At the forum for candidates for the 2018 Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate hosted at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy on the Grounds of the University of Virginia on Tuesday, March 27, many (if not most) of the audience members were in their late teens and early twenties. That might be expected on a college campus but it should still be encouraging for candidates and Republican Party officials to see so much interest from young voters.
At the same time, however, it should be worrisome for those same candidates and party officials that the audience was overwhelmingly male, demonstrating (anecdotally, at least) that the GOP faces a gender gap as it challenges incumbent Senator Tim Kaine (D-Richmond) in November and as it defends seven of eleven congressional seats against Democratic opponents.
The debate, moderated by Batten School Dean Allan C. Stam, was delightfully civil. Not only were there no catcalls or demonstrations from the audience, the three candidates — Delegate Nick Freitas, Bishop E.W. Jackson, and Prince William County Board Chairman Corey Stewart — treated each other and their listeners with respect. There were few instances of snarky comments from any of the participants and, what’s more, the discussion was entirely policy-focused. There were no questions about character, temperament, reputation, or moral shortcomings aimed at one candidate or another.
The three candidates agreed that there should be reform of marijuana laws, with Stewart suggesting that legal medical marijuana is a partial solution to the opioid crisis — although his primary solution is to “build a wall” at the Mexican border to keep out both illegal drugs and illegal immigrants.
All three expressed dismay at the passage of the omnibus spending bill, which was pushed through Congress by Republican leadership and signed into law by a Republican president. Each warned, at one point or another, that the Social Security system is headed toward collapse and that continued deficit spending and accumulation of debt is a national security issue. (They may be unconsciously echoing Libertarian Senate candidate Matt Waters, who has declared this issue as the centerpiece of his campaign.)
Delegate Freitas repeatedly mentioned his military service — two tours in Iraq, training South Korean special forces — as well as his experience in the General Assembly as preparation for the U.S. Senate, noting in particular his bill to reform civil asset forfeiture laws, which, he said, had the support of both the Family Foundation and the ACLU.
Bishop Jackson said his experience as a statewide candidate in 2013, when he was the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, prepared him to challenge Tim Kaine. He praised the United States for making it possible for him, the great-grandson of slaves, to run for the United States Senate, and said that participation in the democratic process should not be limited, whether a citizen is black or white, transgender or gay, rich or poor.
For his part, Chairman Stewart stated he was not campaigning to “make friends,” asserted that anthropogenic climate change is “a hoax,” and called high-school gun control advocate David Hogg a “punk.” He said that mayors and other public officials who choose not to cooperate in federal immigration-law enforcement efforts should be prosecuted and jailed.
For those who were unable to attend — by order of the fire marshal, the largest classroom in Garrett Hall at UVA can only accommodate 180 people — here is video of the entire debate, divided into four unequal parts:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8-rtx-Bgck&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIsjqbddubc&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAuJG2pELSg&w=560&h=315]
Part 4, which includes closing statements by the candidates
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Qtr-qa4B8&w=560&h=315]
After the debate ended, I interviewed College Republicans chairman Adam Kimelman, who organized the debate; Nick Freitas; and Corey Stewart. E.W. Jackson, unfortunately, slipped out of the building before I could talk to him. All three of these interviews will be on The Score this week. Look for the new episode on Saturday morning here on Bearing Drift or, if you’re in the Winchester area, listen for it on WINC radio.
Local TV stations CBS19 and NBC29 both reported on the GOP Senate debate. So did Tyler Hammel of the Daily Progress, while Patrick Wilson has the story at the Times-Dispatch.
