Politics As Usual in Virginia’s 7th District

Photo Courtesy: Richmond Times-Dispatch

By: Estelle Mitchell

With a voter turnout of a little more than 30 percent, Dave Brat defeated Democratic candidate, Jack Trammell. Brat won 60.85 percent of the vote and Trammell won 36.94 percent, presenting a clear landslide victory for Brat.

Although no polling was done in the 7th District, Brat was considered to be the frontrunner from the time he defeated Majority Leader Eric Cantor in June up until Election Day. He was able to benefit from the name recognition that the upset defeat over Cantor brought him and ultimately used that to build off of until the general election.

Brat would be the first to say that money does not necessarily matter in the outcome of an election considering he was able to win in June’s primary with only a small fraction of money compared to the millions Cantor raised. However, money was certainly a large factor in Brat’s victory on Tuesday. Trammell ended up raising a total of $476,129 compared to Brat who raised $1,321,638.

Overall, the race maintained a very casual and friendly tone. Neither Brat nor Trammell ran negative campaigns, something that both candidates prided themselves on throughout the entire campaign.

For Brat, the general election was merely a stepping stone to the House seat. After the hard fought primary battle against Cantor, he had enough momentum to carry him to Election Day and then some.

Trammell on the other hand was merely the Democratic Party of Virginia’s sacrificial lamb. No one, especially not Trammell, expected Brat to defeat Cantor thus creating an open seat election and finally giving the Democrats a shot at the 7th.

From the very beginning, the Democratic Party was slow to get things moving and help Trammell build support as well as a foundation for a successful campaign. Politics in Virginia–and most everywhere in the United States–is an insider’s game and Trammell was very much on the outside. The soft-spoken professor and director of disability services at Randolph-Macon College had quite a transformation to make in a relatively short amount of time and ultimately he fell short.

Considering the 7th District’s solid Republican history and strong Republican base, the odds were never considered to be in Trammell’s favor. On top of that, a midterm election never bodes well for voter turnout, and low voter turnout never bodes well for Democrats.

In regards to the aspects of the campaign that were in Trammell’s control, Brat surpassed him substantially. During his quest to defeat Cantor, Brat received an unexpected endorsement from popular conservative radio host, Laura Ingraham, who returned to the 7th District in October to help him keep that momentum going. In addition to Ingraham, Brat also received big-name endorsements from Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and 2012 Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. Trammell was never able to secure any big-name endorsements from prominent political figures outside of Virginia that would have significantly boosted his name recognition.

There was also a large disparity between the social media presence of the two candidates. In today’s modern political campaign era, Twitter is a tool that candidates can use to their advantage. At a glance, Brat’s Twitter account had 702 tweets by Election Day while Trammell’s had a mere 87. Although perhaps a superficial and trivial detail, this is just another example of Trammell falling short in the areas that he had control over.

As far as paid and earned media went, both candidates remained relatively on par with each other. Earned media was something that the Trammell campaign could have generated in order to get his name out there, however, both candidates maintained a relatively standard and equal presence in the local media markets. Trammell’s lack of significant outside funding also prevented him from creating a strong presence in the paid media markets. Overall, Brat and Trammell produced roughly the same number of advertisements.

After the debate at Randolph-Macon College a week before Election Day, Trammell finally seemed to be gaining confidence and transforming into a viable contender. He was eloquent in his responses and clearly had policy ideas to disseminate. However, one week was not enough time to use that momentum and defeat a strong Republican candidate such as Brat.

Looking forward, it is going to take much more for a Democrat to ever claim victory in the 7th District. If the Democratic Party has any aspirations in the next two years to make Brat’s first term his last, then the planning begins now. Until then, we will see how Brat, the newly elected freshman Member of Congress, lives up to his campaign promises for America and most importantly the 7th District.

Sunny With a Chance of High Voter Turnout

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By: Estelle Mitchell

Getting people registered to vote is hard enough, but getting them to the polls can be even harder–especially when bad weather is involved.

History and research has shown that rain can have a negative effect on voter turnout. The importance of casting your vote suddenly becomes clouded when you must actually grab an umbrella, walk out to your car, battle the traffic that the rain inevitably brings only to then merely punch a card, fill in a circle, or touch a screen. The agony.

