[P]eter Welch will spend at least a couple hours in the next few weeks sparring with his opponents for Vermont’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, which he has held for the past decade.
That’s not enough for Dan Freilich, a military veteran and medical doctor hoping to outflank Welch on the left with a campaign centered on cutting corporate influence out of politics and pushing for a progressive tax code that levels the economic playing field.
The three candidates for the seat — Freilich, Welch and Ben Mitchell — will face off in debates ahead of the primary hosted by Channel 17 on Aug. 7 and Vermont Public Radio on Aug. 9.
Freilich said a more robust debate schedule is in order, with larger live audiences and wider distribution through the media. More importantly, he said, the state party should “sponsor democracy within the primary contest, as opposed to suppressing it.”
The Democratic candidates for governor have been appearing around the state for debates and forums hosted by political and advocacy groups around the state, a model Freilich said he would like to see the Vermont Democratic Party apply to the U.S. House race. He said both VPR and community TV would reach a limited audience.
“You can say you agreed to do one [debate], but as a point of fact, the audience will be low and potential ramifications will be low,” he said.
Freilich accused the Democratic Party of playing favorites in the race earlier this month when officials declined to give him access to the party’s voter list because of what the party said were his weak Democratic bona fides. The party has since declined to sponsor anyone in the race until the primaries are decided.
Welch’s office said he only accepts debate invitations from media outlets and that he had accepted all he had received.
“For the upcoming Democratic primary election, he received invitations from Vermont Public Radio and Channel 17. He accepted both,” his spokesperson Kate Hamilton said in an email. “He very much looks forward to debating both of his opponents in these forums.”
Hamilton said Welch would “certainly consider” an invitation for another debate from any other media organization during the campaign.
R. Christopher Di Mezzo, communications director for the Vermont Democratic party, said the party would not be hosting candidate debates this year, but is always open to discussing ideas from members and constituents.
“That’s not going to be the practice for this cycle,” he said of Freilich’s request for party-sponsored debates, adding that no formal request for such events was sent to the party. Freilich said his staff talked to party staffers but were told there was no interest in the idea.
“This is an inclusive party,” Di Mezzo said. “We have really tried to stay above the fray here and run a fair process for everyone running. It’s a criticism that we like to think about but it’s not something we are really worried about now.”
