A televised state superintendent’s debate is off, after incumbent Debbie Critchfield backed out this week.
Critchfield, a Republican, had originally agreed to an Oct. 12 debate against Democratic nominee Becky Sundin Mitchell, sponsored by KTVB. Critchfield now says she will not appear unless a third-party candidate — Constitution Party nominee Teresa Roundy — is also on the stage.
The news comes barely a week after Critchfield and Sundin Mitchell appeared at a debate co-sponsored by Idaho EdNews and The College of Idaho. Roundy did not qualify for the Sept. 22 debate, since her campaign did not meet the co-sponsors’ fundraising threshold.
The KTVB debate had a similar fundraising threshold, one the station says it has had in place for decades.
Roundy’s campaign has not raised or spent any money, according to Idaho sunshine reports.
In a statement to KTVB, Critchfield said her decision “isn’t about avoiding a debate,” but is instead about respecting the voters and the process.
“There are three candidates in this race, and I believe voters deserve the opportunity to hear from all three,” Critchfield said in a statement to KTVB. “It’s not my place — or anyone else’s — to decide for voters which candidates are viable enough to be heard.”
In a statement, Sundin Mitchell said Critchfield should be willing to answer questions about her record.
“KTVB set its criteria for participation, and her decision to withdraw means Idaho voters will no longer get the opportunity to hear the candidates answer questions side by side,” Sundin Mitchell said. “Debates matter because elected officials should be willing to defend their records directly to the people they serve.”
With the KTVB debate cancelled, Critchfield and Sundin Mitchell will probably not to square off again before the Nov. 3 general election. The candidates have no other debates scheduled in the remaining five weeks of the campaign.
The cancellation continues what has become an election-year trend. Debates between statewide candidates, once commonplace, have been nearly nonexistent this fall.
Several Republican incumbents have refused to debate their opponents — rejecting or ignoring invitations to joint events. Gov. Brad Little, U.S. Sen. Jim Risch and Attorney General Raúl Labrador are unlikely to debate their opponents before the election.
Consequently, the League of Women Voters has instead sponsored open forums, not debates, for whichever candidates decide to attend. An Oct. 6 Boise forum will feature Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terri Pickens and independent candidate John Stegner; Little has not responded to the invitation.
More coverage: Watch our Sept. 22 state superintendent’s debate in full, read our coverage from the debate, and read an in-depth analysis on the demise of debates in Idaho.
