From Richard Winger at Ballot Access News:
Ohio is one of only three states this year with a gubernatorial election, and in which the Democratic and Republican nominees won’t be debating each other. The other such states are Nevada and Tennessee.
However, the Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Ed FitzGerald, will debate the only other gubernatorial nominee on the ballot, Anita Rios of the Green Party, on October 22. See this story.
From the article cited, written by Jeremy Pelzer:
The announcement comes after Kasich’s campaign walked away from debate negotiations, making it likely that Ohio’s major-party candidates will not publicly debate for the first time since the 1970s.
FitzGerald campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said other debates and events will be announced Thursday, though she declined to provide details.
“Since the governor declined to do any debates, we think it’s the responsibility of the candidates to submit themselves and submit their policy positions to a debate,” Hitt said.
Sean Nestor, Rios’ campaign manager, said it will be the first time a Green Party gubernatorial candidate in Ohio will be allowed to participate in a debate with a major-party candidate.
“I think it’s a win for democracy,” he said.
John Kasich should want to defend his job..I guess he doesn’t care or notice a lot of us ohioians are tired of what he has been doing ..wow.He really cares doesn’t he?
There’s been a rash of Republican candidates not showing up to debates. In Florida, Rick Scott almost didn’t debate Charlie Crist because the Democrat insisted on having a fan to cool off his balls, in West Virginia, 5 candidates were invited to a Senate debate & only Republican Shelly Moore Capito refused to show up, and in Delaware John Carney debated himself as Republican Rose Izzo didn’t show & the Libertarian & Green were stubbornly not invited.
Why is Kasich so chicken? Last I heard he has a huge lead over the Democrat, never mind the Green.
Travis Irvine started organizing this event before it was known that Charlie Earl wouldn’t be on the ballot. Everybody knew Kasich would refuse to debate.
PEACE
The candidates in Alabama aren’t debating, either.
Ohio Republicans and Democrats running for Governor in 2010 and 2006 refused to debate their minor party opponents. However, in 2002, the Natural Law Party gubernatorial candidate in Ohio, John Eastman, did get into the debate.