Professor of Political Science and Director of UMW’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth
Professor of Political Science and Director of UMW’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth was highlighted recently in a variety of media outlets, including NBC4, The Washington Post, WJLA, Newsweek, MSN, WTOP, WFVA and FXBG Advance. Farnsworth contributed by sharing his expertise on Election Day topics, such as early voting, major races, redistricting and more.
He contributed an opinion column for FXBG Advance with colleague, Professor of Geography Stephen Hanna, and UMW senior, Ethan Sweeny, a geospatial analysis major. The piece was titled, “Second-Wave Suburbanization Key to Spanberger Wins in Spotsylvania, Stafford,” and discussed how the two large counties bordering Fredericksburg realized some of the largest percentage gains for Democrats of any of the cities and counties in the Commonwealth. Read more.
Media mentions for Farnsworth include:
Why Virginia senators Kaine and Warner were split on vote to end shutdown (The Washington Post)
Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, pointed out that the other seven senators who signed on to the deal with the GOP have either announced they won’t be seeking reelection or, like Kaine, will not face voters in next year’s elections. “Elected officials who are further from their next election are less concerned by political considerations and more focused on what they see as the best policies,” Farnsworth said. Read more.
Kaine breaks with Democrats to back deal ending shutdown, securing protections for federal workers (Yahoo; Fredericksburg Free Press; Virginia Mercury; Fauquier Now)
Political scientist Stephen J. Farnsworth of the University of Mary Washington said Kaine’s calculation reflects the kind of decision lawmakers make when they’re freed from the immediate pressures of reelection. “The farther an elected official is from their next election, the more likely they are to make the decision about how to proceed based on sound public policy evaluation,” he said, noting that Kaine’s next reelection campaign is five years off. Read more.
Reaction: Democrats sweep Virginia races (DC News Now)
“Well, the main thing that was surprising was magnitude of Spanberger’s win,” said Stephen Farnsworth. View.
Big Night For Democrats In VA: See Latest Election Updates, Reactions (patch.com)
Stephen Farnsworth, a political-science professor at the University of Mary Washington, told WTOP anchor Nick Iannelli and Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller on Tuesday that the Democratic candidates capitalized on a distaste toward Trump’s administration. “This was very much a repudiation of the Trump policies and their painful impact on Virginia,” Farnsworth told WTOP. “An awful lot of votes are cast in Northern Virginia, and a lot of those people are connected to the federal government.” Read more.
ELECTION 2025: Democrats dramatically expand control over General Assembly (The Commonwealth Times)
Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, pointed to four amendments midway through the legislative process, which he said may not have gone anywhere in the new session should the House be controlled by Republicans. “This would be removing the ban on gay marriage from the Constitution of Virginia, the automatic restoration of felon voting rights, the codification of Roe v. Wade in the Virginia Constitution, and the new redistricting amendment,” Farnsworth said. Read more.
Democrat Abigail Spanberger Wins Virginia’s Race For Governor (Huff Post; MSN)
As Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington told local news station WTOP, “You want the bragging rights of having a good year in Virginia in year one of a presidential term, to give you a sense of inevitability of gains during year two — the midterm congressional elections.” Read more.
Spanberger turns GOP stronghold of Spotsylvania blue (NBC4)
“The people in the last 20 years who have moved here have moved here largely for issues of affordability,” said University of Mary Washington political scientist Stephen Farnsworth. “And those people are really changing the dynamics of this part of Virginia.” Read more.
Democrat Jay Jones Wins Despite Texts Fantasizing About Killing Opponent (Newsweek; MSN)
“In these partisan times, many people are willing to forgive a great deal from politicians on their team and forgive nothing from people on the other team,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. Read more.
Democrats sweep major Virginia races, widen margin in House of Delegates (WJLA)
“When you’re looking at the king of uncertainty, the economic uncertainty that has been a result of the choices that the Trump Administration has made to create an immense headwind for Republicans, it’s just a very, very difficult idea to deal with all of those federal cutbacks, the [government] shutdown, the contractors, everybody that is suffering now and that spills who are selling all kinds of things in the retail environment because nervous people don’t spend money,” said Professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, who specializes in elections and media and politics. Read more.
Virginia Democrats expand majority in House of Delegates, win key Northern Va. seats (WTOP)
Among the top issues in the district, according to University of Mary Washington political science professor Stephen Farnsworth, were the economy and data centers, of which the district is home to dozens. Read more.
Democrats Just Flipped the Script on Donald Trump and Republicans (Newsweek)
Stephen Farnsworth, political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, told Newsweek the shift underscores “the nature of politics.” In 2024, Republicans could attack the Biden economy, but now, Democrats can attack the Trump economy as voters are “unhappy with the status quo.” Read more.
Experts weigh in on ‘blue wave’ in Va. after Democrats sweep statewide races (WTOP)
Stephen Farnsworth, a political-science professor at the University of Mary Washington, told WTOP anchor Nick Iannelli and Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller on Tuesday that the Democratic candidates capitalize on a distaste toward President Donald Trump’s administration. “This was very much a repudiation of the Trump policies and their painful impact on Virginia,” Farnsworth said. “An awful lot of votes are cast in Northern Virginia, and a lot of those people are connected to the federal government.” Read more.
