Republican debate appears unlikely in 46th state Senate race
The hopes for a debate between state Sen. Camera Bartolotta and her Republican primary challenger Al Buchtan appear to have dimmed as their campaigns have not been able to come to an agreement on the terms and dates for the event.
There had been discussions of a possible debate organized by the Young Republicans at Washington & Jefferson College dating back to the winter, when the student-run organization met with both candidates and offered to facilitate it.
Alex Barclay, who is a political science major getting ready to graduate Saturday, said the group hosted both candidates for meetings in December and January, when the idea of a debate was first broached. Barclay said Bartolotta told him she would be willing to debate anyone whose name was on the ballot, but that was complicated by challenges to Buchtan’s residency this spring, which delayed finalizing the ballots.
“She said she would debate any candidate who is on the ballot,” Barclay said. “That makes sense, you don’t jump the gun. Obviously he got his petitions and they challenged it, so that was the next delay.”
The Commonwealth Court ruled April 2 that Buchtan could remain on the ballot but must be listed under his Greene County address rather than the Canonsburg rental home he signed a lease for in October. The state Supreme Court upheld that ruling April 10, paving the way for the Republican primary ballot to be finalized.
In the meantime, Buchtan extended his own formal invitation to Bartolotta to debate in late March, which led to the Washington County Republican Party to publicize a similar offer April 13 requesting that both candidates debate. But the Washington County Republican Party in January issued a vote of no confidence against Bartolotta, which she said would have made it impossible for them to facilitate a debate.
“Let’s find something neutral, let’s find something fair and get it done,” Bartolotta said in a phone interview Friday. “I’ve been saying that for a while, but all I’m getting is ridiculous Facebook posts … demanding dates. Let’s grow up, figure it out. Figure out who’s going to moderate it (and) where it’s going to be.”
“She’s skirted around it and skirted around it,” Buchtan said Friday. “Now she wants to have her debate where she picks the moderator and the parameters. I wanted to pick a moderator and she picks a moderator. … I wanted to do it before the mail-in ballots (went out).”
In mid-April, Barclay sent a certified letter extending a formal debate invitation to both candidates, but mistakenly addressed it to Bartolotta’s district and capital offices, which are not permitted to coordinate with the campaign. The Young Republicans had hoped to hold the debate on April 28, 29 or 30, and set a list of parameters while offering the candidates an opportunity to make changes to the rules and format, which would have included three moderators who were W&J students. Barclay said he sent text messages to Bartolotta’s cellphone to figure out a final plan, but has not heard from her since April 14.
“If we’re going to do this, we have to get the ball rolling and there are a lot of logistics to get through,” Barclay said of where things stood in mid-April, adding that the W&J administration was supportive of the group’s attempts to organize a debate on campus. “What are the parameters? We could make (the rules) and the two campaigns could iron them out.”
Buchtan said he was willing to debate in late April, while also offering three days later this week. He noted that mail-in ballots began going out in Greene County in late April and began going out in Washington County last week, so there was an urgent need to debate now so voters can have more information before returning their ballots ahead of the May 19 primary election.
Bartolotta is in session this week in Harrisburg until Wednesday, leaving few other options left. She posted last week on Facebook that she would be willing to debate May 11, 12 or 13, and added May 14 to her open dates during the phone interview Friday.
“We’ve been trying really hard to make this happen. It’s based upon my schedule in Harrisburg. It’s based on my schedule that had already been worked,” Bartolotta said. “My calendar has been full for a long time and I’ve tried to adjust things.”
Buchtan said in addition to mail-in ballots already going out and starting to get returned, his schedule is getting filled with numerous political events next week as the campaign hits the homestretch two weeks before the election.
“The best way to do it was at W&J, but that ship has sailed,” Buchtan said. “I would love to debate her, but it’s a moot point now with the mail-in ballot out.”
Barclay, who is heading off to law school at Widener University near Harrisburg in the fall, said any days next week are unworkable for W&J College and the Young Republicans since commencement is Saturday and students will be leaving campus shortly after.
“It is certainly disappointing. It would’ve been really beneficial to host a debate not just for us but the district as a whole for the public to hear from candidates on the debate stage,” Barclay said. “I still hope there is another organization that can host it. It’s going to be a quick turnaround with the election just two weeks away. … I’m still holding out hope someone else will.”
But that is unlikely to happen on such short notice. The 46th State Senate District includes all of Washington and Greene counties and the southern sliver of Beaver County, meaning it’s conceivable the other county party committees could organize a debate.
But Beaver County GOP Chairman Christopher Treib said only three municipalities in his county are in the 46th Senate District and they have not made an endorsement in the race.
“Because the race is tightly contested, we encourage the candidates to make their case to the people and for the people to decide on May 19 by showing up and voting for the most qualified candidate,” Treib said in an emailed statement.
Greene County Republican Party Chairman Clint Blaney said Friday that the onus rests on the candidates to organize their debate.
“That would be up to Camera and Butchie to facilitate,” Blaney said. “I’m not putting anything together unless they have some interest.”
A spokesman for Bartolotta’s campaign said late Monday afternoon that they had sent a proposal to Buchtan’s official campaign email Friday night offering to have the Greene County GOP hold the debate at a Waynesburg restaurant under a variety of parameters, but still had not heard back. Buchtan said earlier Monday that he had not heard from Bartolotta’s campaign about the proposal.
Meanwhile, both candidates pointed the finger at each other while continuing their insistence that they would still like to debate.
“You have no idea how desperately I want to stand on a stage and have people listen to Al Buchtan speak,” Bartolotta said.
“People see through it,” Buchtan said. “They see the mirage. She’s ducking it. This is so blatantly obvious to see through this charade.”
Bartolotta, of Carroll Township, is running for her fourth four-year term office against Buchtan of Cumberland Township in the Republican primary on May 19. Evan Snyder of Nottingham Township is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.