The panel, moderated by University of Mary Washington political science professor Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, focused on the sweeping changes being proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal initiative aiming to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending.

https://www.potomaclocal.com/2025/03/22/experts-warn-federal-job-cuts-could-ripple-through-prince-william-economy/

Political expert weighs in on Trump-Putin call, partial Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deal (CHCH)
“Well, I do think it is a good start in what has been a horrific war on both sides,” said Stephen Farnsworth. https://www.chch.com/chch-news/political-expert-weighs-in-on-trump-putin-call-partial-russia-ukraine-ceasefire-deal/

Virginia statewide candidates submit signatures to get on the ballot (WVTF)
Spanberger submitted twice the number of signatures that Sears did — 40,000 to 20,000. But University of Mary Washington Political Science professor Steven Farnsworth said that may speak more to Virginia Republicans’ preference for conventions and other systems to pick their nominees instead of an open primary; they just don’t have the signature collection infrastructure that Democrats do. But he doesn’t think the number of signatures is all that important anyway. https://www.wvtf.org/news/2025-03-17/virginia-statewide-candidates-submit-signatures-to-get-on-the-ballot

Democrats start angling for 2028 and experimenting with new approaches to voters (The Washington Times)
“The Democrats have a significant challenge right now in finding out what the party stands for,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “That may be a debate that continues into the 2028 Democratic nomination contests.” https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/mar/18/democrats-start-angling-2028-experimenting-new-approaches-voters/

Trump used to be kryptonite for GOP in Virginia, but not this year (The Washington Post)
RICHMOND — In a Virginia election year, it might seem as though the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal workforce and gut federal spending would create stiff headwinds for the president’s fellow Republicans who are running for governor. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/03/17/virginia-trump-youngkin-maga-winsome/

Around Prince William: DOGE’s domino effect on our economy (InsideNOVA)
To that end, the committee is hosting a non-partisan panel, “the Domino effects of DOGE,” next week to explore how to mitigate its impact on Prince William. The event will be moderated by Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington. https://www.insidenova.com/opinion/around-prince-william-doge-s-domino-effect-on-our-economy/article_c6c705f2-00f5-11f0-a6c9-03b188ea824a.html  

 

Democrats Seize on Enthusiasm Gap in 2025 Virginia House Races (Virginia Mercury; News on the Neck)
But Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington, also sees the surge of Democratic candidates in Virginia’s 2025 elections as part of a broader trend fueled by voter anger and dissatisfaction with the party in power. “Virginia elections are all about angry voters,” Farnsworth said. “The party that loses the White House is energized for elections the following year in a way that the party that won the White House is not so energized. Democrats in 2017 had a recruitment bonanza with many motivated candidates requiring many primaries. It looks like 2025 is also going to be a peak year for Democrats running for office.” https://virginiamercury.com/2025/03/13/democrats-seize-on-enthusiasm-gap-in-2025-virginia-house-races/
https://www.newsontheneck.com/news/state/democrats-seize-on-enthusiasm-gap-in-2025-virginia-house-races/article_630e7826-d7f3-57de-8e97-969b792feeab.html

“The main thing you want to avoid doing in March is saying things you’ve got to defend in the fall,” said Steve Farnsworth, a political scientist and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg.

Might Trump change the law to run for a third term? (The Independent UK)
“There is zero chance the Constitution will be amended in time for Donald Trump to see a revised version,” Dr. Stephen J. Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, told The Independent. “It is very hard to change the constitution. It requires two thirds of both houses of Congress, and two thirds of the states to go along,” he added. Read the article.

“Virginia politics today is very different than a generation ago,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/virginia-s-legislative-session-is-over-here-s-what-s-headed-to-youngkin/ar-AA1zZJoG

Tensions escalate as Trump and Zelenskyy clash at White House (CHCH TV Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
“Well, this is really pretty unprecedented. If you look at the way that publicly leaders intereat with each other, even enemies or potential adversaries do not level this kind of verbal combat against each other,” said Stephen Farnsworth. https://www.chch.com/chch-news/tensions-escalate-as-trump-and-zelenskyy-clash-at-white-house/

Commentary: In fight against Trump, D.C. Dems should look to Richmond (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
In the legislative session that concluded Feb. 22, Virginia’s Democratic lawmakers demonstrated that they have something to teach Democratic members of the U.S. Congress about shaping public discourse, promoting their party and fighting back against executive branch power. https://richmond.com/opinion/column/article_f08507e6-f523-11ef-9ad9-87efdc8df0ba.html

Does the number of bills a Virginia delegate passed matter in this fall’s election? (WVTF; WMRA)
University of Mary Washington political science Professor Stephen Farnsworth said getting bills passed, or not passed, can be a campaign message either way. “You can claim credit for introducing an idea even if it goes nowhere,” he said. “And you can blame the other side for standing in the way.” https://www.wvtf.org/news/2025-03-03/does-the-number-of-bills-a-virginia-delegate-passed-matter-in-this-falls-election
https://www.wmra.org/2025-03-03/does-the-number-of-bills-a-virginia-delegate-passed-matter-in-this-falls-election

How federal layoffs could impact Virginia’s governor’s race (NBC Washington 4)
“Well, the good news for Republicans is that the election is still a long way away. A lot can happen between February and November,” said Stephen Farnsworth.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/president-trump-politics/how-federal-layoffs-could-impact-virginias-governors-race/3854952/?_branch_match_id=1378046433189259489&utm_medium=share&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXz0tKLk8szsjMSy%2FJz9NLLCjQy8nMy9ZPL3NJriryzM4JSrKvK0pNSy0qAiqJTyrKLy9OLbJ1zijKz00FALsjenJEAAAA

Democratic Lawmakers Send Youngkin Same Minimum Wage Bill He Vetoed Last Year (Williamsburg Yorktown Daily)
“The minimum wage debate has been one of the more controversial issues in Virginia in the last several years,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington. “You see significant public support for increasing the minimum wage, but you also see some resistance in the business community to higher minimum wages.” https://wydaily.com/latest/2025/02/28/democratic-lawmakers-send-youngkin-same-minimum-wage-bill-he-vetoed-last-year/

Democratic lawmakers send Youngkin minimum wage bill — again (Rappahannock News)
“The minimum wage debate has been one of the more controversial issues in Virginia in the last several years,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington. “You see significant public support for increasing the minimum wage, but you also see some resistance in the business community to higher minimum wages.”
https://www.rappnews.com/news/government/democratic-lawmakers-send-youngkin-minimum-wage-bill-again/article_1a219dfe-f4a6-11ef-9e85-9ffc0c1d8321.html