Hello,
We attended several candidate debates, and we were not impressed by most of the candidates. We were especially unimpressed by candidates for Virginia State Senate Barbara Favola and Caren Merrick.
It's become obvious that the election for State Senate will the prelude to a culture war in the next session of the General Assembly, with guns and abortion becoming the main battlegrounds.
So we were disappointed that neither Barbara Favola nor Caren Merrick has yet uttered the words "family planning" during a debate.
We also heard no reasonable discussion about firearms. Yes, there are too many firearms inside the Beltway, where the police arrive in minutes after a 911 call. And yes, there is a lot of hunting, fishing, and sport shooting done outside the Beltway. There was no mention of the biggest danger Northern Virginia residents face - injuries from traffic accidents.
And neither candidate has a comprehensive plan for dealing with Virginia's population growth, typically 90,000 - 100,000 more people each year (Virginia's population grew by 927,000 between 2000 and 2010).
So, AY makes no endorsement for Senator for Virginia's 31st District.
Cindy and Susan