Anderson and Vindman clash at 7th District debate in Fredericksburg | Headlines

Republican Derrick Anderson and Democrat Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman engaged in a tense but civil debate about Virginia's 7th Congressional District on Wednesday evening at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg.

Anderson and Vindman are both veterans with extensive military experience. They are vying to fill retiring Democrat Abigail Spanberger's vacant seat in the U.S. House of Representatives as Spanberger runs for governor of Virginia in 2025.

Anderson, a Spotsylvania native and former Army Green Beret, is an attorney who also ran for the GOP nomination for the 7th District in 2022 but lost to Prince William Supervisor Yesli Vega. Spanberger defeated Vega in the fall.

Vindman, a Dale City resident, emigrated with his family from Soviet Ukraine as a child. He then served 25 years in the Army, first as a paratrooper and infantry officer, and later as a prosecutor in the JAG Corps.

In 2016, Vindman joined the National Security Council, where he eventually became a senior ethics official at the White House. He was eventually removed from his White House position by President Donald Trump after Vindman and his twin brother Alexander Vindman raised the alarm, leading to Trump's first impeachment.

On Wednesday, Anderson attempted to link Vindman to the Biden administration and a “revenge tour against President Trump,” claiming multiple times that Vindman was “focused on his past.” The Republican candidate also cited his local roots in Spotsylvania County as well as his military experiences as a Green Beret in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Vindman repeatedly linked Anderson to the conservative ideals set forth in Project 2025 and repeatedly insisted that Anderson clarify his stance on abortion and the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Vindman also referenced his origins as a Jewish refugee from Ukraine and his family's pursuit of the American dream.

There was a lot of heckling at the start of the debate as hecklers made their presence known. Debate moderator Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at Mary Washington University, instructed the crowd to follow rules agreed to by both candidates, including a shortened response time for one candidate due to unsolicited applause from his supporters.

The 7th District includes 11 towns but is dominated by voters in Prince William, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties. The district includes Orange, Culpeper, Spotsylvania, Greene, Madison, King George, Caroline and Stafford counties, Fredericksburg, the eastern half of Prince William County and a small portion of Albemarle County.

After a difficult first 20 minutes, the debate calmed down and the candidates delved into political issues centered on the economy, foreign policy, abortion, the environment and social issues.

The economy

Anderson persisted throughout the evening on economic issues, blaming the Biden administration for inflation and trying to cast Vindman as a surrogate for it. Anderson proposed balancing the budget, cutting taxes and achieving American energy independence – and reiterated several times throughout the evening that he believed the economy had “failed” because of “weak leadership.”

Vindman took a more local approach, citing a food monopoly in Prince William County and proposing price caps on food.

“I’m a family man – I’m raising my family in Prince William County,” Vindman said. “I am very sensitive to the costs of accommodation, medication and food in the supermarket. Prince William County has two supermarket chains that control 40 percent of the market. This is too much consolidation – frankly, it borders on a monopoly.”

Vindman continued: “Insulin is now $35 because there is a price cap. This is a big first step in making life more affordable for the average American. We have to expand this across the board, we have to make more drugs affordable for voters in this district.”

Anderson was quick to deliver his 30-second economic rebuttal, emphasizing the need for energy independence.

“Look, guys, what you just heard is a whole lot of nothing,” Anderson said. “… I have visited several grocery stores throughout the county, and you know why they are paying so much right now – because energy… The most important thing they say, the reason why their prices keep rising [is] the lights. We need to make U.S. energy work so our economy works for everyone – not just nationally, not just in the Commonwealth of Virginia, but here in the 7th state.”

Foreign policy

On the issue of foreign policy, Vindman immediately linked Anderson to Project 2025, saying that veterans' benefits would be cut under that plan. Vindman repeated several times that Anderson is “funded by MAGA extremists” who want “a return on investment.” The Democratic nominee said the Chinese Communist Party and Russia are currently the biggest threats to national security, describing Russia as the “most acute” threat.

Anderson called Iran the biggest threat to national security because it fired missiles at Israel this week “with no repercussions.” The Republican candidate reiterated his claim of “weak leadership” regarding the American response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and contrasted it with his experience as a Green Beret.

