Clark may mull dropping out of 5th race

Jeff Clark, the independent running against U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Ivy, and Republican Robert Hurt, said Wednesday that he would consider dropping out of the race if he fails in his efforts to be included in the upcoming debates.

Clark, a Danville resident and Tea Party member, said the televised debates that start next week are his best opportunity to get his message out to voters of the 5th District, which stretches from Charlottesville down to the North Carolina border.

“We’re going to carry this challenge to the debates issue as far as it will go,” Clark said. “If it doesn’t work out, [then] in the next few weeks we may decide to drop out.”

A series of televised forums and debates between Perriello and Hurt is scheduled to begin Wednesday. Clark has been excluded from the debates at the insistence of Hurt, who argues that any debates should only include the race’s viable candidates.

Clark’s comments about possibly dropping out came shortly after the Jefferson Area Tea Party issued a statement Wednesday that describes how Clark told Tea Party Chairwoman Carole Thorpe on several occasions that he would drop out of the race if it appeared he had no shot at winning. Thorpe’s statement “requests accountability” from Clark about his promises.

“In the interest of accountability, we respectfully request that Mr. Clark issue a written statement confirming the facts as stated herein, and address his intentions should he fail in his bid for inclusion in the televised debates,” Thorpe wrote.

Clark made it clear that he has no immediate plans to scuttle his bid to unseat Perriello, but is waiting to find out what happens about the debates.

He has been working with the Rutherford Institute, a civil liberties organization headquartered in Albemarle County, to challenge his exclusion from the debates. Clark said the organization may file a legal challenge to force his access into the debates.

A Rutherford spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

“If the Rutherford Institute determines that it can’t move forward, if we decide not to file a legal challenge, then we’d consider [dropping out],” Clark said. “It might be something we do. It might be that we see [this campaign] all the way to the end.”

So far, the Rutherford Institute has sent a letter urging Clark’s inclusion to debate sponsors such as the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia, the League of Women Voters and various media organizations.

“A candidates’ debate presents a unique and powerful opportunity for the education of voters,” wrote Rutherford founder John Whitehead. “It would be tragic for one candidate’s political snobbery to prevail over the people’s interests in making the most informed decisions possible.”

In other 5th District developments Wednesday, Perriello and Hurt both picked up the endorsements of a major organization.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed Hurt, citing the state senator’s support for lower taxes and what it views as business-friendly health care reform and energy policy.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars PAC, meanwhile, announced that it is backing Perriello. The veterans group said it is supporting Perriello, a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, because of his work to secure better job training, health care and educational benefits for veterans.