Democratic congressional candidates in Virginia’s 9th District are sparring after a tense exchange resulted in concerns of racism and misogyny.
Overall, Joy Powers, a fourth-generation cattle farmer from Bedford County, described last week’s candidate forum as a positive sign of voter enthusiasm in the district, while Douglass Crockett, a retired lawyer with decades of ministry experience, said Democrats need to be more serious about tough discussions.
Both Powers and Crockett are seeking the Democratic nomination to run against Rep. Morgan Griffith in November.
The quotes in this story come from an interview conducted by RBS News Now after a recent Democratic candidate forum in Stuart.
“It was a great day,” Powers said. “What we’re seeing everywhere is that people are ready for something new, something different from their leadership here in the 9th District.”
Powers highlighted her rural Virginia roots, work in agricultural policy and experience as a foster parent and adoptive mother as central to her campaign message. She said she entered the race because “we deserve better than what we have.”
She is, however, concerned with Crockett’s residency. Crockett, who is from Southwest Virginia, currently resides across the state in Williamsburg.
This concern sparked an off-camera confrontation between the two before the forum. Powers said, and Crockett confirmed, that he told her to shut up during the exchange.
“I do believe that this district deserves someone who has lived in rural Virginia, and especially in our district, and so we’ve said that,” Powers said after the forum. “And expressing that as a woman, I was told to shut my mouth. It’s not the first time it’s happened in politics; it probably won’t be the last, but you know what, I’m tough enough to handle it.”
Crockett accused Powers of failing to adequately address concerns he raised about race and representation during their exchange.
“When somebody has to come to a place like this and say to you that they’re not racist, I think that’s a warning sign,” Crockett said. “There’s racism in everybody.”
Crockett said he viewed her response as dismissive and argued that racial issues within the Democratic Party are often avoided rather than confronted directly.
Crockett, originally from Wythe County, said he plans to move from Williamsburg to Abingdon.
“The dynamic that I have lived with all of my life is, you take a concern, an African American concern, to a Caucasian person, you’re expecting to get some understanding — and what you get is anger,” Crockett continued. “You get anger in return, like you’ve done something wrong by bringing up the issue.”
Crockett said he confronted Powers because he believes her comments dismiss his connection to the district.
“I wanted to give her a chance to explain before I brought it up. I think that was the right thing to do,” Crockett said. “She had no good explanation for it, and she kept trying and fumbling. I tried to walk away and then she got angry. And then you know, one thing led to another, and yes, I told her to shut up, because she should have shut up.”
“You bring up a racial issue, and people don’t want to talk about it,” Crockett continued. “Until we deal with ourselves, we can’t help other people deal with theirs.”
Despite acknowledging the controversy may have cost him some support, Crockett said he believed he also gained “respect” by speaking openly about the issue.
Crockett also emphasized that his campaign is focused on defeating Republican incumbent Morgan Griffith, saying, “A win is a win. That’s all I’m after.”
He pointed to his 40 years in ministry and work with low-income communities as qualifications for the office.
Powers and Crockett are among several Democrats seeking to challenge Griffith in Virginia’s Republican-leaning 9th Congressional District.
Powers, Crockett, and Va-09 Democratic Congressional Committee Chair Rebecca Daly did not respond to requests for comment.
Griffith won reelection in 2024 by 45 points.