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Congressional candidates address slew of issues at debate

In the second of two debates in the race for Virginia’s 1st Congressional District seat, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Montross) and his Democratic challenger, Qasim Rashid, sparred on issues ranging from the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change to how best to provide rural broadband services.

The Sept. 21 debate was held virtually and moderated by Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University of Mary Washington Center for Media and Leadership Studies in Fredericksburg.

Wittman and Rashid had previously taken part in an Aug. 20 debate at the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy in Fredericksburg, with discussion in that event focused on criminal justice reform.

Wittman, who worked for 26 years with the Virginia Department of Health, said the pandemic has focused the need to fix a broken health care system. “Let’s face it, Obamacare has failed to deliver on its promises,” he said. While it promised to lower costs,...

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