{"id":110953,"date":"2026-09-03T16:05:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T20:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=110953"},"modified":"2026-09-04T10:01:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T14:01:02","slug":"umw-to-host-public-debate-for-virginias-7th-congressional-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/03\/umw-to-host-public-debate-for-virginias-7th-congressional-district\/","title":{"rendered":"UMW to Host Public Debate for Virginia\u2019s 7th Congressional District"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><section class=\"wp-block-umw-hero alignfull umw-custom-block umw-hero umw-hero--dark-text umw-hero--media-float-right umw-hero--white umw-hero--with-no-media umw-hero--with-no-content\"><div class=\"umw-hero__inner\"><div class=\"umw-hero__media\"><\/div><div class=\"umw-hero__title\"><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"umw-hero__title__wrapper\"><h1 class=\"umw-hero__title__header\">News<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><h2 class=\"alignwide wp-block-post-title\">UMW to Host Public Debate for Virginia&rsquo;s 7th Congressional District<\/h2><div class=\"wp-block-group umw-news-author-credit is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-09-03T16:05:46-04:00\">September 3, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">by<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\">Lisa Chinn Marvashti<\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"110949\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=110949\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Qq92drvGFLl8ZZ5_2026-7th-congressional-district-debate-at-UMW.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,2000\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Scan the QR code to watch the Sept. 15 debate between candidates for Virginia&rsquo;s 7th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Qq92drvGFLl8ZZ5_2026-7th-congressional-district-debate-at-UMW-1024x1024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Qq92drvGFLl8ZZ5_2026-7th-congressional-district-debate-at-UMW-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"A QR code for streaming the debate\" class=\"wp-image-110949\" style=\"width:238px;height:auto\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Qq92drvGFLl8ZZ5_2026-7th-congressional-district-debate-at-UMW-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Qq92drvGFLl8ZZ5_2026-7th-congressional-district-debate-at-UMW-300x300.jpeg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Qq92drvGFLl8ZZ5_2026-7th-congressional-district-debate-at-UMW-150x150.jpeg 150w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Qq92drvGFLl8ZZ5_2026-7th-congressional-district-debate-at-UMW-768x768.jpeg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Qq92drvGFLl8ZZ5_2026-7th-congressional-district-debate-at-UMW-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Qq92drvGFLl8ZZ5_2026-7th-congressional-district-debate-at-UMW-50x50.jpeg 50w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Qq92drvGFLl8ZZ5_2026-7th-congressional-district-debate-at-UMW-75x75.jpeg 75w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Qq92drvGFLl8ZZ5_2026-7th-congressional-district-debate-at-UMW.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Scan the QR code to watch the Sept. 15 debate between candidates for Virginia&rsquo;s 7th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The University of Mary Washington will host a public political debate between challengers for Virginia&rsquo;s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives<em> <\/em>on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. Independent candidate Alaha Ahrar, Libertarian candidate Taner Lopez and Republican candidate Doug Ollivant will meet in George Washington Hall&rsquo;s Dodd Auditorium.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The debate will be moderated by UMW Professor of Political Science Rosalyn Cooperman. It is hosted by Mary Washington&rsquo;s Student Government Association, and co-sponsored by the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters of the Fredericksburg Area and <em>The Free Lance-Star<\/em>. The event is free and no tickets are required. <a href=\"https:\/\/go.umw.edu\/2026debate\">Viewing also is available via Zoom<\/a>.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WFVA Radio News Director Ted Schubel and a representative from <em>The Free Lance-Star<\/em> will ask questions of the candidates. Audience members will be able to submit questions for consideration before the start of the event, and Cooperman will pose a sampling of them to the candidates.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Virginia&rsquo;s 7th Congressional District is widely considered one of the nation&rsquo;s most competitive congressional districts. It&rsquo;s composed of all of Caroline, Culpeper, Greene, King George, Madison, Orange, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties, plus the City of Fredericksburg, as well as the southeastern half of Prince William County and a small sliver of Albemarle County.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Candidates accepting the debate invitation include:<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"110940\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=110940\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Alaha-Ahrar-Blue-.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1024,1536\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Alaha Ahrar&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Alaha-Ahrar-Blue--683x1024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Alaha-Ahrar-Blue--683x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a white top and blue vest smiles in front of the Capitol building\" class=\"wp-image-110940\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1;object-fit:cover;width:200px\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Alaha-Ahrar-Blue--683x1024.jpeg 683w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Alaha-Ahrar-Blue--200x300.jpeg 200w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Alaha-Ahrar-Blue--768x1152.jpeg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Alaha-Ahrar-Blue-.jpeg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Alaha Ahrar<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">Originally from Afghanistan, Alaha Ahrar lives in Dumfries. A recognized social justice and human rights expert, she is chief executive officer of International Kindness Sharing. Ahrar holds a bachelor&rsquo;s degree in political science and international affairs from the University of Mary Washington and a master&rsquo;s degree in social justice and human rights from George Mason University.