FROM THE EDITOR: The Art of the Dodge
Virginians had one chance to see the two candidates for governor at their best. Instead, they got the candidate their handlers' wanted them to see.
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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After an hour on stage, the two candidates for governor likely didn’t do much to help undecided voters gain clarity about which person they will support.
The “debate” was no such thing. Rather, it was a study in contrasts — one candidate undisciplined, the other overly polished.
From the first moment, Republican Winsome Earle-Sears went on the attack, talking over Democrat Abigail Spanberger every time she spoke and refusing to respect the moderators’ requests to allow the former congresswoman to answer the questions put to her.
When asked straightforward questions by the moderators, Earle-Sears offered non-answers before turning to her opponent and demanding that she answer the questions that Earle-Sears peppered her with throughout the evening.
In less-divisive times, the performance would have been considered an embarrassment and unworthy of a person running for the top office in the state. She called Spanberger a liar, repeatedly pointed listeners to the website spanbergerlies.com, and generally showed a lack of respect for her opponent, for the written rules of the public debate, and for the unwritten rules of respectful, professional engagement.
Spanberger, by contrast, was overly polished. She allowed her professional handlers to suppress her warm personality and quick mind that made her popular with voters in the 7th Congressional District and members of the U.S. Congress. Instead, she embraced highly scripted answers that artfully dodged the moderators’ questions. When moderators asked her a second or third time for a straight answer, she double downed on the scripted answers.
And when Earle-Sears demanded answers of Spanberger, Spanberger stood, smiled, and refused to take the bait.
In less-divisive times, it’s what the well-handled candidate with a 7+-point lead in the polls does. But Earle-Sears’ bullish behavior demanded a response. Restrained — presumably by her handlers — Spanberger smiled and said nothing.
There’s an old adage in politics — a candidate can’t win an election in a debate, but they can lose one.
Spanberger played not to lose. With a sizeable lead in the polls, and burying Earle-Sears in fundraising, Spanberger did nothing to cost herself the race.
The art of the dodge paid off.
Voters Deserve Candidates’ Best
Still, there was a loser in tonight’s debate. Virginia voters.
Abigail Spanberger is a highly accomplished politician with a long record of bipartisan success in the United States House of Representatives, a distinguished record of service in the Central Intelligence Agency, and a model for young students across the commonwealth to what hard work and commitment to education can do for anyone.
Winsome Earle-Sears is a naturalized U.S. citizen who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, took advantage of Virginia’s community college system to launch her educational career, has a stellar record of community service, and a record of breaking ground for Black women across the country.
Set politics aside — both candidates are models for what service and public leadership look like. They each, in their own ways, embody the American dream.
Virginians tuned in to see these two women at their very best, and they were denied that opportunity.
Instead, they saw two candidates who instead of letting their personalities show, allowed their handlers to dictate their approach to tonight’s performance.
Virginia faces strong headwinds in the years ahead — economic, social, and educational — and Virginians are looking for a statesperson, a leader, to take the helm and steer the state into the future.
There is enough in each candidate’s background to suggest that they have the potential to play to role well.
Thursday night, the two candidates’ political handlers denied the public an opportunity to see these candidates at their best — the only chance they had.
Voters deserve nothing less than their best in these forums.
Thursday night, they didn’t get it.
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The moderators did not do their job in controlling the debate. The frequent interruptions from Earle-Sears were rude, distracting, and made it very difficult for the audience to hear Spanberger's responses. It appeared that even the moderators were unable to hear her responses in order to ask follow-up questions. They lost control from the start. Earle-Sears should have been warned about the interrupting and if she refused to comply her microphone should have been muted so that Spanberger's responses could be heard.
I give props to Spanberger for maintaining her composure. Being pushed about Jones from the beginning was an attempt to box her in to a response to a question over which she has no control. She didn't take that bait. Though it was hard to hear, Spanberger did state that those texts have been in possession of the Republicans for years but were released a week before the debate. Also hard to hear, she did respond that she did not have knowledge of the texts until the day they were released. She has strongly denounced Jones' texts. She is not an elected official. She's a candidate who's running for governor. She, under Virginia law, has no authority to force a candidate for another office to withdraw. Early voting has started and many Virginians have already cast their votes. There's no way to know who would change their votes given the opportunity. There is no way to remove Jones' name from the ballot at this point. Spanberger's response was appropriate. It is up to voters to make their choice.
Was Spanberger overly vague in her answers? From what I could hear she responded to the questions, gave examples, and stayed with the message she has been delivering since she began her campaign. To the criticism that she didn't show her warm and engaging side? That's a big ask given that she was being called a liar, barked questions from an opponent who, instead of responding to her own questions, took that time to badger and harass her opponent.
I believe all who were watching would have liked to hear more about the economy from both candidates. Perhaps that would have been possible had the debate not been impacted by the time-wasting behavior of Earle-Sears.
Governors of all states have an enormous job, one that takes knowledge and the ability to work across the aisle. Spanberger has a proven track record in that regard. Governors need a level head to make decisions that impact every citizen in their state. What I saw last night was a very clear choice. Do we want a governor who has a background that allows her to understand the challenges Virginians face and to work in a disciplined manner toward solutions and progress or do we want someone who lacks self-control and who appears unable to articulate her plan for Virginia? To me the choice is clear and that was underscored in last night's debate performance. My vote goes to Abigail Spanberger.
"In less-divisive times, the performance would have been considered an embarrassment and unworthy of a person running for the top office in the state."
Even in these polarized times, Sears' behavior was absurdly rude and embarrassing. And treating being 'overly polished' as if it is a similar level of mistep is poor framing.