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Lonengan and Eck Debate Debates

With less than three weeks to go until the Special Senate Primary on August 13, the GOP hopefuls are debating debates.Lonegan and Eck

Yesterday, Dr. Alieta Eck’s campaign Tom Roberts put out a statement with the headline Lonegan Refuses To Debate.

(Somerset, NJ) – Today, Eck for Senate learned that Steve Lonegan has refused a debate organized by the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, which would have matched him against Dr. Alieta Eck on Saturday, July 27th.

“That Steve Lonegan doesn’t want to debate Dr. Eck should probably come as no surprise. Mr. Lonegan has run for office many times and can identify some problems facing Americans, but without solutions he would just join the ranks of those already in DC who are watching our nation’s economic decline. In contrast, Dr. Eck has outlined proven, workable solutions to provide health care and reduce spending. The contrast in a debate would not have been favorable for Mr. Lonegan. We still welcome any future opportunity to debate,” according to Campaign Manager Thomas Roberts.

That sounded like a sound political strategy on Lonegan’s part to me, given that Eck had only 9% name recognition and support from only 5% of registered voters in the last Quinnipiac poll.  For the last week or so, Lonegan has been ignoring Eck and running a general election type campaign, focusing on Newark Mayor Cory Booker and this week, the mad scientist, “millions will die if we don’t tax carbon and make energy completely unaffordable,” Congressman Rush Holt.

But I’m not Lonegan’s strategist.

Lonegan campaign spokesman Jon Meadows said, “Mayor Lonegan never does League of Women Voters debates. They’re a liberal organization that supports ObamaCare and a host of other causes that Steve is opposed to.  We’re surprised that Eck would want to participate with that liberal organization.”

“We’re more than willing to debate,” Meadows said, “tell Eck’s campaign manager to check with his scheduler.  We have a News12 debate scheduled for July 31st and we haven’t heard if Dr, Eck is going to show up.”

So I did.

“That’s not a debate, its a roundtable,” Roberts said of the News 12 appearance, “and we’ve long been confirmed there. Anyone at News12 will confirm that.

Regarding the League of Women Voters, Roberts said, “Dr. Eck has tremendous respect for the non-partisan League of Women Voters and their mission. Further, she doesn’t require an ideological litmus test of the groups who would like to meet with her. I’m not sure what questions Mr. Lonegan was afraid might be asked, but now he has voters in New Jersey curious.”

Meadows also noted that Lonegan and Eck are both scheduled to appear at the Polish Republican Club in Wallington on Friday.

 

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Posted: July 25th, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2013 Election, Alieta Eck, Senate Special Election, Steve Lonegan | Tags: , , , , , | 3 Comments »

3 Comments on “Lonengan and Eck Debate Debates”

  1. Tony Paskitti said at 10:21 am on July 25th, 2013:

    I wish I could be at the Wallington Rep Club on Friday. Love to hear the differences articulated between these two candidates. Regardless, either one of the candidates would be a serious upgrade from the late Senator Lautenberg.

  2. Carolee Adams said at 2:04 pm on July 25th, 2013:

    http://www.lwv.org/ Let’s discourage all Republican candidates we support from participating in a League of Women Voters debate. No Republican – and, certainly, no conservative – should give credibility to this ideologically, passionate, uber-left wing group. To support that premise, review some of their positions that include: support of abortion; Obamacare; climate change. Why worship at their Democratic altar?! Why allow the partisan League of Women Voters own the political debate market and propagate their charade?! One way to break that hold is ignore them. GOP presidential candidates would be wise to similarly balk at moderators with the same well-known, liberal agenda of the League of Women Voters. Recall that disaster with Candy Crowley to start.

  3. Joe Centonzi said at 10:33 pm on July 25th, 2013:

    “Mayor Lonegan never does League of Women Voters debates. They’re a liberal organization that supports ObamaCare and a host of other causes that Steve is opposed to. We’re surprised that Eck would want to participate with that liberal organization.”

    By that logic, Lonegan is obliged to refuse participation in any forum or debate hosted by an academic institution or the mainstream media, as these are also organizations that ‘support Obamacare and a host of other causes that Steve is opposed to.’

    Here’s the REAL reason for his refusal: he knows that Eck might unleash the two decades of baggage he’s accumulated in his quest to be something more than the three term mayor of an insignificant hamlet in Bergen County.

    He can’t afford that during the primary, but God only knows he’s going to receive a truckload of it after August 13.