NEWS / FROM PAGE 1
Prince William Times | www.princewilliamtimes.com | October 31, 2018
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Comstock, Wexton discuss immigration, ‘Islamophobia’ at forum GOP incumbent faced unruly crowd at mosque event
State Sen. Jennifer Wexton, D-33rd, speaks to a crowd of about 300 during a candidate forum at ADAMS mosque in Sterling on Friday, Oct. 27. Rep. Barbara Comstock, the Republican incumbent in the 10th District, also spoke at the event.
By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
Rep. Barbara Comstock sees herself as a problem-solver, able to get things done in Congress. State Sen. Jennifer Wexton, her Democratic challenger, said Comstock is part of a group of lawmakers who are unwilling or unable to tackle tough problems. Comstock, the Republican incumbent, and Wexton are on the Nov. 6 ballot to represent the 10th Congressional District, which includes part of Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. The candidates spoke during separate appearances Friday night before an audience of more than 300 during a forum at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society mosque in Sterling. “Nobody wants to roll of up their sleeves to find a solution” to the health care insurance problem, Wexton said. “When I’m elected to Congress that’s what I’ll do.” Comstock faced shouts of “answer the question” from audience members unhappy with an indirect response. At one point, a man who stood up to shout at the candidate was escorted away by security. Tempers were cool and there were no such outbursts during Wexton’s turn to field questions from a panel.
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/ JAMES IVANCIC
After the Q & A, many members of the audience sought to pose for photos with her. Wexton is a former prosecutor and current state senator representing the 33rd District, which includes parts of Loudoun and Fairfax counties. Comstock is seeking a third twoyear term in the House of Representatives. Both candidates faced a mix of questions on national and international issues. “We are all concerned about the human crisis on the border,” Comstock said. “I am pro-immigration and pro-immigration reform. This is a bipartisan concern.” Wexton said the Trump administration has “weaponized” the immigration issue for political gain. “The frightening thing is [Trump]
is trying to shut down not only illegal immigration but legal immigration” through restrictions, Wexton said. “We’ve had opportunities to fix it. You shouldn’t have to wait six years to get a green card or even longer to bring families here.” Both candidates faced questions regarding U.S. policy in the Middle East and specifically regarding the Palestinians. Wexton decried the cut in aid to the Palestinians by the Trump administration. “I will work to restore that aid and make sure our relationships are strong. We need to balance security with human rights,” Wexton said. “We need to restore our place in the world as a neutral arbiter.” Asked about the presence of “Islamophobia” in the U.S., Wexton
said, “The problem is only growing under President Trump.” The House of Representatives passed a resolution introduced by Comstock that calls for swift investigation and prosecution of those perpetrating crimes and threats against religious, racial and ethnic minorities. And to improve the reporting of such crimes and efforts to deter them. Similar legislation passed the U.S. Senate. “When you have a diverse community, you have to be able to sit down and work with people who may not even like you,” something which she has done, Comstock said. Wexton said she thought the president’s response to the intended bombs mailed to critics of Trump’s was “inadequate. The president should be trying to unite our country.” Bombs concealed in packages were sent last week to former President Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other high-profile critics of Trump. They were intercepted before reaching the intended recipients. Comstock applauded the work of investigators that resulted in the arrest Friday of a Florida man now charged with mailing 14 bombs. A TargetPoint poll released this week shows the Comstock-Wexton race in a tie, a Washington Post poll has Wexton with a 13- point advantage, while a New York Times poll has Wexton up by 7 points. Reach James Ivancic at jivancic@fauquier.com
Candidates split on health care, abortion; but oppose separating migrant families FAST 5, from page 1 mandate,” and federal subsidies to insurance companies have been scaled back since the law first took effect. Democratic candidates say the changes have amounted to undermining the health-care law. They are calling for the ACA to be restored and improved by adding a public option, such as Medicare, to the healthcare insurance exchange so people under the age of 65 can buy into the federal health-care insurance program as the elderly do. Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democratic incumbent, and Vangie Williams, a Democrat challenging incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman in the 1st District, both say they would favor such a change. “I … believe we should do more to expand access and improve quality, which is why I’ve proposed a plan called Medicare-X, which would allow all Virginians to have access to a plan similar to Medicare,” Kaine said.
Kaines’ Republican challenger, Prince William Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart, said he favors a return to a time when government played a smaller role in health care. “I strongly favor health savings accounts, as well as the restoration of short-term and low-cost ‘no-frills’ plans,” Stewart said. “We should allow insurance plans to be sold across state lines (more competition is healthy).” Rep. Rob Wittman, the five-term Republican incumbent in the 1st District who is defending his seat against Williams, voted against the Affordable Care Act more than 50 times in recent years. But he says he favors reforms that would preserve coverage for pre-existing conditions. Wittman voted in favor of the House replacement for the ACA in May 2017, which critics said would have made health insurance more expensive for those with pre-existing conditions. The measure failed
in the Senate. “I support a path forward for repealing and replacing the ACA with patient-provider centered reforms that expand choices for consumers, increase access to care and reduce healthcare costs, all while preserving coverage for folks with pre-existing conditions,” Wittman said. Jeff Dove, a Republican challenging Connolly in the 11th District race, said he advocates homing in on the aspects of health care that drive up costs. “I would personally like to see is a less bloated piece of legislation like the ACA was with lobbyists and special interests being served,” Dove said.
Immigration
On immigration, most candidates said they oppose the Trump Administration’s temporary move to separate migrant children from their parents as they were prosecuted for illegally crossing the border under the president’s “zero tolerance poli-
cy.” Most also described the nation’s immigration laws as “broken.” Kaine, who earlier this year backed a bill to provide $25 billion for border security and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants without a criminal records, said he would continue to “fight for comprehensive immigration reform that secures our border and treats immigrants humanely and fairly.” Stewart’s campaign spokesman Nathan Brinkman, meanwhile, said Stewart supports the presidents’ zero-tolerance policy on border-crossers but also agrees with the administration’s move to stop separating families. “Nobody wants to see families divided,” Stewart said. “We must discourage illegal migration to begin with – that’s why I favor building a real border wall and enforcing our nation’s immigration laws.” Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@ fauquier.com
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