VA Governor's Debate Canceled After GOP Candidate Rejects Rules

VIRGINIA — The Virginia Bar Association canceled its planned gubernatorial debate scheduled for July 24 after Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin refused to participate.

The debate was scheduled to take place between Youngkin and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic nominee, during the Virginia Bar Association’s summer meeting in Hot Springs.

“The debate has always been one of the highlights of the Summer Meeting, and the VBA has been grateful to be part of the political conversation in Virginia for more than 30 years,” the VBA said in a statement Monday. “We are disappointed that a statewide debate will not be a part of this year’s program.”

McAuliffe's campaign agreed to the Virginia Bar Association's debate rules and officially accepted the invitation to participate in the debate on June 15.

Youngkin's campaign said Monday that it decided against participating in the VBA debate because the bar association "refused to correct several problems with its proposed debate, including the lack of a dedicated portion to economic issues and jobs, and its unilateral selection of Clinton Foundation donor Judy Woodruff as moderator."

Woodruff, a long-time broadcast journalist, is the anchor and managing editor of the “PBS NewsHour.”

Before becoming governor in 2014, McAuliffe was co-chair of President Bill Clinton's 1996 campaign, chairman of the Democratic National Committee and chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.

"Glenn Youngkin has spent his campaign embracing Donald Trump and trying to hide his true views from Virginia voters, so it's no surprise he does not have the courage to face me at this debate and answer questions just as every Republican and Democratic nominee for governor has done since 1985," McAuliffe said in a statement Monday. "His refusal to participate in this debate is an insult to Virginians and shows that Glenn knows just how out of step he is with the people of the Commonwealth."

McAuliffe has agreed to participate in five general election debates, including the VBA debate in Hot Springs, a debate at Norfolk State University, a debate at the Appalachian School of Law, a Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce debate on Sept. 28 at George Mason University and an AARP debate in Richmond on Oct. 12.

Youngkin’s campaign said Monday that the Republican candidate has confirmed his participation in three gubernatorial debates: Hampton University, Liberty University, and the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce in late August; the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy on Sept. 16; and a to-be-determined host and location in mid-October.

“We’re glad we were able to settle on a date with the Appalachian School of Law and the McAuliffe campaign, and we hope McAuliffe accepts the opportunity offered by Hampton University and Liberty University," Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter said in a statement Monday. "We are in discussions with several entities to finalize a third debate in mid-October.”

McAuliffe won the Democratic primary for governor on June 8, defeating a field that included four other candidates. Youngkin, former CEO of The Carlyle Group, won the Republican nomination for governor, outlasting a large group of candidates seeking the candidacy in a May 8 "unassembled" convention.

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