Isaiah Haddon, a 20-year-old running for county commission in Florida’s Hernando County, took to Facebook Wednesday to publicly ask his Republican competitor for a debate.
“The 20-year-old Democrat would like to have a debate in the hopes of allowing our voters to make a more educated choice this election cycle,” he wrote. “After all, it should be in both my opponent's and my interest to make our cases in such a manner.”
Haddon is running against Beth Narverud for in the Nov. 3 general election.
Haddon told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that he attempted to contact Hernando County’s Republican Party through email and a Facebook direct message before making his public plea.
He said that his opponent’s refusal to jump on the opportunity for a public debate suggests candidate insecurity.
“I don't think they have the utmost confidence in their candidate,” Haddon wrote in an email. “To me it seems they are worried that we have a high chance at winning and it is safer for them to not debate then to possibly slip more.”
The proposed debate would include a donation feature, with proceeds going to a local nonprofit organization, wrote Haddon. It would also likely be conducted through Zoom as a coronavirus safety measure.
Narverud did not respond to CL requests for an interview or a prepared statement after two phone calls and an email to her campaign.
Hernando County residents seem eager about the possible event while questioning its likelihood.
“It's a great idea, but, I put the odds of them accepting your challenge to be between zero and none,” one commenter wrote. “As long as they feel secure they won't risk debating you.”
So far, almost 22,000 voters have cast their vote-by-mail ballot, which is about 15% of Hernando County’s total eligible voters, as of Thursday. About 10,000 of those early voters are Democrat and about 8,000 are Republican.
With the general election less than three weeks away, Haddon said a debate would do nothing except inform voters.
“A more educated voter base is essential to ensuring we are electing the best people for the job,” wrote Haddon.
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