Williams now says she’ll participate in Saturday’s candidate

She’s in. She’s out. Now she’s back in.

Lavangelene Aereka “Vangie” Williams says she’ll participate in a Democratic forum scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 3 on Facebook Live. The two-time candidate for Virginia’s 1st Congressional District will face a Primary opponent, Qasim Rashid, who last year ran for the 28th District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates Senate seat and lost to Joshua Cole Richard Stuart (R).

“I am very excited to announce that after some productive conversations with the organizers of the Fredericksburg Area Democratic candidate forum, I will be participating in the forum this Saturday. I want to thank the organizers for the hard work they have put into making this happen, and I look forward to a spirited conversation with my opponent on the issues that matter to Democrats throughout the First District,” Williams penned in an email statement sent to reporters this morning.

Today's announcement is an about-face from this past weekend when Williams told repeaters the advanced questions she received in advance, written by Greater Fredericksburg Young Democrats President Benjamin Litchfield.

“We are grateful to have been invited to the Fredericksburg Area forum, however, the questions provided to the candidates come across more as statements than questions. These would do more to hurt candidates coming into the general election. We do not wish to place either campaign in such a situation and have decided not to participate,” Williams told reporters on Sunday, May 3.

Those questions, provided to Potomac Local News, covered topics like coronavirus response and bailing out private companies with federal dollars, criminal justice reform, LGTBQ issues, labor rights, and healthcare. After initially declining to participate, Williams urged voters to simply visit her website to learn more about her candidacy. Williams lost by 11 points to sitting 1st District Congressman Robert Wittman (R) in November 2018. The district is large, spanning an area from Williamsburg to Prince William County. Locally, Williams won Prince William County and Fredericksburg but lost in Stafford County in the 2018 General Election. Now, voters will head to the polls on June 23, 2020, to vote in a Primary Election where Williams Rashid will both be on the ballot. Also voting in June we will be voters in Fairfax and Prince William County, in the 11th Congressional District. There, Zainab Mohsini has challenged longtime Democratic incumbent Gerald E. “Gerry” Connolly for the House seat.