It is generally accepted that better weather leads to higher voter turnout and higher voter turnout leads to better results for Democrats than Republicans.

It is no secret that these 2014 midterm elections bode good things for Republicans. The party is predicted to gain a larger majority in the House and claim the majority in the Senate, so rain or shine, the GOP is no doubt feeling very confident.

What this means for Virginia’s 7th District

Although rain is forecasted for parts of Michigan as well as areas in the Southern Plains, the 7th District is expected to enjoy a partly cloudy and rain-free day.

Dave Brat, the Republican candidate, is set to reap the benefits of a highly Republican district. Brat has been considered the frontrunner ever since June when he defeated former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and to this day he has remained in the lead. Jack Trammell, the Democratic candidate, was outspent by Brat by about $800,000 and never received the name recognition that Brat did due to his shocking primary defeat over Cantor.

During the last two presidential elections the Republican candidates have won the 7th District by a slim margin, creating some hope for Democrats that one day that margin will be in their favor. Although a House election instead of a presidential one, that same hope still exists among Democrats for a victory in the 7th District.

The odds appear to be against Trammell, and the combination of a midterm election voter turnout slump and a low Democratic presidential approval rating certainly do not help his chances.

Nevertheless, Trammell remains optimistic. Perhaps the weather will be on his side today when people make the decision to go cast their votes.

Stranger things have happened in Virginia’s 7th District. Eric Cantor could tell you that.

It’s Social Security, Stupid

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By: Estelle Mitchell

Although Dave Brat’s and Jack Trammell’s political agendas are far from similar, there is one issue making its way into both of their advertisements and talking points: Social Security.

In a rare moment of agreement, Brat, the Republican candidate, and Trammell, his Democratic challenger, came out in favor of raising the retirement age in order to ensure for a safe and successful future of Social Security. This agreement sparked a lot of attention towards the issue and asked the question, what exactly do these two candidates have in mind for improving such an important government program?

Brat devotes a large portion of the “issues” section on his campaign website to Social Security and Medicare. He acknowledges the lack of sustainability of the programs and vows to protect seniors from any potential cuts, but alludes to making adjustments, such as increasing the eligibility age, in order to do so.

Trammell on the other hand is much more concise, stating that he vows to “protect our seniors” and make sure that they receive the benefits promised to them.

Both candidates have also been heavily emphasizing the issue in their political ads.

Trammell’s recent ad has received attention from Politifact’s “Truth-O-Meter” in regards to his taking Brat’s position on Social Security out of context. Politifact accused Trammell of using a “typical scare tactic” in order to make voting seniors believe that Brat intends on cutting their benefits.

Nevertheless, a majority of Virginia’s 7th District is comprised of voters at or approaching the retirement age, making the issue that much more relevant.

As Election Day gets closer and closer by the hour, older voters in the 7th District are absolutely going to have the issue of Social Security in the forefront of their mind’s when they walk into the voting booth.

Brat Gets Fact-Checked

By: Estelle Mitchell

Less than 48 hours before the election Dave Brat, the Republican candidate for Virginia’s 7th District, was called out by Politifact’s “Truth-O-Meter” on a comment he made about the current  U.S. math and science score ranking.

Brat made the comment during last week’s debate saying that, “in K-12 education, our kids are scoring at the bottom of science and mathematics right now in the industrialized world — at the bottom.”

After some extensive digging into where exactly Brat got his statistics from, Politifact was able to uncover that they came from a column written by a Stanford University mathematician, Keith Devlin.

Digging even further, Politifact was also able to figure out based on data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that in fact the U.S. was not at the bottom but rather more “middle of the pack.”

Ultimately, Politifact rated Brat’s claim false.

“Center of the Universe” Candidates Take the Stage

By: Estelle Mitchell

This past Tuesday, one week before election day, Dave Brat and Jack Trammell faced off for the most important debate of their race.

The debate was held at Randolph-Macon College where both candidates are professors, and the comfortable atmosphere was apparent. Both candidates seemed at ease and eager to make the audience laugh, knowing that many in attendance were students or fellow faculty members.

