Democratic congressional candidates host town hall in Virginia’s 5th District

Tracinski and Krzyzanowski discussed presidential power and health care ahead of August's Democratic primary vote.
Published: May 23, 2026 at 6:28 PM EDT

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Two Democratic congressional candidates competing for Virginia’s 5th District nomination spent time talking with voters in a town hall they called “Mr. T and Dr. K Discuss the Issues.”

Robert Tracinski and Dr. Suzanne Krzyzanowski introduced themselves and explained that they are friendly rivals that share the same goal of flipping the 5th District, currently represented by Republican John McGuire.

Dr. Suzanne Krzyzanowski said the event allowed both candidates to share their platforms with voters.

“We think it’s a good idea to be able to talk about all the issues, and we also do want to get our positions, our ideas, and our names as candidates known in the community, so people can take a closer look at our campaigns and see who they think would benefit the district,” Dr. Krzyzanowski said Sunday.

The candidates gave voters more information about some of the issues they plan on addressing in Congress.

Robert Tracinski said he is focused on congressional power.

“The main thing I’m running on is, I think we have the president who is exerting too much presidential power. Doing things like declaring war without Congress, imposing taxes and tariffs without Congress all things that Congress and the representatives of the people are supposed to be in charge of and Congress needs to reclaim its power,” Tracinski said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Suzanne Krzyzanowski says her focus is on health care.

“My interest goes beyond the Democratic Party. Obviously, I’m a family doctor. I take care of everybody, Democrats and Republicans. My interest is in, you know, fixing our health care system in this country, and I want everybody to benefit from that,” Dr. Krzyzanowski said.

The Democratic primary election for the 5th District is August 4. Until then, both candidates will continue to spend time with voters.

“This actually gives me a lot more hope for the health of our political system, is that the average citizen, the average politically engaged citizen, actually is well-meaning, and they’re trying to get informed, and they’re trying to make good decisions,” Tracinski said.

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