The ODC announced Wednesday that it had planned debates for the Governor’s race and the U.S. Senate race for Oct. 10 and Oct. 12, respectively, at the Akron-Summit County Public Library.
The ODC said it made multiple attempts to apprise the candidates of the event, including a “save the date,” delivered in May, and a formal invitation on July 1. Neither DeWine nor Vance had RSVP’d by the organization’s official deadline — yesterday at 5:00 p.m.
“We’re obviously disappointed,” said ODC Board President and City Club of Cleveland CEO Dan Moulthrop, in a prepared statement. “We work hard with our partners and funders to convene debates that would serve campaigns, serve voters, and strengthen democracy. Yet this election year has been plagued with candidates from both parties who prize their campaign consultants’ input over voters’ information needs. When 84% of Ohioans are saying they want debates and campaigns refuse a good faith offer from a statewide organization, democracy is paying the price.”
Though both Whaley and Ryan had agreed to participate in the debates, the ODC said it will not host “empty chair” debates featuring only one candidate this year.
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This article appears in Sep 7-20, 2022.
