10th District Virginia Senate candidates to face off at VCU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Brian McNeill
University Public Affairs
Phone: 804-827-0889
Email: bwmcneill@vcu.edu

10th District Virginia Senate candidates to face off at VCU

RICHMOND, Va. (Oct. 14, 2015) – The leading candidates for the 10th District seat in the Virginia Senate will field questions from young voters at a town hall on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Republican Glen Sturtevant and Democrat Dan Gecker will discuss key issues from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 303 of Hibbs Hall, 900 Park Ave., on VCU’s Monroe Park campus.

The event is sponsored by Virginia21, a nonpartisan group representing the state’s young voters; the VCU chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists; and VCU’s Department of Political Science and the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture in the College of Humanities and Sciences.

Gecker, a member of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, and Sturtevant, a member of the Richmond School Board, are vying to succeed Republican Sen. John Watkins, who is retiring.

The outcome of the Nov. 3 election could determine whether Republicans continue to control the Virginia General Assembly. The GOP dominates the House of Delegates and has a 21-19 advantage in the Virginia Senate.

Watkins is considered a political moderate who has sided with Democrats on some issues, such as expanding Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income residents. In recent statewide elections, the 10th Senate District has leaned Democratic.

The district includes parts of the VCU campus, part of Chesterfield County and all of Powhatan County. For a full map of the district, go to: http://www.vpap.org/offices/state-senate-10/district-map/.

During the town hall, Sturtevant and Gecker will answer questions from a panel of young voters assembled by Virginia21. They will include VCU, community college and high school students. The candidates will also take questions from the audience.

The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Guests must RSVP at: bit.ly/VA21TownHallatVCU.

Libertarian Carl Loser and Independent Marleen Durfee also are running for the 10th Senate District seat. It is among a half-dozen Senate races that are considered especially competitive this fall.

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About VCU and VCU Health
Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located in downtown Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 31,000 students in 226 degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Sixty-seven of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU’s 13 schools and one college. The only academic medical center and Level I trauma center in the region, VCU Health comprises five health sciences schools (Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy), VCU Medical Center, Community Memorial Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, VCU Massey Cancer Center and Virginia Premier. For more, please visit www.vcu.edu and vcuhealth.org.