Trammell was first to give his opening statement and he immediately set the tone for himself for the rest of the debate. He attempted to present himself as the less extreme of the two candidates and avoided any major policy talk right away. Brat on the other hand took a much different approach to his opening statement, beginning with the necessary “thank you’s” and then quickly moving on in order to “get to business.”

Brat set the tone for himself by quoting one of his own political ads, “Washington is broken.” He went on to cite the failings of “Obamacare” and how he would repeal and replace it immediately. Also similarly to his political ad, he emphasized the need to secure the border as opposed to pursing comprehensive immigration reform.

The most notable aspect of Brat’s opening statement was his frequent referencing of the Obama administration. Capitalizing off of the President’s low approval rating, Brat made sure that the viewers understood clearly that he was against President Obama and Trammell was only going to be another Obama “crony”–a term Brat used many times during the debate.

As the questions got underway it became clear that when it comes to policy, these two candidates are polar opposites. Although they did agree on the importance of Congress remaining the decision-maker when going deciding to go to war, that was the only instance in which the two seemed to overlap.

Everything from Ebola to Social Security was covered in the debate and both candidates remained confident in their responses and rebuttals, however, Brat came off as much more abrasive compared to Trammell when addressing each issue.

Because Brat is considered to be the very clear frontrunner, he was able to maintain the same hard-nosed approach he has displayed throughout the entire campaign.

Trammell, often referred to as the “long-shot candidate,” was not in the same comfortable position to ridicule or appear hardheaded. Instead, he needed to utilize this debate in a way that would showcase his stance on certain issues as well as his “less extreme” persona. Whether or not he was able to do this will be clear in the coming days as the race begins to gain more attention.

There were few if any instances that created tension between the candidates, and they both kept a very respectful attitude towards one another.

Overall, the debate provided a very good glimpse of these two candidates and how they would handle holding a public office. Most importantly, however, it allowed for voters to see what exactly these two candidates stand for and opened the opportunity for an enlightened discussion during these final few days of the campaign.

Brat Launches First TV ad

By: Estelle Mitchell

Republican candidate for Virginia’s 7th District, Dave Brat, released his first TV ad last week that focuses on the “brokenness” in Washington D.C.

Taking a much different approach than Jack Trammell’s image ad, Brat goes on the offensive and attacks the current state of affairs in Washington.

Not surprisingly, Brat uses the ad to once again showcase his experience as an economist as well as an educator. The ad goes on to highlight the key issues he is running on, from repealing “Obamacare” to ending the “cronyism” in Washington.

Overall, the ad does not provide much new information on Brat himself but instead reinforces the same talking points that helped him defeat former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

Because the 7th district is deemed to be “Safe Republican” Brat has the flexibility of flaunting his “true conservative” values, which he no doubt does in his new TV ad. Trammell on the other hand is still trying to paint himself as the middle-of-the-road candidate looking to bring about real compromise in Washington.

Each candidate will be put on display and be able to show their strengths during the upcoming debate taking place on October 28th at Randolph-Macon College.

Trammell Channels Rural Virginian Roots in New Ad

By: Estelle Mitchell

In his new ad, Democratic candidate for Virginia’s 7th District, Jack Trammell, is showcasing his rural Virginian roots.

Although short, the ad touches on many very important aspects of Trammell the person as well as the candidate such as his strong family values and commitment to working on both sides of the political aisle.

However cliché it may seem at times, the ad does a nice job of painting a well-rounded picture of Trammell. It shows him at home on his farm in Louisa County enjoying the little things that many rural Virginians can relate to. The ad also shows the professor side to Trammell, keeping the issue of education in the forefront of the viewer’s mind.

Overall, it creates a positive image of Trammell—farmer, family man, professor, and “everyday” Virginian. For Trammell, keeping this image of him in the minds of voters in the 7^th District is going to be crucial as the election cycle quickly comes to a close.

One Candidate, Two Sides

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By: Estelle Mitchell

Watching a candidate transition from the primary stage of the election to the general election stage is an interesting transformation to say the least.

