Norfolk State University will host the only debate between Virginia U.S. Senate candidates Tim Kaine and Hung Cao this week.
The event comes just a few months after the state’s other public historically Black college – Virginia State University – lost the opportunity to host a presidential debate.
Former Democratic candidate Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump didn’t agree to show up to any debates organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates, including the event at VSU, which would have been the first ever at a historically Black college.
“With that being the case … we believe that it is a great significance that Norfolk State continues to be chosen as the venue for federal debates here in Hampton Roads in the Commonwealth,” said Eric Claville, an NSU professor and political analyst who organizes debates on campus.
Norfolk State and Nexstar Media Group will hold the debate at the university’s L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center and broadcast it live.
“Whether local or national, every election is important. Our civic engagement in that process is vital,” NSU President Javaune Adams-Gaston said in a press release announcing the debate.
“NSU is proud to serve as the venue where the candidates can express their policy positions and provide voters with information before they head to the polls. In addition, this debate will provide the Spartan community with an opportunity to witness the political process in real-time.”
The university has hosted various candidate forums since 2020, including the 2020 U.S. senatorial debate between Sen. Mark Warner and opponent Daniel Gade.
In 2021, gubernatorial candidates Glenn Youngkin and Terry McAuliffe agreed to just one roundtable event, hosted at Norfolk State.
Black voters, and especially college-aged ones, can be a powerful group of voters for candidates at any campaign level and tight-knit HBCU communities can mobilize broad networks of current and former students to raise money, get people to polls or discuss policy proposals.
It’s one of the reasons current presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are vying for support from HBCU presidents. Most school leaders have stayed quiet, waiting for commitments to better fund the chronically underfunded institutions and address the cost of higher education and student loan debt, which disproportionately affects students of color.
“Norfolk State continues to play a role,” Claville said. “HBCUs continue to play a role, the Commonwealth continues to play a role. Hampton Roads (continues to play a role), not just in local politics, but national as well.”
Historically Black colleges were created to be open to all kinds of people, Claville said, and the direction of the Senate debate will reflect that.
“You'll hear questions about black Virginia veterans, Virginians as a whole, voting rights for all, and the economy for all,” Claville said. “All that's on the table , because all of that affects everyone in Virginia.”