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"939\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"110943\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=110943\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Taner-Lopez.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1506,1643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Taner Lopez&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Taner-Lopez-939x1024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Taner-Lopez-939x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"A man wearing a suit jacket smiles for the camera\" class=\"wp-image-110943\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1;object-fit:cover;width:200px\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Taner-Lopez-939x1024.jpeg 939w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Taner-Lopez-275x300.jpeg 275w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Taner-Lopez-768x838.jpeg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Taner-Lopez-1408x1536.jpeg 1408w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Taner-Lopez.jpeg 1506w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 939px) 100vw, 939px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Taner Lopez<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taner Lopez lives in Locust Grove. A former college professor, he currently works as a cultural advisor for U.S. government agencies. Lopez earned a bachelor&rsquo;s degree in Spanish language and literature, a master&rsquo;s degree in religions and cultures, and a doctoral degree in theology from the University of Murcia in Spain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" data-attachment-id=\"110941\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=110941\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Doug-Ollivant_7thCD_Republican-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1709\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"7.1\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"NIKON D750\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1757106200\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"155\",\"iso\":\"640\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.00625\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Doug Ollivant&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Doug-Ollivant_7thCD_Republican-1024x684.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Doug-Ollivant_7thCD_Republican-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a suit and red time smiles for the camera in front of a shelf with books\" class=\"wp-image-110941\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1;object-fit:cover;width:200px\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Doug-Ollivant_7thCD_Republican-1024x684.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Doug-Ollivant_7thCD_Republican-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Doug-Ollivant_7thCD_Republican-768x513.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Doug-Ollivant_7thCD_Republican-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Doug-Ollivant_7thCD_Republican-2048x1367.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Doug Ollivant<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, Doug Ollivant lives in Culpeper. He is a managing partner at the global consulting firm Mantid International, LLC, and has served as a director on the National Security Council and taught politics at West Point. Ollivant holds a bachelor&rsquo;s degree in political science from Wheaton College, an MBA from James Madison University and a doctoral degree in political science from Indiana University Bloomington.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;Debates provide direct insight into candidates&rsquo; priorities, demeanor and ability to handle pressure,&rdquo; said UMW Student Government Association President William Goodman. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s crucial that students, and the broader VA-07 community, see how their potential representatives engage with&nbsp;the community they aim to serve.&rdquo;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The following items are not allowed in the debate venue: vape pens, food\/beverages, backpacks, pyrotechnics, weapons, airhorns or noisemakers, banners or signs, disruptive behavior.<\/em><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>byThe University of Mary Washington will host a public political debate between challengers for Virginia&rsquo;s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. Independent candidate Alaha Ahrar, Libertarian candidate Taner Lopez and Republican candidate Doug Ollivant will meet in George Washington Hall&rsquo;s Dodd Auditorium.The debate will be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":110942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[15701,15699,15697,15704,15700,15703],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-110953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-stories","tag-alaha-ahrar","tag-doug-ollivant","tag-political-debate","tag-rcooperm-2","tag-taner-lopez","tag-virginia-7th-district","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.2 (Yoast SEO v28.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UMW to Host Public Debate for Virginia\u2019s 7th Congressional District - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/03\/umw-to-host-public-debate-for-virginias-7th-congressional-district\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UMW to Host Public Debate for Virginia\u2019s 7th Congressional District\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"byThe University of Mary Washington will host a public political debate between challengers for Virginia&rsquo;s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. Independent candidate Alaha Ahrar, Libertarian candidate Taner Lopez and Republican candidate Doug Ollivant will meet in George Washington Hall&rsquo;s Dodd Auditorium.The debate will be [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/03\/umw-to-host-public-debate-for-virginias-7th-congressional-district\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-03T20:05:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-04T14:01:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/NewRelease_VACongressionalDistrictDebate_26.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"413\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta 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