Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth recently presented several public lectures reviewing the 2025 Virginia Elections, including presentations before the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, the  American Association of University Women (Fredericksburg, VA chapter), the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fredericksburg.

Media mentions for Farnsworth include:

U.S. Congress Votes to Force Release of Epstein Files (CTV News)
“Well, I don’t think that this signature is going to necessarily amount to all that much to be honest. There is a good chance that many of the documents that people are interested in will be withheld by the Justice Department,” said Stephen Farnsworth. Watch the full segment on YouTube.

Virginia governor-elect Spanberger aims to use carrots, not sticks to build support for new housing (Homes.com)
“Particularly in urban areas of the state, there’s been this rapid escalation in home prices,” Stephen Farnsworth, who teaches political science at the University of Mary Washington, told Homes.com. “That creates all kinds of economic uncertainty for people who want to buy a house and wonder if they’ll ever be able to.” Read the full article from Homes.com.

Virginia youth vote helped spark largest Democratic win since 1961 (The Commonwealth Times)
Stephen Farnsworth, director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, said it can be a challenge for candidates to connect with young people as the world changes rapidly. He said Spanberger was effective in connecting with younger voters by speaking about economic anxiety. Read the full article from The Commonwealth Times.

Money Shouts (The New Energy Crises)
“There’s an old saying that money talks–the big contributions that are possible in Virginia means that money shouts,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a professor at Mary Washington University. Read the full article from The New Energy Crises.

Several Virginia Election Day outcomes smashed polling, pundit predictions (The Virginian-Pilot; Daily Press)
Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor and director for the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, explained surveys as snapshots in time rather than crystal balls. Read the full article in the Daily Press. Read the full article from the Daily Press.

Affordability Highlighted as Key Issue in Virginia Elections—and for 2026 (Loudoun Now)
The panel, moderated by VA FREE Executive Director and former delegate Chris Saxman, included McGuireWoods Senior VP of Infrastructure and Economic Development and Government Relations Services Tracy Baynard, University of Mary Washington Director for the Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth, RAMA International Director and former delegate David Ramadan and Sen. Kannan Srinivasan (D-32). Read the full article from Loudoun Now.

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 public lecture, “Surveying the Virginia Political Landscape: The Commonwealth’s 2025 Elections and the Policy Challenges of 2026,” at the Richmond World Affairs Council.

Media mentions for Farnsworth include:

Special Session Redistricting (WUSA TV)
“Yes, absolutely and there is a question as to if this is even legal, but in order for this to work the Democrats will have to pass the constitutional amendment before the election,” said Stephen Farnsworth. Read more.

Redistricting reversal: Virginia Democrats move to ditch bipartisan map, joining nationwide drive (Washington Times)
Mr. Trump looms large over Democrats’ reversal on redistricting, said Stephen J. Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “Remember, Democrats are looking at the fact that Donald Trump, even now, refuses to accept that he lost the 2020 election,” Mr. Farnsworth said. “The world is very different when you think about the way that both parties accepted whether they won or lost elections before 2020.” Read more. 

What to know about the issues dominating the Virginia election (Washington Examiner)
“People are already anxious about the economic situation. The shutdown makes it much worse,” Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, previously told the Washington Examiner. Read more.

Virginia plan to redraw congressional map raises stakes for November races (The Washington Post)
“The stakes for Democratic control of the [Virginia] House just increased,” said Stephen J. Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. “The last-minute effort will draw a lot of attention to the races around the commonwealth.” Read more.

Can Jay Jones Still Win? (Washingtonian)
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington, says the texts were shocking even by the jaded standards of modern politics and may have crossed a moral line that many Democrats—and Democratic-leaning independents—will find hard to ignore. Read more.

Virginia Election: A Fight Over Abortion and the Economy (La Presse, Montreal, Canada)
“There has always been a hesitancy in Virginia to put in place a structure that would allow for a concentration of power,” recalls Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. Read more.

Will Virginia’s race for governor be bellwether for congressional midterms? (WTOP)
“When you look at the election for governor of Virginia in this year, you really recognize that, at least right now, all politics are national,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. Read more.

Democrats crowd into Virginia’s 2nd District race as Kiggans faces mounting headwinds (Virginia Mercury; WHRO)
“The 2nd District is probably the second most competitive district in Virginia, after the 7th District in the Fredericksburg area,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. Read more.

