With midterm elections a little more than a month away, the Senate campaigns of Democrat Mark Warner, Republican Ed Gillespie and Libertarian Robert Sarvis are in full swing.
Warner, a former Virginia governor and the incumbent, is both running on his record and pushing for several policies unenacted thus far. Warner is also focusing on his bipartisan initiatives, something he says is crucial in a “purple state” like Virginia.
“I believe the foundation of good policy is not based on whether you are a Democrat or a Republican,” Warner said in an email. “It’s about whether you are solving the problems facing Virginians. In Congress I have a long record of working across the aisle to find solutions. I am willing to join any gang, group or team that is working towards bipartisan solutions that benefit all Virginians.”
Gillespie, meanwhile, has worked to frame his message in contrast with what many see as the biggest failures of the Democratically-controlled Senate. Gillespie, the son of Irish immigrants and a Fairfax County resident, became the first GOP Chairman in 80 years to see his party win majority positions in the White House and both houses of Congress when he was in charge in 2004.
The Gillespie campaign has developed a five-point agenda for economic growth, or EG2, based on his belief that economic growth will be achieved through replacing the Affordable Care Act, unleashing American energy, providing tax and regulatory relief, promoting education reform and cutting wasteful spending.
Sarvis, a former entrepreneur and math teacher as well as a candidate in last year’s governor’s race, is focusing his campaign on problems within the traditional two party system.
The three candidates have been hard at work mobilizing volunteers. While Warner has the advantage of an experienced and proven campaign operation, Gillespie is working hard to organize a grassroots campaign with the aid of local communities. Dubbed the “G-Force,” the volunteers for his campaign range from young Republicans to veterans.
Sarvis has also worked hard to build support.
“We have a small campaigning team,” Sarvis said. “We have some local coordinators, some of whom are on campus. We run on a lot of volunteers. As for funding, we get a lot of donations. I self-funded a part of it, but mostly donations from Virginians who have been long-time libertarians.”
The three candidates are all placing college voters high on their priority lists.
One of Warner’s biggest campaign pushes has been to make college debt a leading issue, and he has toured colleges around the state, including the University, to promote policies which he says would lighten debt burdens. Warner funded his own education at George Washington University and Harvard Law School, and often recounts that story to students struggling to pay back debt.
“We should cap the amount of your monthly bills at 10 percent of your income, providing employers with the option to offer $5,000 pre-tax to help employees pay off their debt and making the costs and benefits of college more transparent before you apply,” Warner said in an email.
Also on his tour of college campuses, Warner has stressed the importance of dealing with sexual assault on campuses. He introduced the bipartisan Campus Safety and Accountability Act to better protect and empower students against sexual assault as well as strengthen transparency and accountability of educational institutions.
Gillespie said he believes his policies will provide greater opportunities for college graduates and older constituents alike.
“We don’t have to have an economy where 46 percent of the newly-graduated workforce are unemployed,” Gillespie said. “We can have a country where the next generation does better than the one that came before us — but that needs a change in policy.”
Sarvis has also focused on younger voters, and will speak at the University this Wednesday.
“I think young people tend to be more open-minded,” he said, “Sadly, young people are also the worst served — underserved, in fact — by our political system. We put the burden of debt on them. … We make them pay high taxes to provide for retirees.”
Now six years since the start of the 2008 recession, campaigns are still placing strong focus on improving the economy.
“I want to fix the anemic economy,” Gillespie said. “I want to create jobs. I want to lift people out of poverty, hold down health care cost and fix the economy; I think we need to have different policies and a different approach.”
The Warner campaign is also prioritizing the role of entrepreneurship as a way to spur economic growth. Warner himself was an entrepreneur before entering politics, and is currently the wealthiest member of the Senate.
“We need to provide entrepreneurs with the right tools, like the ability to use crowdfunding to increase access to capital, in order to encourage small businesses to grow,” he said.
While Warner is in large part running on his record, Sarvis and Gillespie have focused on issues they believe will set them apart.
Gillespie has voiced strong support for the Keystone Pipeline and opposition of the Affordable Care Act.
“There is a very clear difference in terms of our policies for this election,” Gillespie said. “My policies will ease the squeeze for Virginians and make it easier for the unemployed to find work.”
Sarvis' primary concerns have been job growth and the economy, increased personal liberties, reduced militarization of police, and reduced involvement in international affairs. Sarvis also supports the legalization of marijuana and increased legal immigration. Sarvis admits he falls short of campaign finance, but said feels he compensates with his fact-heavy campaigning.
“We’re trying to focus on substance,” Sarvis said. “Republicans and Democrats [are] actually very similar, once you really look at their rhetorics. Neither really focus on the issues.”
Despite the historical disadvantage third party candidates typically see, Sarvis said he remains hopeful.
“I think this is a great opportunity to vote for someone you actually believe in, who won’t be a part of the two party system,” he said. “We’re putting a lot of pressure on Republicans and Democrats.”
The election will take place Nov. 4.
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