“I've literally led men in battle – I know exactly what it feels like to have those bullets flying past your head,” Anderson said. “I lost boys, I had friends who lost boys. What we need is real leadership. We see the chaos that is currently taking place around the world.”

Anderson also denied any connection to Project 2025.

“You’re going to hear my opponent saying that over and over again tonight, so we might as well nip it in the bud right now,” Anderson said. “He talked about the 2025 project – that is not my plan. I didn’t know about it until my opponent kept talking about it.”

abortion

As for abortion, Anderson said he was in favor of returning the issue to the states.

“I do not want to federalize this issue again, so I will not support a national abortion ban; I will support IVF,” Anderson said. “I want to be clear: my opponent would be one of the most left-wing people in Congress that Virginia has ever seen. He would, like Ralph Northam did, support state-funded abortion until after birth.”

Vindman responded: “As someone who is a prosecutor, I would say this is murder. So that’s a lie too.”

Vindman called abortion “the most important issue in this race” and returned to it repeatedly throughout the evening – most obviously during an exchange about campaign spending near the end of the debate. During that exchange, Vindman again asked Anderson if he would reinstate Roe v. Wade, claiming that Anderson had been “dodging” the question all night.

Anderson didn't budge, repeating his claim that Vindman is “on a revenge spree against President Trump” and is “focused on his past and not concerned about the future.”

“The fact that you get all your money from California — that’s the encouragement I think you get,” Anderson said. “My campaign is a truly grassroots campaign. Why? Because I come from this district. Why? Because I know the people in this district – the chairman of the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors – we went to middle school together.”

The environment

While Anderson acknowledged the existence of climate change during the debate, he said energy policy should be the broader focus going forward. Anderson said the U.S. is facing net imports rather than net exports of oil and that this trend should be reversed to allow for greater energy independence.

Anderson also criticized Vindman's support for an electric vehicle mandate, calling it an example of “extremely radical, liberal politics.”

Vindman expressed support for alternative energy sources such as nuclear, natural gas, solar and wind. He again linked Anderson to Project 2025 on the issue, but praised Anderson for recognizing climate change – which Vindman said was “at odds with most members of his party.”

Social problems

Vindman called himself a “responsible gun owner” and said, “There are policies that 80% of the country can agree with.” The Democrat said Anderson is “in the pocket” of the gun lobby.

Anderson said Vindman's “extreme, radical agenda” would take guns away from law-abiding citizens, and Anderson advocated for funding mental health care to prevent guns from getting into the hands of those who could pose a danger to their communities.

When it comes to health care, Vindman was pretty clear.

“You’re a corporate lawyer for pharmaceutical companies in D.C.,” he told Anderson.

Vindman defended the Affordable Care Act, saying that while it isn't perfect, it still provides health insurance and covers pre-existing conditions for millions of Americans.

Anderson agreed with the issue of coverage for pre-existing conditions; However, he said the ACA is still too financially burdensome, at $400 to $700 per person. Anderson also expressed his opposition to “Medicare for All,” calling it “one of the most extreme liberal measures imaginable.”

“It would take away Medicare and make it almost non-existent for our seniors,” Anderson said. “It would increase taxes and cause you to eliminate your private health insurance.”

Other topics

Earlier in the debate, Anderson faced backlash when a Sept. 27 New York Times report said he had posed for a campaign photo with the family of one of his friends. According to his campaign website, Anderson, who recently got engaged, lives alone with his dog.

Vindman quickly responded to the image.

“If you lie about something so basic and portray yourself as a family man so that people will like you, how can you be trusted on more serious issues?” Vindman said.

Anderson hit back, criticizing Vindman for ignoring more serious issues.

“What he says is incredible. “He's talking about focusing on a photo I took with supporters in the district?” Anderson asked. “Why is he talking about this? You talk about distracting from the problems – my goodness, people, there's nothing more distracting from the problems.

The 7th Congressional District race is expected to be close. FiveThirtyEight's September polls show Vindman and Anderson in a dead heat.