On September 9, the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian Party candidates for Governor of Colorado debated each other in Grand Junction. Two other candidates for Governor who are on the ballot, the Constitution Party nominee, as well as independent Paul Fiorino, were not permitted to debate.
Certainly I’m glad the Libertarian was in the debate, but I wonder why the other two were forbidden.
There was a $500 entry fee for candidates to participate in the congressional debate (I don’t know how much for the gubernatorial and other debates). I don’t know if the unaffiliated and American Constitution Party candidates were invited to participate or not (if they were, they apparently chose not to cough up the entry fee or had a scheduling conflict).
As far as I know, this is the first time any minor party candidates were allowed to be part of the Club 20 dot org debates in Grand Junction, key to success in the West Slope of Colorado. There was a Green candidate also scheduled to participate in another debate. My down-ballot statewide race for regent was not included in the debates, and other statewide executive races were not included either.
See Hammer of Truth dot com (search for Good News from Colorado, July 27, 2006) for some details of Libertarian candidate inclusion. See the lpusmisc Yahoo group, message 430, for a report of Libertarian Bob Sargent’s performance in the 3rd Congressional District debate.
Most press coverage, including the AP story and hometown GJ Sentinel dot com, virtually ignored the Libertarian and Green candidates, although Lynn Bartels of Rocky Mountain News dot com featured the Libertarian presence and supporters, many of whom took a charter bus from Denver (I was unable to attend).
Thank you for mentioning me, but I must correct something that has taken me some time to do. I know I am considered Independent, but in colorado there is a party associated with that moniker. I am an UNAFFILIATED by Colorado election law and
have no party affiliation, but that to the citizens of Colorado. Please assist in this correction as the ballot will read Paul Noel Fiorino (U) Unaffiliated Governor
Register by Oct. 10 Early voting Oct 23 election day Nov. 7
The plot thickens…Libertarians discriminated against?
groups.yahoo.com/group/LibertarianCampaigns/message/47?l=1
“Anyway, yes, we are in the debates, and so is our governor candidate.
However, we also discovered that ONLY the Libertarian candidates are paying
to be in the debates ($500 each). Even the lone Green Party candidate there
isn’t paying (I asked him).”
That Green Party candidate later dropped out of the race:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/elections/article/0,2808,DRMN_24736_5032161,00.html
The required payment (apparently for Libertarian candidates only) appeared to be a presale of debate tickets, as it included a certain number (I forget how many) of tickets to the debate. Denver area Libertarians chartered a bus to the Western Slope for the debate (I was unable to attend).
The unaffiliated candidate in my race keeps calling himself “Independent.”