Powers challenges Griffith to three debates in Ninth District
Bedford, VA — Democratic nominee for Congress Joy Powers on Monday formally challenged Congressman Morgan Griffith to participate in three public debates across Virginia’s Ninth Congressional District before voters cast their ballots this November.
In a letter sent directly to Griffith, Powers proposed holding one debate in far Southwest Virginia, one in the New River Valley, and one on the eastern end of the district. Powers said the two campaigns should jointly agree on hosts, venues, moderators, and format, with questions coming directly from voters across the Ninth District.
“The people of Southwest Virginia deserve them,” Powers wrote.
Powers said the debates should give voters an opportunity to question both candidates directly about health care, data centers, jobs, agriculture, energy costs, education, Social Security and Medicare, and the future of Southwest Virginia’s communities.
Powers is asking Griffith to accept the three debates by September 5.
August 25, 2026 @ 8:32 am
we don’t need any more democrats holding office..anywhere… they love open borders, protect the illegals, want them to have free everything just to make them happy so they can keep them here to get their votes.. they want to ruin our country, our states, our towns…. we’ll keep griffith.
August 25, 2026 @ 9:49 am
I would love to see them debate. Not everyone agrees with your assessment of Griffith. We have suffered many years without help for our needs. Let us hear what Powers can do for us. I am tired of voter suppression, high gas prices, and groceries out the roof. You may be wealthy enough to forestall this attack on our finances and health care but not everyone is so privileged.
August 25, 2026 @ 11:37 am
Just the fact that Ms. Powers is aligned with the Democrats is a non-starter for me. The party has been hijacked by radicals, and I no longer recognize them! They are definitely not the party of the likes of JFK.
August 25, 2026 @ 11:57 am
A free and open discussion of differing ideas is always a good thing and a cornerstone of a successful democracy. Regrettably, closed-mindedness and confirmation bias seem to be the norm amongst most folks these days.
When I first voted in 1980, and for a couple decades after that at least, I was convinced the differences between the two major parties were significant and important.
Recent history and the revelation of a lot of new information about the machinations of the two parties has convinced me otherwise. I suspect they want to maintain and foment an us versus them mentality among the electorate. It’s the old divide and conquer strategy that’s been used over and over by evil leaders such as Adolf Hitler and Mao Zedung. I’m more convinced than ever that since roughly 1949, the vast majority of US politicians and government officials at the highest levels mainly want to grow their power and wealth and control over us, which works better if they can keep us at each other’s throats.
No matter which party is in power in Washington, I notice the major problems almost never seem to go away, although when running for office they all promise they care about us and will dedicate themselves to making things better for us. I think the majority of them on both sides are disingenuous and self-serving.
They are essentially narcissistic actors and actresses not talented enough to make it in Hollywood.
We could be so great. And at one time when we weren’t so fat and dumb, I think we were.
Watching the carnival act in Washington for more than 50 years has only made me increasingly more cynical and pessimistic. And every time somebody comes along and gives me hope for meaningful change, such as the promise of not starting more foreign wars (a’ la Trump), they do the opposite and disappoint me. Same ol’ same ol’.
August 26, 2026 @ 11:20 am
I would be interested in attending a debate between the two candidates. Our highest calling as citizens of a democratic republic is to be informed voters who seriously consider the positions and qualifications of everyone we elect. I hope Representative Griffith does us voters the honor by accepting the invitation to a debate.
August 28, 2026 @ 11:30 am
Perhaps the candidate should run as an intendant and not accept the left leaning party support.