Joy Powers Faces Questions at Conservative Forum as Morgan Griffith Fails to Show Up

Wytheville, VA — Joy Powers, Democratic nominee for Congress in Virginia’s Ninth Congressional District, participated in a candidate forum hosted by local conservative Walker Mitchell on Monday, October 19, answering difficult questions from voters across the political spectrum. Despite being invited to participate, incumbent Republican Congressman Morgan Griffith did not attend.

The forum brought together Republicans, Democrats, and independent voters for a discussion about the issues facing the Ninth District. Powers fielded challenging questions, explained her positions, and engaged directly with voters who did not necessarily share her political views.

"Leadership isn't about surrounding yourself with people who agree with you. It's about having the courage to sit down with people who don't," said Powers. "I knew coming into this forum that I would face tough questions, and that's exactly why I wanted to be here. The people of the Ninth District deserve a representative who will look them in the eye, answer their questions, and listen to their concerns, regardless of political party."

Griffith's absence comes amid a longstanding pattern of avoiding direct engagement with constituents. The congressman has not held an open, in-person public town hall in more than 15 years, leaving residents of the Ninth District without regular opportunities to question their representative face-to-face.

In contrast, Powers has made accessibility and public engagement central to her campaign, having already held five in-person town halls across the Ninth District, with a sixth scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center in Montgomery County.

On August 24, Powers publicly challenged Griffith to participate in three congressional debates across the district, proposing locations in far Southwest Virginia, the New River Valley, and the eastern portion of the district to ensure voters throughout the region could hear from both candidates. Griffith refused to participate in all three in a September 4 letter, writing that Ninth District voters “already know where I stand.”

Now, when given another opportunity to engage directly with conservative voters at a forum organized by members of his own political party, Griffith once again failed to appear.

"For 16 years, Morgan Griffith has asked the people of Southwest Virginia to send him back to Washington, but he won't even show up to answer their questions," Powers continued. "He won't hold public town halls. He won't debate me. And now he won't even attend a forum hosted by a conservative. If you want the privilege of representing the people of this district, you ought to be willing to face them."

The forum demonstrated that voters across party lines are interested in substantive conversations about the future of our region, even when those conversations involve difficult questions and political disagreements.

"Republicans, Democrats, and Independents may disagree about a lot of things, but we should all be able to agree on one basic principle: elected officials work for the people, not the other way around," Powers said. "You shouldn't have to agree with me to get an answer from me. And you shouldn't have to belong to the right political party to have your voice heard in Washington."

With Election Day approaching on November 3, Powers says she will continue making herself available to voters throughout the district and challenging Griffith to do the same.

For press inquiries, please contact Brendon Bordwine at brendon@joyforva.com or (276) 206-5462.