Denied an invitation to the Oct. 13 West Virginia Broadcasters Association debate, one gubernatorial candidate said he hopes to use the courts - or the court of public opinion - to crash the party.
Denied an invitation to the Oct. 13 West Virginia Broadcasters Association debate, one gubernatorial candidate said he hopes to use the courts - or the court of public opinion - to crash the party.
"Not being represented in what is supposed to be a fair and unbiased debate, that's just a travesty of justice," Mountain Party candidate Jesse Johnson said Wednesday of the snub.
Johnson, a Charleston actor and director who first ran for governor in 2004, also was barred from participating in the association's gubernatorial debate that October. He failed in his last-minute attempt to get a court injunction ordering that he be included in that debate.
Johnson said he's again weighing that option. "I will use everything at my disposal, which certainly includes the court system," he said.
Johnson said he first hopes to use public opinion to convince the association to rethink its decision, including having supporters pressure individual TV stations that will be airing the debate.
"When one political party is being excluded from the public airwaves that belong to us all, that is unfair," he said.
Michele Crist, director of the WVBA, said the association's long-standing policy has been to invite only the two major-party candidates to participate in the fall gubernatorial debates.
"The West Virginia Broadcasters Association has done that since we started doing these debates some 20 years ago," she said.
Crist said that, excluding commercials, the broadcast runs only 48 minutes - which she said is not enough time to have a meaningful debate featuring third-party and independent candidates.
"Dividing that time among even two candidates, to get good, lengthy answers on issues, you're already running short on time," she said.
Denied an invitation to the Oct. 13 West Virginia Broadcasters Association debate, one gubernatorial candidate said he hopes to use the courts - or the court of public opinion - to crash the party.
"Not being represented in what is supposed to be a fair and unbiased debate, that's just a travesty of justice," Mountain Party candidate Jesse Johnson said Wednesday of the snub.
Johnson, a Charleston actor and director who first ran for governor in 2004, also was barred from participating in the association's gubernatorial debate that October. He failed in his last-minute attempt to get a court injunction ordering that he be included in that debate.
Johnson said he's again weighing that option. "I will use everything at my disposal, which certainly includes the court system," he said.
Johnson said he first hopes to use public opinion to convince the association to rethink its decision, including having supporters pressure individual TV stations that will be airing the debate.
"When one political party is being excluded from the public airwaves that belong to us all, that is unfair," he said.
Michele Crist, director of the WVBA, said the association's long-standing policy has been to invite only the two major-party candidates to participate in the fall gubernatorial debates.
"The West Virginia Broadcasters Association has done that since we started doing these debates some 20 years ago," she said.
Crist said that, excluding commercials, the broadcast runs only 48 minutes - which she said is not enough time to have a meaningful debate featuring third-party and independent candidates.
"Dividing that time among even two candidates, to get good, lengthy answers on issues, you're already running short on time," she said.
Johnson said he could understand debate organizers using that rationale to exclude write-in candidates, but said the Mountain Party has done everything required under West Virginia law to be recognized as a bona fide political party.
"To exclude us is inexcusable," he said.
"If it is just Joe Manchin and Russ Weeks, then no one who is pro-choice, no one who is anti-mountaintop removal, and no who is truly pro-labor is being represented at that debate," Johnson said.
Sara Payne Scarbro, spokeswoman for the Manchin re-election campaign, said the governor has no objections to Johnson participating in all debates.
"The governor is fine with Jesse participating in the debates, but ultimately, it's up to the hosts," she said.
Johnson has been invited to the three other scheduled gubernatorial debates this fall, but only one of those - the West Virginia Public Broadcasting/Associated Press debate Oct. 19 - will also be televised statewide.
As for complaints from Johnson supporters, Crist said, "We've had a few calls, but not many. Not as many as before."
Johnson said he will not go away quietly.
"I have no intention of taking this lying down," he said, "nor does the party."
Reach Phil Kabler at ph...@wvgazette.com">ph...@wvgazette.com or 348-1220.
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Just because there are two parties in West Virginia does not mean that one is better than the other, or that they will be on your side, or listen to your pleas for change. It has always been this way.