Trump Meeting with Zelenskyy at White House (CTV News)
“Well, I think it is clear that the relationship between the Ukrainian president and the American president is much stronger than it has been,” said Stephen Farnsworth. Read more.

Those Violent Texts Won’t Tilt the Top of Virginia’s Ticket (Bloomberg)
“Jones has said some horrible things, and we will see if the voters find his behavior unforgivable. 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 J. Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “I expect that some Democrats will leave the AG line blank, which reduces the chances that Jones will win.” Read more.

Reaction: Virginia Attorney General Debate (DC News Now; Yahoo)
“Well, I thought both candidates did what they wanted to do going into this debate, said Stephen Farnsworth. Read more.

‘It has not been civil:’ Tensions high in Fredericksburg area ahead of Election Day (Fredericksburg Free Press)
“One of the key factors about the new timetable is that elections are occurring when partisan tensions are high,” said University of Mary Washington Professor Stephen Farnsworth, who specializes in political science and media affairs. “People are being primed by all these attack ads about how horrible the other side is, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that a contentious political environment affects local races as well as state.” Read more.

Virginia AG debate: Miyares and Jones clash over texts, Trump allegiance (DC News Now; Yahoo; MSN)
“I do think both candidates were pretty effective in talking about the issues that they wanted to talk about. Jay Jones consistently talked about the Trump administration and tried to convince voters that they should look beyond the texting scandal. The Republicans in contrast are very much focused on the tax scandal,” said Stephen Farnsworth. Read more.

Donald Trump announces second peace summit with Putin on Ukraine (CHCH)
“It’s clear that President Trump really does want to see some progress here,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist with the University of Mary Washington. “That he’s coming back to this issue despite not having much success with it, I think, speaks volumes to that. ”Farnsworth says Trump wants to bring peace to Ukraine, after his successful peace talks in Gaza, but the big question is what will Putin do. Read more.

Threats against School Board, Combative Signage Raise Tensions (FXBG Advance)
“We live in increasingly combative times, nationally and locally,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. “I think people should step back and think twice about the kind of harsh rhetoric we are seeing in a lot of places these days. We are all worse off if we can’t find a way to disagree without talking about hatred and violence.” Read more.

Republicans and Democrats remain deadlocked over a spending bill that would reopen the government. (The Wash)
Stephen Farnsworth, political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington, said the administration’s strategy of sustaining select programs while tightening pressure on Democrats suggests the shutdown may be less a short-term funding lapse than a calculated battle over the future of federal spending and health care policy. “Democrats find it difficult to make a deal with Republicans in Congress when the president has shown little interest in following the terms of existing laws on the federal budget,” Farnsworth said. Read more.

Spanberger holds on to edge in Virginia gubernatorial race (Almanac of American Politics)
The Jones controversy has given Republicans their strongest rallying cry of the entire campaign, which began slowly in general because both gubernatorial candidates were nominated without primary opposition. Still, Jones’ ticket-mates’ efforts to distance themselves from his’ words “should largely limit the impact” on their own campaigns, said Stephen J. Farnsworth, a University of Mary Washington political scientist.

The two wildcards shaping the tail end of the Virginia race for governor (National Public Radio; Georgia Pacific Broadcasting; WAMU)
The upheavals in government employment and contracting have created a “very, very damaging environment for Republicans” in the Virginia November election, said Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. Spanberger, he noted, has led in most public polling by close to 10 points throughout the race. “A year ago, the economy was a great benefit to Republicans when they could talk about the Biden economy,” Farnsworth said. “But a year later, with a Republican governor and a Republican president, the Democrats are the ones who have the advantage in the economic conversation.” Read more.

In Focus: Virginia Attorney General race (WUSA9)
“Well, it’s absolutely the center of the conversation especially these last few weeks,” said Stephen Farnsworth. Read more.

Virginia’s attorney general candidates set to debate Thursday night (WUSA 9)
“I think there will be a significant amount of voters who are Democrats who will be hesitant to sign up for his campaign. I can imagine some democrats leaving that third line blank on the ballots,” said Stephen Farnsworth, political analyst at Mary Washington University. Read more.

Democrats Are Embracing Marjorie Taylor Greene (Newsweek)
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, told Newsweek that Greene recognizes that the Epstein scandal “is not going away,” while other Republicans would “prefer not to recognize” that. Read more.

