A year after first proposing a series of debates throughout Congressional District 49, Republican challenger Brian Maryott remains committed to a live debate with Democrat Rep. Mike Levin. Constituents of the district deserve to know where both candidates stand on the issues that matter most to them, and a formal debate is one of the traditional ways of doing so.
However, for nearly 400 days, the Levin campaign has stubbornly refused. This disinterest in transparency and disregard for constituents shows exactly why Levin is unfit to continue serving in Congress. How can you represent a district that you know nothing about, and whose residents know nothing about you?
On Monday, the Maryott team released email exchanges showing that the Levin campaign has dismissed numerous invitations for live debates. The emails range from August 26 of 2019 to July 16 of 2020, and are available here.
“At this point, you have to wonder why our Congressional representative is working so hard to keep people in the dark,” said Maryott. “My offer to Mike is still on the table, over a year later: we debate the issues and allow voters to make an informed choice.”
Perhaps Levin is concerned that the more voters know about his positions and voting record, the less likely his chances are of being re-elected. In fact, Rep. Levin is probably correct about this. Whether it’s his support for the Green New Deal or the impeachment of President Trump, or his opposition to border security and law enforcement, Levin’s radical views simply don’t align with the 49th Congressional District.
“This is a calculated effort by Mike Levin to avoid any kind of public scrutiny and examination of his record. It’s a tactic regularly used by vulnerable politicians who are afraid of losing votes,” Maryott campaign manager Patrick Snow added. “Even after a local television station agreed to host and broadcast a Maryott/Levin debate, Mike Levin still wouldn’t say yes. His refusals are an insult to the entire democratic process.”
