And the Advance is the only news source in our region that’s introducing you personally to those who want your vote
Elections matter.
If there were ever any doubt about that truism, one need only look around our region and the events of the past year.
In Fredericksburg the Council has been enmeshed in heated and politically complex issues involving growth, housing, special-use permits, and building a new school. In Stafford County the Board of Supervisors has leveled significant tax increases, greatly increased pay for police officers, been confronting the fallout from a controversial methadone clinic, and wrestled with how to educate a growing population of children the county lacks the schools to adequately hold. And in Spotsylvania County, nothing short of a total meltdown on the School Board has raised questions about the ability of local government to function at all.
In the seven months we’ve been reporting, the Advance has made it a priority to not simply cover our political races, but to give readers an opportunity to get to know candidates on their own terms.
To be sure, we are committed to covering politicians who break laws, or grossly abuse their powers. Already this year, we’ve broken such stories. Most especially, the ongoing abuse of power in Spotsylvania, and the recent questionable activities by the Spotsylvania Board of Elections in certifying signatures collected prior to the guidelines set out by the state election board.
As important as these stories are, however, we believe it’s more important to shine a light on candidates before they’re placed into office.
The truth is, Americans writ large know next to nothing about the people they put into power. A 2017 report by Haven Insights reveals just how deep our ignorance of our political readers runs. Among their findings:
- Less than half of Americans can name their Representative, yet 65% believe their Representative is overpaid.
- Self-described conservatives are more likely than liberals or moderates to know their Representative’s name and/or party affiliation.
- Twenty-three percent of Americans who voted for a Representative last November cannot name their current Representative. Self-described liberals are more likely than conservatives or moderates to have voted “blind” in this manner.
- Self-described moderates are less likely than conservatives or liberals to have contacted their Representative.
And this is looking at politics at a national level.
At the local level, citizens are even less likely to know anything about their representatives. A report from Johns Hopkins University in 2018 showed just how deep our collective ignorance of local government is:
Almost half of those surveyed couldn’t say what their state spent the most on; even fewer knew which state issues were most controversial. Fewer than 20 percent could name their state legislators. A third couldn’t name their governor.
We are committed to helping solve that problem by meeting political candidates where they are, before they make headlines.
That’s why we have introduced our candidate profiles and our “Why Behind the Why” interviews. These are not discussions in which the Advance asks leading questions or challenges politicians’ assertions. They’re simply discussions, where politicians are allowed to speak their own minds without someone challenging every point.
Some readers have expressed concerns that we are letting these candidates off the hook by not fact-checking them in real time. We can appreciate that concern. Candidates are going to say things that could prove misleading, or disingenuous, or framed in a way that makes them comfortable and avoids controversy.
What we’ve found, however, is that while candidates will say things that make them look good, they also deliver a generally-more-honest look at who they are. And, we hope, we get a glimpse of them as human beings.
Knowing how candidates see themselves arms voters with a baseline of information to measure them against. Do their relaxed conversations match what they say on the campaign trail? Does their relaxed demeanor square with how they act under pressure? Do their policy positions in line with how they personally act?
Candidates deserve a chance to speak plain. And voters deserve a chance to see them in this light.
Since our launch, just some of the candidates we’ve either done these interviews with, or interviewed in our studios of the New Dominion Podcast, include:
- Carol Medawar
- Joel Griffin
- Megan Jackson
- Howard Rudat
- Tim Duffy
- Alex Carlson
- Ben Litchfield
- Scott Mayausky
- Chris Yakabouski
And more are on the way.
Coming in just a few days, for example, is a sit-down with Matt Kelly, who’s running for City Council.
Surely some will be disappointed that we aren’t covering their favorite candidates. The truth is, there are still too many who refuse to sit down for such an interview.
We are reaching out to these people and trying to get them to come along for a discussion. As we get closer to the election, we will publish a list of all those candidates we have approached, but who have rejected our offer.
It’s our belief that a candidate’s refusal to sit down for such an interview says something about the candidate, too. What it says is up to our readers to decide.
As we gear up for November, we thank you for trusting the Advance to keep you informed.
Currently, we stand alone in our region by bringing these types of up-close-and-personal interviews with those who are vying to lead us.
The people we interview may not be vying for a seat on Capitol Hill. But they are vying to represent you in the halls of Richmond, and in the local council chambers in your community.
These are the politicians who most directly affect your life and your well-being.
You deserve to know them. And we will continue to support your ability to learn about them.
For one simple reason …
Elections matter.
