GOP Candidates To Debate in ‘Hometown Forum’

RALEIGH – A week before North Carolina’s voters head to the polls, Republican candidates for governor will debate in a “Hometown Forum” tonight in Asheboro. John Locke Foundation President John Hood will moderate the event hosted by the Republican Women’s Club of Randolph County.

“The willingness to debate your electoral competitors publicly is a key test of political leadership,” Hood said. “Governing has a lot to do with communication.”

GOP gubernatorial candidates have appeared in more than 20 debates during the election season. This session near the end of the primary campaign will be unique, Hood said. “This debate will include both a moderator and a panel of journalists, a format that mixes the benefits of two traditional forms of debate.”

The panel features Todd Callaway, editor of the Hickory Daily Record; Elliott Potter, publisher and executive editor of the Jacksonville Daily News; and Bob Williams, senior editor of the Asheboro Courier-Tribune.

“Because the location is smack dab in the center of the state, and in one of the traditional communities that are home to much of the state’s population, we invited journalists from two other ‘hometowns’ – Hickory in the west and Jacksonville in the east,” Hood said. “We wanted to get a view of important issues such as economic change, transportation, education, and resource management through the unique lens of North Carolina’s smaller cities and towns.

“Some are prospering. Others are struggling. All are changing, in ways that will create both challenges and opportunities for North Carolina’s next governor.”

Debates offer valuable information about a potential governor, Hood said. “Yes, governors make personnel decisions, fashion state budgets, and sign or veto bills,” he said. “But their lasting influence is determined to a large degree by how effectively they communicate their vision and ideas.”

Candidates who avoid debates send voters a message, Hood said. “Gubernatorial candidates who aren’t willing to engage in public debate either lack confidence in the merit of their proposals, doubt their ability to communicate, or are too willing to listen to risk-averse political consultants,” he said. “These are all warning flags.”

“A North Carolina Hometown Forum: The Republican Candidates for Governor,” is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. at the Sunset Theater in Asheboro.