The University of Mary Washington will host a public political debate between candidates for Virginia’s Seventh Congressional District on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. Derrick Anderson (R) and Eugene Vindman (D) will face off in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium.

The debate is being hosted by Mary Washington’s Student Government Association. It is co-sponsored by the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, The Free Lance-Star and the League of Women Voters of the Fredericksburg Area. The event is free and no tickets are required. Viewing also is available via Zoom at https://go.umw.edu/2024debate.

UMW Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth, who also serves as director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, will moderate the debate. He will join fellow UMW Professor of Political Science Rosalyn Cooperman, who chairs the department; WFVA Radio News Director Ted Schubel; and Jake Womer, managing editor at The Free Lance-Star, in asking questions of the candidates. Audience members will be able to submit questions for consideration before the start of the event. Read more.

The University of Mary Washington is a premier, selective public liberal arts and sciences university in Virginia, highly respected for its commitment to academic excellence, strong undergraduate liberal arts and sciences program, and dedication to life-long learning. The university, with a total enrollment of about 4,000, features colleges of business, education and arts and sciences, and three campuses, including a residential campus in Fredericksburg, Virginia, a second one in nearby Stafford and a third in Dahlgren, Virginia, which serves as a center of development of educational and research partnerships between the Navy, higher education institutions and the region’s employers.