: Virginia governor nominees face-off in only debate before election day (WJLA)
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. Read the article.
Shutdown Blame Game Seeps Into New Jersey, Virginia Elections (Bloomberg Government)
“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. Read the article.
Trump’s plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas (CHCH News)
“Well, it doesn’t seem like Hamas will say yes to 100% of a deal that they did not have a part in negotiating,” said Stephen Farnsworth. Read the article.
Can Abigail Spanberger Make Politics Boring Again? (Washingtonian)
As Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington, puts it: “If there are problems with performance on the other side, then competence can be your brand.” Read the article.
Trump Joins Calls for Jay Jones to Exit Va. Race (Newsmax)
“There’s simply no way to sugarcoat the candidate’s remarks,” University of Mary Washington political science professor Stephen Farnsworth told the Post. “They were horrible. And the voters will determine whether they were unforgivable.” Farnsworth pointed out that “the two other Democrats on the statewide ticket have both condemned these remarks, as they should.” Read the article.
Trump calls for Jay Jones to step down over text message controversy (WUSA 9)
“If you think about how the world has changed, things that would have been disqualifying 30 years ago may not be disqualifying today,” said Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “The Democrats obviously want to talk about something else, and Republicans want to talk about nothing else. We’ll see who wins that framing battle moving forward.” Read the article.
Education helped fuel Youngkin’s win. How will it affect this year’s election? (The Washington Post)
Stephen Farnsworth, a political analyst at the University of Mary Washington, said running on transgender issues is appealing to conservatives because Democrats have little room for defense without isolating more moderate voters since polling shows public opinion agrees with Republicans’ position. “One of the key strategies is to find issues where your side is united and the other side is divided,” Farnsworth said. Read the article.
‘No reason not to be all in’: is Saturday Night Live ready to meet a major political moment? (The Guardian)
“This would be one of the biggest, most important cold openings in the 50-year history of the show,” says Stephen Farnsworth, a co-author of Late Night With Trump: Political Humor and the American Presidency. “But in the past, when Saturday Night Live has faced a major challenge, like they did in the wake of 9/11, they’ve risen to the occasion.” Read the article.
Trump calls for Jay Jones to exit Virginia AG race over ‘bullets to the head’ texts (NBC Washington)
“We’re talking about votes already cast in Virginia. It seems to me that even if there was an idea that the Democratic Party should change courses, it’s way past mid-stream in this situation. Voting has been going on for a couple of weeks already in Virginia,” political analyst Stephen Farnsworth said. Read the article.
Trump joins other Republicans in calling for Jay Jones to exit Virginia race (The Washington Post)
“There’s simply no way to sugarcoat the candidate’s remarks. They were horrible. And the voters will determine whether they were unforgivable,” Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, said Sunday. He noted that “the two other Democrats on the statewide ticket have both condemned these remarks, as they should.” Read the article.
Cole, Steinway offer contrasting stances, styles at UMW debate (Fredericksburg Free Press; FXBG Advance)
Democratic Del. Joshua Cole, who is running for re-election in the district that covers Fredericksburg and parts of Stafford and Spotsylvania counties, faced his GOP opponent, Sean Steinway, inside the University of Mary Washington’s Dodd Auditorium. Thursday’s debate was hosted by Mary Washington’s Student Government Association and moderated by UMW Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth, who also serves as director of the university’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies. It was co-sponsored by the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters of the Fredericksburg Area. Farnsworth joined fellow UMW Professor of Political Science Rosalyn Cooperman, who chairs the department, and WFVA Radio News Director Ted Schubel in asking questions of the candidates. Read the article.
Cole and Steinway Face Off in Fredericksburg Debate — Here’s Where They Split on the Issues (Potomac Local)
The Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce co-hosted the event, along with the UMW Student Government Association and the League of Women Voters, and was moderated by UMW professors Stephen Farnsworth and Rosalyn Cooperman, as well as WFVA Radio News Director Ted Schubel. Read the article.
Preview: Virginia Gubernatorial Debate (DC News Now)
“This has been a very difficult cycle for elections campaigning for Republicans in Virginia,” said Stephen Farnsworth. Read the article.
New gubernatorial ads focus on transgender and reproductive rights (WAVY; MSN)
“This is a time when you’re really trying to ramp up the energy among potential voters,” Professor Stephen Farnsworth, Director of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, told 8News. Read the article.