Three candidates are on the August Republican primary ballot to take on incumbent U.S. Senator Mark Warner in November. WMRA’s Meredith McCool caught up with two of them – Kim Farington of Fairfax Station and David Williams of Reston – and filed this report.
With less than a week to go before primary election day, Republicans vying for their party’s nomination to challenge Sen. Warner are making their final appeals to Virginia voters. Candidates Kim Farington and David Williams spoke with WMRA about their priorities, policy positions, and vision for representing the commonwealth. A third candidate, Bert Mizusawa, did not respond to WMRA’s request for an interview in time for this story.
Here’s why Kim Farington says she is running:
KIM FARINGTON: I just got so frustrated seeing all the fraud and all the inefficiencies in federal government. I was in federal government for 33 years, and so I want to make sure that we close those loopholes that all these fraudsters and the criminals have found and are using to take taxpayer dollars.
At the federal level, she has worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and the White House. As a small business owner, Farington also wants to –
FARINGTON: Be there for small businesses because when myself and other Virginia small business owners, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, marched on the Hill to visit the current incumbent Sen. Warner, he wasn't there for … our scheduled meeting. … I figured that's the day that I was going to run for U.S. Senate and make those changes and be there for small businesses, but also just all Virginians.
WMRA was not able to confirm with her staff what date that meeting would have been before the story aired.
David Williams described himself as a fiscal conservative.
DAVID WILLIAMS: I truly believe that the $38 trillion that we currently have in debt, we have to make sure that we balance the budget and bring that down. And I believe that that is a national security threat. … The second thing is, when you look at the economy, that is an issue that you're seeing across Virginia. People are saying that they are having a difficult time with, do I pay for my rent today, or do I pay for my car payment? Right? This is something that we have to address.
Williams referenced recent tax cuts at the federal level.
WILLIAMS: When you look at no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and the child tax credit, these are immediate tax reforms and relief that we need to make permanent, so people can depend on this tax relief. And that's giving them the immediate relief that they need, when you talk about the groceries and having more money in your pocket.
A recent Pew Research study found that economic issues are the top priority for voters. I invited both candidates to share their thoughts on economic policy, including prices and affordability.
Williams spoke about taxes, out-of-control spending, and domestic energy production.
WILLIAMS: That's a big thing, making sure that we get taxes down for folks. Out-of-control spending causes inflation. So when you talk about the price in the grocery stores, that is caused by the out-of-control spending. And as you know, the current administration in Richmond came in with a surplus, right? … I know that most of them got raises, some pretty good raises, right?
Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced this month that, six months into her term and at the close of the fiscal year, the state’s general fund held a more than $900 million surplus. The biennial budget includes the first raises in 40 years for state legislators, which go into effect in 2028.
Williams blamed Biden-era oil and natural gas regulations for high fuel and energy prices.
Farington also mentioned gas prices, but cited a different reason for their current level.
FARINGTON: Gas prices are an anomaly right now because of what's happening in Iran.
Her economic policy focuses on small businesses, manufacturing, and cybersecurity.
FARINGTON: My approach to that is to, as I mentioned, help the small businesses grow and thrive, so that they can actually hire more people, expand the tax base, and make Virginia more affordable. I also want to focus on manufacturing and bringing more manufacturing to Virginia. … And as I'm doing my Commonwealth tour, my listening tour, I'm seeing all these vacant manufacturing buildings across Virginia. So what I want to do is not only help create that life cycle of inventors to manufacturers and keep that process here in Virginia, but I also have talked to residents who are near these vacant manufacturing buildings about incentivizing manufacturers to come to Virginia. … And I also want to focus on cybersecurity. … What I want to do is fill jobs that I know exist, and that is 514,000 cybersecurity jobs that are vacant right now across the country.
Neither candidate mentioned their primary opponents. However, both referenced Virginia’s governor, Abigail Spanberger, and her platform on affordability.
FARINGTON: We're all struggling with affordability. Except instead of being like the current governor who ran on affordability and is raising taxes across the Commonwealth, I actually have a plan for that.
WILLIAMS: When you tell people something, they expect you to do that. And I believe that that is why Spanberger is not very popular right now.
During the 2026 General Assembly session, Democrats proposed several bills that would have increased taxes on some services, large employers, investment income, and firearms and ammunition. However, none of those bills advanced or were signed into law by the governor, except for a payroll tax to support a paid family and medical leave program, as The Washington Post previously reported.
The approved budget, in effect from July 1 to June 30, 2028, also includes a $600 million annual tax on data centers' electricity use, according to a VPM report.
I wanted to differentiate the candidate’s economic policies. I asked them –
McCOOL: On a scale of one to five, one being not at all and five being completely, how would you rate your agreement with the statement, "Current economic policies have improved economic conditions in the country"?
Farington gave a definitive number.
FARINGTON: I would put that at a four because I really am seeing change, and when you look at the grocery prices, grocery prices are coming down.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that the consumer price index for all food was up 0.2% from May to June of this year, and up 3% compared to last year.
FARINGTON: Yes, there is still work to do, which is why I put it at a four instead of a five, because I can get up there and I can help really make more change to bring those prices down.
Williams said he didn’t want to put a number on it.
WILLIAMS: I would say at the federal level, I think that we're doing everything that we need to do. We're cutting what we need to cut.
Early in-person voting continues through this Saturday, August 1. Primary election day is Tuesday, August 4.
