The candidates for the 65th District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates clashed on issues such as election integrity and right-to-work laws in a debate Thursday night that generated few fireworks — but some sparks.
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.
And the hopefuls, who both live in southern Stafford, were mostly civil to each other, though more than once the incumbent charged that his rival wasn’t really answering the questions posed by the moderator and two panelists during the hour-long event.
Asked whether he would commit to pushing the next governor and General Assembly to allocate more money for schools, Steinway, a Marine and law-enforcement veteran and businessman, said, “School funding is very important. Like I said earlier, our children’s education is one of my top priorities.”
Then, he talked about the importance of career and technical education in addition to college.
However, Cole responded: “I think the question was specifically, ‘What are we doing to increase funding for our local school divisions?’”
Cole mentioned being among a group of state lawmakers who voted for legislation that would have allowed localities to impose a sales tax, up to 1 percent, to cover school building construction or renovations if voters approved the measure in a referendum. That proposal passed the legislature but was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“We know in Stafford County we are already behind [in] our building for schools,” Cole said.
Press the Issue
For more information on Joshua Cole, check out his response to the Free Press candidate questionnaire. Steinway did not respond to the questionnaire.
On another question, about proposed state constitutional amendments that would restore rights to those who have completed prison sentences for felony convictions and end Virginia’s now-outdated ban on same-sex marriage, Steinway seemed to answer with information instead about criminals being released early from incarceration.
“I am for public safety,” he said. “Let’s make our district safe and prosperous.”
Cole countered that “the question wasn’t answered” and declared that he was really the one “fighting for public safety.”
Regarding the constitutional amendments, the Democrat said he supports approving the measures during the General Assembly session in January, which would then send them to the voters as ballot questions in next year’s election. That way, state residents can have their say, he said.
The candidates also differed on the topics of election integrity and the Old Dominion’s status as a “right-to-work” state.
On election integrity, Steinway said that “Virginia voting integrity has been an issue.”
But Cole said that Youngkin’s Republican administration has reported to the House of Delegates that Virginia’s elections have been safe and secure over the past few years.
“And yes,” said Cole, “I’m giving the Youngkin administration their props tonight that they protected our elections while we, as the Democrats, have made sure excellent legislation has been passed to allow people accessibility to the ballot.”
On right-to-work laws, which say employment can’t be denied because a worker won’t join a union, Cole said Martin Luther King Jr. was against such regulations. He said right-to-work laws inhibit unions, which can bring higher wages to employees.
“I absolutely believe we need to repeal right to work in the Commonwealth of Virginia, without a doubt,” he said.
Steinway, though, repeated a familiar Republican refrain by saying that work opportunities should be available to all state residents.
“I think right to work is a big benefit for all Virginians,” he said.
Conversely, Cole and Steinway seemed to basically agree on the topic of data centers, facilities that house computer systems used for data storage and processing.
The incumbent noted that local officials are the ones who decide whether data centers are allowed in a given area.
“But,” he said, “I think my job as a state legislator is to make sure that [electricity] rate-payers are protected, that our water is protected, and that our land and energy is protected.”
Concerns over water, land and energy use are frequent topics when data centers are proposed in localities.
Steinway, meanwhile, said that data centers must be “conducive” to the areas where they’re placed.
And he said, “I will put Virginia first, and make sure that the data centers do not drive up the cost of electricity.”
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.
