Submitted
Editor’s note: Two gubernatorial candidates, Republican Suzanne Crouch and Libertarian Donald Rainwater, issued statements this week calling for all candidates to be included in upcoming debates so that voters can be better informed heading into Primary Election Day.
The Reporter has published their statements in full below.
Crouch’s statement
Throughout my years of public service and as a candidate for governor, I have always stood for fairness, transparency, and accountability. The more voices we have in our democratic process, the better.
The gubernatorial campaigns of Jamie Ritenour and Curtis Hill collected thousands of Hoosier signatures and qualified for the May Primary ballot – but these candidates are being denied an opportunity to participate in upcoming televised debates.
I call not only on the organizations sponsoring the debates to include all Republican candidates, but also the campaigns of Mike Braun, Brad Chambers, and Eric Doden to join me in this request as well.
Indiana stands for fairness, not a Washington, D.C.-style insiders club where only certain people are popular enough to get on stage.
Rainwater’s statement
As an advocate for fair and inclusive democratic processes, I firmly believe that every candidate who qualifies to be on the ballot should be given equal opportunities to participate in candidate forums, debates, and receive mentions by the mainstream media. This principle applies across party lines, encompassing Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Independents, and any other qualified candidates.
Jamie Reitenour and Curtis Hill, Republican candidates for Governor of Indiana, are being excluded from candidate forums and debates even though they have qualified to appear on the primary ballot.
As a Libertarian Party candidate, I have seen the exclusion of candidates in debates at the federal, state, and local level by the imposition of arbitrary goals that exceed ballot access requirements. I consider this to be the very definition of interference in an election.
The imposition of these arbitrary requirements to be included in public forums and debates serve to cast these candidates as not legitimate. On the contrary, any candidate who achieves ballot access should be considered legitimate and voters should be afforded the opportunity to see and hear them in the public forum.
In a competitive political landscape, it is essential that voters have access to information about all candidates. By including every qualified candidate in forums, debates, and media coverage, we ensure a robust exchange of ideas and allow voters to make informed decisions.
Let us champion transparency, fairness, and the democratic process by supporting the inclusion of all candidates who achieve ballot access.