Election Night 2025: An initial take on a big, blue wave (Almanac of American Politics)
“Spanberger demonstrated that a disciplined campaign, focused on issues of economic anxiety, is a useful strategy for Democratic candidates,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a University of Mary Washington political scientist. Read more.
Key takeaways from Virginia’s attorney general race (NBC4)
Stephen Farnsworth of the University of Mary Washington feels that party allegiance is too strong, and given the current environment, he thinks just about any Democrat could have won a statewide race this year. “The last decade has been marked by a significant decline in what is acceptable behavior. We now have a very low bar in terms of anything that may be disqualifying,” Farnsworth said. Read more.
Expert panel to provide live analysis as Virginia election results roll in (WJLA; MSN)
Professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington Dr. Stephen Farnsworth specializes in elections and media and politics. He is the author or co-author of nine books on U.S. politics, the mass media, public opinion and journalism. Read more.
President Donald Trump, government shutdown impact on Virginia elections as Dems win big races (ABC 7 News)
“Well, this is the key questions that voters have to deal with,” said Stephen Farnsworth. View.
Democrats see big wins in Virginia, New Jersey: Experts explain the cost of living pushed voters (ABC 7 News)
“Yes, I think one of the things we appreciate now is that it is not clear what is disqualifying,” said Stephen Farnsworth. View.
Trump will blame Mamdani’s NYC election win as ‘someone else’s fault,’ analyst says (CTV News)
“Well, this is clearly a repudiation of Donald Trump,” said Stephen Farnsworth. View.
LISTEN: UMW political analyst Dr. Stephen Farnsworth (News Talk 1230)
University of Mary Washington political analyst Dr. Stephen Farnsworth breaks down the key statewide and local General Assembly races—and how the government shutdown could help shape the results. Listen.
2 Northern Virginia races could determine which party has majority in House of Delegates (WTOP; FFXNow)
Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, said the House of Delegates majority is “going to be determined by the outcome in these outer ring suburban communities.” That includes districts in places such as Chesterfield County and Hampton Roads, Farnsworth said, and two districts in Prince William County. Read more.
Early voting wraps in Virginia, with higher turnout than 2021 (Virginia Business; WHRO; Henrico Citizen; The Virginian-Pilot)
Stephen Farnsworth, professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, stated that early voting has grown more popular since COVID-19. Read more.
Early vote soars in Virginia’s 2025 election (WVTF)
Stephen Farnsworth is a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. He said it could mean Republicans have learned from years past, when national Republicans criticized early voting. But that means it could eat into day-of turnout this year. “Locking in votes of people who are going to vote your side,” Farnsworth said in an interview Monday. “You’ve really made election day an easier day for you because then you can concentrate your energies on those who haven’t voted yet.” Read more.
Who’s benefiting from Virginia’s bump in early voting? Both parties have their spin (NBC 4)
Political analyst Stephen Farnsworth pointed to a name that’s not on the ballot to explain the surge. “President Trump is very, very effective in energizing activists on both sides. The high level of feelings about the president – positive and negative – have really led to higher turnout in elections during his time in public life, and we’re seeing that intensively so this time around,” he said. Read more.
A Virginia political scribe recalls the dark ages of covering campaigns and elections before VPAP (Virginia Mercury)
VPAP is why anyone can “figure out what’s going on with the oceans of campaign cash flowing in the commonwealth,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a University of Mary Washington political science professor and former reporter. “Any time an out-of-state reporter asks me about politics in Virginia, I make sure to direct them to VPAP.” Read more.
Looking Ahead: Virginia Election Day (DC News Now; Yahoo.com; MSN)
“All indications are that they are indeed engaged,” said Stephen Farnsworth. We are looking at relatively high turnout in the early voting compared to previous election cycles. Read more.
Virginia sees surge in early voting, mostly among likely Democratic voters (The Washington Post)
“It requires a much heavier lift on Election Day to get everyone to the polls than if the party had banked a lot of voters ahead of time,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. “Democrats learned this lesson a while ago, but Republicans are struggling to catch up.” Read more.
In Virginia, fed-up Democrats fight Trump’s craven, nationwide meddling on redistricting (Virginia Mercury; Yahoo)
“I think Democrats are looking at these nonpartisan and bipartisan redistricting efforts in blue states, and Republicans doing redistricting not once but twice, and looking at (this as) unilateral disarmament,” Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, told me this week. Read more.
Text scandal gives GOP the edge in Virginia AG race (Pluribus News)
“Trump’s not a wagon you want to hitch your wagon to,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington. “But Jones has created this huge, self-inflicted error for his campaign.”
Democrat Elizabeth Guzman out-raising Ian Lovejoy in county’s most competitive race (The Prince William Times)
“A vow not to take Dominion money is only so principled if you’re accepting money from Dominion funneled through another entity,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “It’s up to the voters to determine if taking money indirectly from Dominion is a problem or not.” Read more.