Professor Larry Sabato has stepped forward to correct erroneous information being promulgated by the Russ Potts Admiration Society, Washington Post Chapter. Here is the text of the letter he has sent them, provided in a Center for Politics press release:
“To the Editor:
“Regarding your editorial on independent gubernatorial candidate H. Russell Potts Jr. (“A Radical in Virginia”), and his exclusion from candidate debates, you make a serious error. The editorial reads: “That arbitrary condition [the 15 percent rule for inclusion] was set by the Kilgore campaign and agreed to by the debate’s sponsor, the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
“First, the 15 percent rule is certainly not arbitrary. It is the established standard at the national level, via the Commission on Presidential Debates, and it is the established standard in Virginia. Just to cite one example, when we had our 2001 gubernatorial TV debate (sponsored by the Center) in October, we used the very same 15 percent standard, which resulted in the exclusion of Libertarian William Redpath, who had filed the necessary signatures and secured a place on the November ballot. When we consulted with legal experts before making our debate proposal this year, the one thing they insisted upon was that we should be consistent and not arbitrary, and therefore should maintain the same standard used for years and years in considering Mr. Potts’ independent candidacy. That is precisely what we did, and so your word “arbitrary” should in fact have read “consistent.”
“Second, the Center, not the Kilgore campaign as your editorial states, proposed the 15 percent rule in our original proposal to the campaigns in May. The Kilgore campaign immediately balked. We could have had a debate agreement in May had we caved in, but instead we held firm for about four months, insisting that the debate needed to provide a reasonable, consistent way for Potts to qualify. At several points, it appeared that our debate had been shelved permanently because we would not budge on that principle. Finally, under pressure to agree to a statewide TV debate, the Kilgore campaign relented a couple of weeks ago. Our position never changed; the Kilgore camp’s position changed.
“Our debate is the only one of the three organized this year to provide a reasonable opportunity for Mr. Potts to participate. We are pleased to have achieved this, and we hope he qualifies.”
Dr. Larry J. Sabato
Director, Center for Politics
University of Virginia
There is no sparing of Jerry Kilgore, whipping boy of the Potts Club, for his campaign’s role in delaying a debate agreement, but there is what appears to me to be the truth and a more than convincing explanation for why Russ Potts is not in any debates at this time.
Sabato sent a similar missive to the Daily Press Chapter. I say he is a stand-up guy.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.