On March 28, Maryland Green Party candidate Margaret Flowers was not allowed to participate in a U.S. Senate debate, even though Democratic and Republican candidates for the same office were invited. Flowers had been invited, and then the invitation was revoked, with new qualifications added at the last minute involving polling. See this story from Green Party Watch. UPDATE: see this story, which has a link to a video.
It appears that there were separate forums for the Republican and Democratic candidates, held in sequence. Candidate Flowers herself said “many times during the first half of the forum, the moderator and Republican candidates emphasized …” Arguably, having a single candidate for the Green Party would also violate IRS regulations by appearing to endorse her nomination.
Three people are seeking the Green Party nomination for US Senate in Maryland this year. The Maryland Green Party has its own primary ballot for its members.
Were the other Green Party candidates invited? And even if they were, if only one accepted, there can be an appearance of bias. When Rick Perry chose not to debate his Democratic opponent, event sponsors started to invite Green and Libertarian candidates.
What are the IRS rules when there are segregated partisan primaries?