Democracy came to Fredericksburg last night when Democratic challenger Matt Rowe joined incumbent Republican Rob Wittman and Green Party adherent Gail Parker for a debate at University of Mary Washington. Rep. Wittman has been our Congressman since 2007, and has the distinction of talking a reasonable game, but voting with tea-party extremists. He is a Trump supporter, in fact he is on Trump’s Virginia Leadership Team, and he is planning a run for the Republican nomination for Governor next year in which he stands no chance. Mr. Wittman is affable, smart and polished. In 2012 he won the district 56-44, so it’s a slog for a Democrat.
But the real news is Matt Rowe, a member of the Bowling Green Town Council, who proved himself to be bright, engaging, and committed, the kind of candidate Democrats can be proud to support. Matt had cogent answers on global warming, voter suppression, why Hillary would make a great President, and why Trump would not. He was well-versed in Middle Eastern matters, making sense about the current efforts against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. He championed the Affordable Care Act and outlined an approach to progressive, responsible governance that would be a breath of fresh air.
Matt is fighting an uphill battle against the well-funded incumbent. He gets no love from the DCCC. The marquee battles in the Old Dominion this cycle are VA-10 (LuAnn Bennett vs. the odious Barbara Comstock), VA-07 (Eileen Bedell vs. the ogreish Dave Brat) and VA-05 (Jane Dittmar running for an open seat). All of the these candidates are worthy, and have gotten good coverage. Matt is a rising star and deserves your support. I urge you to visit his website www.mattrowe.org.
I predict Matt will be a rising star in Virginia Democratic politics. He deserves your support and he has mine.
