L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

Spring 2023

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With Bob Holsworth

During a recent Lunch and Learn virtual presentation, Bob Holsworth, Ph.D., analyzed the 2022 election results and examined implications for upcoming election races in Virginia and Washington. Holsworth is one of the leading political analysts in Virginia. His comments on Virginia and national politics have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and many other news publications. Holsworth established and served as the founding dean of the Wilder School.

“The Republicans essentially wanted to make the race a referendum on President Biden, and the Democrats decided that ultimately their strategy was to make the election into a choice on some key ideological issues.”

“There’s going to be a lot of positioning for the 2024 election, and we just don’t know how some of these battles are going to be resolved. If Washington politics was pretty toxic beforehand, it’s unlikely to see any improvement whatsoever.”

“We have very serious challenges that are emerging because of the same kind of election denialism that prompted Jan. 6. It’s generating a lack of faith in elections among at least a certain group of people, and that is becoming highly problematic.”

“Democrats thought the Republican Party had become too extreme — a ‘MAGA’ Republican Party — and the Democrats certainly benefited from the Dobbs decision in the early summer when the Supreme Court eliminated Roe v. Wade.”

“It’s going to be an interesting time in Virginia and across the country. In any case it will be a great year, and it’ll keep pundits like me working.”