Libertarian candidate Donald Rainwater will not participate in Indiana’s first gubernatorial debate on Wednesday. However, all three of the state’s ballot-qualified gubernatorial candidates will meet for a second debate the following day, with a third scheduled later in the month.
Both debates taking place this week are set for one hour and will be televised across the state. The first debate, hosted by FOX59/CBS4 debate at 7:00 PM EDT tonight, will be between Republican Mike Braun and Democrat Jennifer McCormick. The second, the WISH-TV All Indiana Politics Indiana Governor’s Debate, will take place at 6:00 PM EDT tomorrow and include Braun, McCormick, and Libertarian Donald Rainwater. All three candidates will also participate in a third televised debate scheduled later this month by the on October 24 by the Indiana Debate Commission.
In a statement to local media on Wednesday, the Libertarian Party of Indiana called Rainwater’s exclusion from the first debate a “slap in the face of Hoosier voters” and criticized FOX59/CBS4 for following criteria set by Nexstar Media Inc. Nexstar’s guidelines require gubernatorial candidates to secure a minimum of ten percent in a statewide poll that includes all ballot-listed candidates and to have raised $100,000 in contributions, with a quarter coming from in-state donors, among other criteria.
“In Indiana, we have a tradition of featuring every candidate on the ballot on the debate stage,” Libertarian Party of Indiana chair Evan McMahon is quoted. “However, an out-of-state company is again refusing to honor that tradition, instead relying on arbitrary criteria set by their corporate office that is purposely designed to limit participation of third party candidates.”
A series of polls conducted throughout September, including those sponsored by IndyPolitics.org, the Democratic Governors Association, and the Hill, indicate that when presented with a three-way scenario, between six and nine percent of Indiana voters prefer Rainwater over Braun and McCormick. The most recent poll, conducted by ARW Strategies last week, puts Braun at 44%, McCormick at 37%, and Rainwater at nine percent.
The debate criteria are quite reasonable. Try running for city council, county commissioners etc, then when you gain some success at that level work your way up. Or run a hopeless campaign and complain when debate organisers would rather not waste viewers time. Or find candidates who can actually meet those criteria ~- every once in awhile a minor party manages against all odds, even at state levels. Organize a better debate maybe? Creative fundraising and publicity?
He should show up anyway with a ticket in the audience.
I am going to send Donald Rainwater a donation for his campaign. He is a committed and active candidate.