The primary ballot for the 1st congressional district includes seven candidates on the Democrat side and just one on the Republican (incumbent Rob Wittman). With Virginia’s open primaries (anyone can vote in either party’s contest), I gravitated towards the more interesting Democratic ballot. I confess I knew very little about any of the candidates, so I visited all of their campaign websites, focusing primarily on the issues highlighted by each. It was an eye-opening experience.
Most candidates confine themselves to catchphrases or a couple of sentences for each issue. Two (Tim Cywinski and Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs) have more involved descriptions and rationales behind their positions. But one (Jason Knapp) stands out from the pack with far more detailed analyses of the issues, bespeaking experience that informs the analyses. Most importantly, his website implies that the candidate believes constituents can be relied upon to look beyond slogans and to judge the merits of a position on substance.
This speaks well about what we might expect from him as a representative. You may not agree with every position he takes, but you will know why he has taken it and cannot fail to be impressed by his high opinion of the electorate.
But never mind — judge for yourself. You can find the list of candidates online.
Jeff Elhai
Tuckahoe
