Voters in the 5th District will apparently have the opportunity to see GOP nominee Robert Hurt and incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello face off on television.
Hurt issued a statement Friday agreeing to appear at TV debates with the freshman Democrat, but Hurt did not specify exactly how many.
“From the time of my nomination, I have invited Congressman Perriello to engage in as many one-on-one debates as possible so that the people of the 5th District will be well informed as to our two competing visions for the future,” Hurt said in the statement. “Until now, Congressman Perriello has simply dodged one-on-one debates in an effort to distract the voters from the clear choice they have in this election.”
Perriello had offered Wednesday to appear at four one-on-one televised debates with Hurt, a state senator from Chatham, leading up to the Nov. 2 election.
Perriello has argued that the race’s independent candidate, Jeff Clark, a conservative Tea Party member from Danville, should be allowed participate in the debates, as he is a legitimate candidate who will appear on the ballot. Hurt, however, has strongly objected to allowing Clark to participate.
In an interview Friday evening, Hurt said he is “happy to debate Perriello one-on-one anywhere.”
When asked why Clark’s participation is such a deal breaker, Hurt said voters want to draw contrasts between the two major party candidates, not an independent.
“The debate should be between Tom Perriello’s vision for this country and our vision for this country,” Hurt said. “That’s what people want to hear. If they want to talk to Jeff — the independent candidate — they’re welcome to do that.”
Clark entered the race after deeming Hurt insufficiently conservative.
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