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.

Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth, who also serves as director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, will moderate the public political debate for Virginia’s 65th District House of Delegates on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. where incumbent Joshua Cole (D) will face off against Sean Steinway (R) in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium.

Other media mentions for Farnsworth include:

John Reid’s pitch for civility follows years as a ‘combative conservative’ (Virginia Dogwood)
Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, said as a radio host Reid was a “combative conservative” and a “vigorous cultural warrior.” Farnsworth added that it’s not unusual for candidates to moderate their rhetoric to appeal to a broader electorate after a primary battle. “Talk radio is an appealing environment for conservative messaging,” Farnsworth said in an interview. “But running for office in purple Virginia may require a narrative that is less focused on the hardcore conservatives who make up much of the talk radio audience.” Read more in Virginia Dogwood. 

Republican State Senator Bryce Reeves to Challenge Mark Warner (WRIC, WFXR-TV)
“If you look at his previous congressional campaigns, he offers up a Republican message that is very focused on the issues of law and order,” Professor Stephen Farnsworth, Director of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, told 8News. Read more in WRIC.

Government Shutdown Mass Layoff Fears Virginia Governor Race (MSN, Washington Examiner, USSA News)
“People are already anxious about the economic situation. The shutdown makes it much worse,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. Read more in MSN.

Election 2025: Earle-Sears vs Spanberger race guarantees history (Virginia Business)
Even without Trump’s policies disproportionately impacting Virginians, Earle-Sears would be at a disadvantage running for governor with a Republican in the White House, says Stephen Farnsworth, director of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies. Four years ago, some observers chalked up Democratic former Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s 2021 loss to Republican Glenn Youngkin in part due to Democratic President Joe Biden’s unpopularity. “Virginians tend to show anger against whoever is in the White House,” Farnsworth says. “The key challenge with the Earle-Sears campaign is dealing with the headwinds from the Trump administration.” Read more in Virginia Business.

Republican State Senator Bryce Reeves to challenge Mark Warner for U.S. Senate seat (WRIC; WAVY; MSN; The Free Lance-Star)
“If you look at his previous congressional campaigns, he offers up a Republican message that is very focused on the issues of law and order,” Professor Stephen Farnsworth, Director of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, told 8News. Read more in MSN.

Sen. Bryce Reeves jumps into U.S. Senate race against Warner (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
“There may be more Republicans getting into the race, which is still unclear a year out,” said Steve Farnsworth, director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington. Read more in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Trump’s UN speech crafted for his supporters: Political analyst (CTV News)
“Well, this is very much the red meat narrative that President Trump uses to connect with his base,” said Stephen Farnsworth. Read more in CTV News.

Child safety, fake news a linchpin in final campaign strategies
(Brunswick Times- Gazette)
“The reality is that there is a growing incentive to put out false information if you can do so without facing consequences,” said Stephen Farnsworth, director of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies. “Rewarded behavior is repeated behavior.” Read more in Brunswick Times- Gazette.

Democrats hope to extend map, pick off more GOP House seats (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
“When a party has a lot of money it can put funds into races that are a reach,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. Read more in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

‘Nation looks to the Virginia governor’s contest’ as early voting opens Sept. 19 (Henrico Citizen; RVA Hub; Newsbreak)
Stephen Farnsworth, Ph.D. is a professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington. Farnsworth stated in an email that many national policies “significantly” impact the Virginia economy, such as with the cutbacks of federal workers. “The nation looks to the Virginia governor’s contest as a leading political indicator of the upcoming midterm elections,” Farnsworth stated. Read more in Newsbreak.

First Colbert, now Kimmel: How Trump puts political pressure on comedians (Tagesschau radio, Germany)
“President Trump is the biggest target of late-night comedy in the history of this format,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington and co-author of the book, “Late Night in Washington:  Political Humor and the American Presidency.” Hear more on Tagesschau Radio.

‘Nation looks to the Virginia governor’s contest’ as early voting opens Sept. 19 (Henrico Citizen)
Stephen Farnsworth, Ph.D. is a professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington. Farnsworth stated in an email that many national policies “significantly” impact the Virginia economy, such as with the cutbacks of federal workers. “The nation looks to the Virginia governor’s contest as a leading political indicator of the upcoming midterm elections,” Farnsworth stated. Read more in Henrico Citizen.