A debate between candidates seeking the Republican nomination to the District 7 seat in Congress could not be scheduled, said the League of Women Voters of Somerset and Hunterdon County, Warren and West Morris Counties, Sussex Highlands, and Morristown Area.
Candidate Roger Bacon accepted the league’s invitation to participate but Rep. Ton Kean Jr. did not respond to the invitation.
The league said debates give voters the opportunity to judge if their candidates are knowledgeable on important issues, and they give office seekers a chance to present their positions directly to the voters in an equitable setting. “When a candidate ignores or declines an invitation to a free and fair debate on the issues, the voters lose and democracy suffers.”
The league is a nonpartisan organization that neither supports nor opposes candidates or political parties at any level of government. It works to encourage informed and active participation of citizens in government.
The league’s voter guide website at vote411.org has candidates’ responses to its questions.