The scheduled debate between Third Congressional District Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and challenger Joe Kent was canceled Sept. 11 after Kent declined the invitation.
According to a news release, the League of Women Voters first issued the debate invitation to the two candidates on June 21, then sent out three reminder letters. Perez, a Democrat, had accepted the invitation, but Kent, a Republican, did not respond until Wednesday.
The event was to be held at Clark College, where instructors were planning to give extra credit to students who attended. Clark/Vancouver Television, a government-access cable channel, would have aired the debate live and streamed it on its website.
League chapters in Clark, Cowlitz and Klickitat-Skamania counties were the debate hosts, along with the students of Clark College.
“We are disappointed that the Clark College students will not be able to view firsthand this very important process in our democracy, and it is unfortunate that candidate Kent chose not to respond to us until this late date,” said Nancy Halvorson, president of the League of Women Voters of Clark County in the release. “We encourage our residents to learn about how our Third Congressional candidates intend to address the issues and concerns that face southwest Washington.”
According to the release, the League of Women Voters has a “no-empty chair” policy, meaning debates cannot be held with one candidate when the other declines to participate, to avoid any unfair advantage for either candidate.
Seven newspapers were co-sponsors of the debate: The Reflector in Battle Ground, The Chronicle in Centralia, The Columbian in Vancouver, The Daily News in Longview, the Chinook Observer in Ilwaco, the East County Journal in Morton and the Skamania County Pioneer in Stevenson.
The Nov. 5 general election race is a rematch of the 2022 contest, when Perez defeated Kent to represent the Third District. The district stretches from Clark County north to Lewis County and from Pacific County on the coast to Skamania County in the east. The district also includes Wahkiakum County and a portion of Thurston County.
Now in its 104th year, the League of Women Voters is the nation’s leading nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to voter education, according to the news release.
Membership in the League is open to all.
