Local races don’t get the media attention that congressional, statewide, or presidential elections do, so opportunities for candidates to appear in public to discuss their positions are at a premium.

That’s why it’s unusual that EVERY Democrat running for the House of Delegates to represent Prince William County skipped the Prince William Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum that was held on Monday. Each Republican running to represent Prince William in the General Assembly attended the Chamber’s candidate forum.

In September, two notable Prince William Democrats received “F” grades from the Virginia Chamber of Commerce are Lee Carter (D-Manassas) and Elizabeth Guzman (D-Prince William).

Both are facing strong challengers and are struggling to hold their seats this November, so it’s no surprise that they skipped the forum. What’s disheartening is that their anti-business platform seems to have caught on with the other Democrats running to represent Prince William County.

The Virginia Chamber of Commerce Legislative Report Card grades members of the General Assembly on legislation related to key business issues. The Report Card mentioned that legislation defeated by Republicans saved small and large businesses over $17 billion in new costs and protected over 150,000 Virginia jobs.

The average score for House Republicans was 96.8, while the average score for House Democrats was 70.8 — barely above passing. In total, 8 House Democrats were given “F” grades by the Chamber. Maybe this explains their absence.