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League pulls its debate support
Frederic Pierce
Political Notebook / Syracuse Post Standard |
The League of Women Voters has pulled its sponsorship of Sunday's televised debate between Democratic U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton and Republican challenger John Spencer because Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins wasn't allowed to participate.
Hawkins, a former candidate for Syracuse mayor and Common Council, qualifies as a bona fide candidate under the league's guidelines and should have been included, said Betsey Swan, a legislative analyst with the league.
"It was decided this would be a two-candidate debate, so the league had no choice but to withdraw sponsorship from it," Swan said.
Several candidates had asked to take part in the Senate debate, but only Hawkins had proved he was running a legitimate campaign that voters have a right to hear about, Swan said. Hawkins is one of four minor-party Senate candidates who will join Clinton and Spencer on November's ballot.
"On most of the key issues - the occupation of Iraq, promoting corporate welfare and power, opposing universal health care - Spencer and Clinton have the same general positions and argue over the details," Hawkins said.
The debate, hosted by WABC News, will take place at 9 a.m. Sunday in New York City.
It is the second of two debates scheduled for this weekend. Spencer and Clinton will go head to head at 7 p.m. today in Rochester. It will be carried live by Time Warner Cable's News 10 Now and will be replayed at 11:30 p.m.
They are the only two debates of the campaign.
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 *Website by David Doonan, Labor Donated to Hawkins for Senate Campaign* |
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