The candidate must go from trash-talking their fellow party members in an effort to stand out to kissing their feet almost instantly. Some do it better than others, but nevertheless it can be a transition that comes back to bite the candidate.

For Dave Brat, Republican candidate in Virginia’s 7th District election, this transformation has more or less become a classic case of swallowing one’s pride.

After launching his primary campaign in January of 2014, Brat hit the ground running. He wasted no time calling out Eric Cantor, former House Majority Leader and Representative for Virginia’s 7th District, on all of his shortcomings during his time in Congress.

Brat’s political ad, “A New Vision for Virginia,” did many things in the span of 60 seconds. First and foremost it highlighted his extensive economic experience. A professor of economics at Randolph-Macon College, there is no questioning Brat’s confidence in his ability to take on the tough economic issues that face the country. However, the advertisement did not miss an opportunity to throw then-Majority Leader Cantor under the bus. The ad cites Cantor’s voting on various issues such as the Affordable Care Act and the debt ceiling increase, trying as hard as possible to tie Cantor directly to President Obama.

Brat also mentions’s Cantor and his “push for granting amnesty for illegal immigrants,” an issue that Brat put on the forefront of his primary platform.

Fast forward to present day and Brat has significantly changed his tune as well as his way of operating.

Although still maintaining his beliefs on repealing the Affordable Care Act, enacting term limits for members of Congress, and reining in “out-of-control” spending, Brat has stepped out of the so-called “tea party” spotlight in an effort to appeal to the 7th District’s more moderate Republicans.

Once seen as a roadblock to any immigration reform, Brat has now come out and publicly insisted that is he not “anti-immigrant.”

Recently, Brat has also been accused of refusing to debate his opponents and failing to show up to public forums for discussion, two things that he regularly accused Cantor of doing during the primary season.

Nevertheless, Brat still seems very comfortable with his frontrunner status and his supporters, also referred to as the “Brat Pack” are still as passionate about him as they were four months ago.

Charlie Aylor, a Randolph-Macon sophomore and someone who has followed the Brat campaign over the past months, has high hopes for Brat.

Speaking as a student who has sat in on one of Brat’s lectures, Aylor says that “after listening to him speak as well as answer questions from students and faculty […] Brat did not approach a situation without having prior knowledge of the subject and [admitted] when he wasn’t properly informed on the subject.”

For Aylor, and perhaps many others, it is essential for their political representatives to not try and pretend to be someone they are not.

The transition from primary candidate to general election candidate has not appeared to be an issue for Brat. As the final critical days of the campaign wind down, it is likely that we will see him transform even more.

Brat, Trammell Debate at R-MC Sells Out in Minutes

By: Estelle Mitchell

Yesterday, October 15th, at 12 p.m. tickets for the Randolph-Macon College debate between Republican candidate Dave Brat and his Democratic opponent Jack Trammell went on sale on the college’s website.

By approximately 12:08 p.m. the limited number of seats available were accounted for.

I myself was one of the people trying to get a ticket to the October 28th debate and figured ordering at a little after 12 p.m. would be reasonable. However, when I arrived at the website I was sorely mistaken.

Soon after the tickets sold out the college’s website immediately updated with the statement, “due to high level of interest in the debate, all tickets have been sold and are no longer available.”

Although disappointing for those interested in attending, the website also mentions that the debate will be streamed live starting at 7:30 p.m. on the college’s website as well as a local news affiliate’s website.

Finding Common Ground

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By: Estelle Mitchell

During these polarized political times, instances in which Democrat and Republicans agree on an issue are few and far between. No statement has been truer than in Virginia’s 7^th District race between Randolph-Macon professors Dave Brat and Jack Trammell.

However, recently both candidates have come out in favor of raising the retirement age in order to preserve the Social Security program and ensure payouts for generations to come.

Brat supports a five-year raise while his Democratic opponent, Trammell, supports a two-year raise. Nevertheless, both Brat and Trammell agree that raising the eligibility age may not be the only solution to repairing the state of the program.

Although Brat and Trammell may disagree over a few fundamental details of how Social Security should be managed, finding at least some common ground between two politically opposite candidates over such a hot-button issue is promising.