Earlier today, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Virginia FREE announced they will be conducting candidate interviews to support active and increased engagement between candidates and the business community during the 2019 election cycle.

Following the conclusion of the June 11th primaries, the two organizations will be conducting interviews in complimentary styles to provide a variety of platforms for candidates to ensure their policy positions on business issues are openly available to all members of the Virginia business community.

“We look forward to engaging candidates to create a more open pathway for dialog between elected leaders and the business community long before they take the oath to serve,” said Barry DuVal, Virginia Chamber President and CEO. “With this collaborative effort between the Virginia Chamber, local & regional chambers, and Virginia FREE, we hope to provide multiple platforms for both candidates and members of the business community to engage on the issues impacting our economic climate and overall competitiveness in becoming the best state for business.”

Virginia FREE President and CEO Chris Saxman echoed DuVal’s comments adding, “Our mission has been the same since 1988 – to educate the business community in Virginia on elections that will impact the Commonwealth. Business leaders need to know in which direction political parties, candidates, and issues are going so that they can plan accordingly. We are thrilled to work with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce on this.”

The Chamber’s Election Center Roundtable, a partnership with Local & Regional Chambers throughout the Commonwealth, will be conducting candidate interviews for a select number of competitive General Assembly races this cycle. With filming dates on July 16 and 17 and August 13 and 14, candidates will be asked questions regarding their policy positions on a variety of business issues developed by statewide, local, and regional business leaders throughout the state.

Virginia FREE conducts live in person interviews with candidates and the questions primarily comes from candidate’s own campaign website. As Virginia FREE matches the candidates’ issues with those of the business community, this format allows for respectful push back on candidate answers and for the audience to ask questions in real time. These interviews will take place on July 12 and 19 and August 9 and 16.

Candidates should expect to be contacted by the Virginia Chamber and Virginia FREE soon after June 11 and are encouraged to participate in both interview processes.