GOP decries absence of Green Party candidate in Arizona Senate debate – Washington Examiner Arizona debate controversy continues
A controversy has emerged in Arizona concerning the exclusion of the Green Party candidate, Eduardo Quintana, from an upcoming Senate debate. Some Arizona Republicans are criticizing a decision made by the Citizens Clean Election Commission, claiming it is illegal. The controversy centers around a rule change requiring candidates to receive at least 1% of the total votes in the primary to qualify for the debate. Quintana, however, received only 282 votes, far short of the necessary 12,400.
State Senator Jake Hoffman has launched an investigation into the commission’s actions, claiming that they appear to be obstructing candidates’ participation and potentially violating transparency laws. Previously, a Libertarian candidate was admitted to a debate after receiving only 0.22% of the primary vote, raising questions about the consistency of the commission’s rules. Hoffman has accused the commission of “rigging” the debate to favor the Democratic candidate, Ruben Gallego. While Kari Lake, a Republican candidate, supports Quintana’s inclusion, the commission defended its decision, stating that its guidelines were consistent with other debates in Arizona.
GOP decries absence of Green Party candidate in Arizona Senate debate
Some Republicans in Arizona are sounding the alarm after a nonpartisan election commission excluded the Green Party’s Senate candidate from participating in an upcoming debate, calling the decision illegal.
A Senate panel led by Republicans is launching an investigation into why the Citizens Clean Election Commission won’t allow Eduardo Quintana, the Arizona Green Party nominee for Senate, to participate alongside Republican Kari Lake and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in a televised debate in October.
Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-AZ), chairman of the Government Committee, claimed the commission broke the law when it changed a rule that requires a candidate to have received at least 1% of total ballots counted in their primary election. The 1% minimum threshold was 12,400 votes for Quintana, who only received 282, according to the Arizona Media Association.
In a letter to the commission, Hoffman questioned whether the procedures for amending the rules were properly followed. The rule was not in place in 2022, when the libertarian candidate, Mark Victor, participated in the Citizens Clean Elections Commission’s Senate debate after only receiving 0.22% of the total primary vote.
“At best, the Clean Elections Commission seems to be creatively, yet intentionally, blocking some candidates from participating in the debate, not to mention subverting the will of the voters to require proper transparency in agency actions through the Administrative Procedures Act,” Hoffman said in the letter. “At worst, the taxpayer-funded Commission has knowingly broken the law.”
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In a post on X, Hoffman went as far as to say he believed the commission was “rigging” the Senate debate to help Gallego and claimed voters deserved an explanation.
The commission, which is partnering with the Arizona Media Association, did not respond to a request for comment. However, the group said in late August that it evaluated its guidelines and decided to make no additional changes.
“Our guidelines for this debate match every other general election debate we are supporting in Arizona this fall. That means we invite any candidate who has received at least 1% of the total ballots cast for the primary election race,” it said.
Lake is also supporting Quintana’s bid to be included in the debate, claiming Gallego is keeping the Green Party nominee off the stage in a post on X.
“Make no mistake, if Ruben Gallego wanted Eduardo Quintana to be on that debate stage, he would be on that debate stage,” Lake wrote. “I believe every candidate on the ballot in November deserves to have their voices heard.”
“Kari Lake agreed to this debate weeks ago, and now that she’s getting cold feet, she wants to change the rules,” Hannah Goss, a campaign spokeswoman for Gallego, told the Arizona Capitol Times.
She added that the congressman looks forward to participating in the debate “under the rules that Clean Elections and the Arizona Media Association established.”
Democrats have long been concerned about Green Party candidates siphoning off enough votes from their candidates that Republicans could win. For instance, in 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton lost Wisconsin to former President Donald Trump by just under 23,000 votes, while Green Party candidate Jill Stein earned more than 31,000 votes.
Hoffman asked the commission to respond to the allegations by Sept. 12 and said he would confer with his vice chair to determine the next steps in the investigation.
Lake and Gallego are expected to square off for 60 minutes on Oct. 9. An average of recent polls shows Gallego leading by 7.3 points. The two candidates have previously aired their disagreements about how the debate should be run.
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