Yesterday, the Loudoun County Republican Committee hosted its “Ballot Box Brunch Debate” at River Creek Country Club in Leesburg, featuring Republican U.S. Senate candidates Kim Farington, Bert Mizusawa, and David Williams. Although the three have campaigned separately or together at venues across the district, this debate marked the first opportunity for Republican activists to hear all three of them address the same major policy issues side by side.

Moderated by John Reid of the Reid Revolution Podcast and last year’s Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, the 45-minute debate covered a wide range of issues important to attendees and voters, including:

• The SAVE America Act
• Data Centers
• Foreign Engagement
• The Biggest Threat(s) to the Constitution
• Funding for their Campaign Effort
• Priorities on Veterans’ Issues
• Virginia’s 3 Referendum Issues: Abortion, Gay Marriage, and Restoring Voting Rights to Felons
• Commitment to / support of the United Nations
• Reform of the H1B Visa System and Creating Jobs for Young Americans Entering the Workforce
• Priorities for Executive Orders Becoming Laws

Although their policy positions often overlapped, each candidate framed the issues through the lens of his or her professional background.

Kim Farington emphasized her background as a senior technology executive and federal government accountant, highlighting her record of improving efficiency, enforcing fiscal discipline, and reducing waste, fraud, and abuse.

Bert Mizusawa highlighted his experience in national security, law, and public policy, including service as a close adviser to President Trump, a senior military leader, and a government official in both the Department of Defense and Congress. He argued that his deep experience in law, public policy, and the legislative process gives him the strongest command of how federal laws are shaped.

David Williams underscored his experience in the military, the intelligence community, and diplomacy. He said that serving on the front lines of war and diplomacy shaped his commitment to limited government, strong borders, safe communities, and the promise of the American Dream. He also pointed to his own rise from humble beginnings as evidence of that promise.

All three candidates agreed emphatically that the Democratic Party poses the greatest current threat to the Constitution.

Overall, the candidates presented strong credentials and argued why Republicans should choose them to face Mark Warner in the fall. The discussion was frank yet collegial, and John Reid kept it focused and moving at a brisk pace.

At the end of the event, LCRC Chairman George Tarpin conducted a straw poll, which Bert Mizusawa won with just under 50 percent of the vote. The final totals were Mizusawa – 64; Farington – 41; Williams – 24.