In 7th District race, Anderson and Vindman meet in 10th District

The Sept. 17 program, that edged out an earlier-scheduled Culpeper NAACP debate on the same date, was also supposed to feature the 10th District Republican Party nominee, Mike Clancy, but only Democratic nominee Suhas Subramanyam appeared.

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Subramanyam sat next to 7th District Democratic nominee Eugene Vindman, 49, who sat on the far right of the table on the stage at Grace E. Wetz Middle School. Seventh District Republican nominee Derrick Anderson, 40, sat on the far left.

Anderson and Vindman, both Army veterans, took a few verbal shots at each other, but shook hands following the 90-minute, mostly civil exchange.

WUSA9 Anchor Larry Miller moderated the program; topics included immigration, homelessness and gun violence.

In opening statements and throughout the forum, Anderson focused on his roots growing up in Spotsylvania, working in his mother’s restaurant washing dishes, mopping and cooking burgers.

He attended Virginia Tech on an ROTC scholarship and spent 15 months in Iraq as part of the surge in 2007. Anderson served in the Army honor guard at more than 150 funerals at Arlington Cemetery, attended law school at Georgetown University and was a federal judges’ law clerk.

“What got me off the couch was what happened in Afghanistan,” Anderson said of why he decided to run for office, of the Biden-era drawdown in 2021.

He said he lost five fellow soldiers during his time in the Middle Eastern country and was “disgusted” with how the current administration handled the withdrawal.

“I am a commonsense kind of guy,” Anderson said. “I want the basic needs of the people of the 7th District to be met.”

He said his first priority if elected to Congress would be the economy — making it more affordable to live — along with securing the southern border and taking care of veterans, including funding for addiction centers for homeless vets.

“It would be an honor to represent the district that raised me,” Anderson said.

Vindman, of Dale City, in his opening said he is a husband, father and veteran of the Iraq War.

“For decades, the Army told me where to live. When I retired, I decided to make Prince William County my home,” he said. “I came from humble beginnings.”

Vindman mentioned throughout the forum that he emigrated as a child with his family from the Soviet Union.

“We came here with less $800 in our pockets. We had each other and the American dream.”

He said he joined the Army out of a profound sense of gratitude and made a 25-year career out of it.

“When we were jumping out of airplanes, it didn’t matter if you were Republican or Democrat … we had a mission and that’s the mindset I bring to all my tasks.”

He also attended law school and worked as a prosecutor before becoming a legal advisor for the U.S. National Security Council during the Trump administration. He and his brother were forced out of the post in 2020 for their roles in the former president’s impeachment scandal.

“I was tested in the most extreme way,” Vindman said. “I had to stand up to my commander in chief — that cost me my career.”

Now, he said, he is fighting for Virginia families in the 7th District.

“I understand high prices — at the pump and in the grocery store, and the high price of housing and child care,” Vindman said.

Vindman said he was sober and experienced, naming his top issue as female reproductive rights. He blasted the Supreme Court reversal of Roe V. Wade and said his 14-year-old daughter has less rights than women of 50 years ago.

“The stakes in this election couldn’t be higher.”

On the table in front of the Democratic nominee was a copy of Project 2025, a lengthy conservative policy document for Republicans. Vindman referenced the document several times, calling it “a manifesto for a second Trump term.”

He attempted to tie Anderson to its talking points. Various times, he referenced “MAGA Republicans” and how they had taken over the party. Vindman said Anderson is beholden to them, financed by them and owned lock, stock and barrel by that wing of the party.

“There is no room for dissent in the MAGA party,” he said.

Anderson said he did not know about Project 2025 until his opponent kept bringing it up.

“You want to talk about extreme, this is extreme,” he said. “What he is talking about is absolutely insane … It’s not my plan.”

Anderson said his plan was to get the economy back on track.

Asked about abortion, the Republican nominee referenced his mother, sitting in the front row. She had him when she was 18 years old, he said.

“We look at this from a compassion standpoint,” Anderson said, noting the issue has become so divisive. “My mom is glad she had me.”

The Supreme Court gave the decision back to the states, he said, to make the best decision for that state. He said he does not support a federal ban on abortion and supports IVF and access to contraception.

“Those are common sense things.”

Anderson did not answer if he “supported a women’s right to choose,” when pressed twice by the moderator.

“I support the states to be able to make those decisions that best fits those states,” he said.

“Anderson is dodging,” Vindman said, calling his opponent dishonest and dishonorable “with his ad hominin text that is the MAGA Republican playbook.”

Anderson will not stand up to Trump and will vote for a federal ban on abortion, Vindman stated.

“He’s talking about having a politician in the exam room with a woman and her doctor. It’s unacceptable.”

Asked about continued school shootings in America, Anderson said law-abiding citizens and their guns should not be targeted.

“We need to go after the criminals,” he said, along with keeping guns out of the hands of people with severe mental illness, he continued.

Teaching kids in school how to react to an active shooter instead of learning reading, math and science is outrageous, said Vindman, mentioning a lockdown at his son’s school because someone brought a gun in — not an active shooter.

“That is the reality we find ourselves in,” he said.

Vindman called for a middle ground “not beholden to the NRA,” on the issue. He said he supported enforcement of red flag laws, mental health care, safe storage requirements and closing the gun show loophole.

Anderson, on the topic of law enforcement, said he supported getting them what they need to do their jobs. He added the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office recently received a federal grant to put body cams on their jail officers.

Vindman said he believes in the rule of law, stating there are some in the community who do not feel safe around law enforcement.

“We need to make sure law enforcement treats communities, including minorities, with dignity and respect,” he said.

Vindman added he would support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, recently reintroduced in Congress. It’s an issue of representation, the Democratic nominee said.

“The MAGA Republicans want to eliminate the voices of Black people in government, take away their right to vote.”

On immigration, Anderson said it’s leading to higher fentanyl overdoses and strained police forces, calling it a national security issue. He blamed the Biden-Harris administration for their policies and inaction.

“We need to make sure we build a wall, end catch and release … fund ICE and DHS … Biden-Harris could fix this problem right now,” Anderson said to applause from the audience.

Vindman said he approaches the immigration issue as a refugee himself.

“My family fled the Soviet Union and now we are living the American dream. We want to make sure we provide that opportunity to all Americans.”

He said the border needs to be defended from land, sea and air, adding a border wall doesn’t make sense in many areas. Vindman called for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to address the border problem.

A congressional plan in the spring that would have brought more resources was shot down by Trump for political gain, he stated.

In closing, Anderson said he has been able to live the American dream as a kid from Spotsylvania County. The Republican nominee noted they didn’t talk much about the economy at the forum.

“My opponent read from a book all night long,” Anderson said. “I am talking about real solutions. His entire campaign is a revenge tour against Donald Trump. I am focused on the people in my district’s future.”

Vindman, in closing, said he heard a lot of name-calling from his opponent.

“We need sober experience and expertise,” he said. “You need a level of maturity to be a member of Congress and you need a quorum to get the job done. I am mission focused — that’s the mindset I bring.”

The postponed Culpeper Branch NAACP debate between the candidates has yet to be rescheduled.