Contact: Chris Rahlf
Phone: (920) 858-2350
After weeks of inquiry and attempts to organize in-district forums, Republican men refuse to face their women challengers
MILWAUKEE – Democratic candidates Chris Rahlf (District 60), Emily Siegrist (District 24), and Liz Sumner (District 23) today issued the following joint statement:
“After weeks of attempting to organize one-on-one in-district debates with our Republican opponents, Rob Brooks, Dan Knodl, and Jim Ott, they have signaled they have no interest.
“The only way they are willing to have any type of public debate is under their
conditions: at a place of their choosing, with a moderator of their choice, and held in a three-district forum with six candidates participating. Their refusal to have forums in their own districts, absent other candidates from other races taking up time, shows that if they have to defend their records they know they will lose.
“It is important to the democratic process for voters to have an informed choice and have a chance to be heard. It would be unjust to force anyone to travel long distances to attend a forum only to show up and have two-thirds of the time being consumed by candidates for which they cannot even vote.
“We have asked repeatedly, to no avail, to have simple, civil debates that are an important cornerstone in democratic elections. The League of Women Voters, an independent and respected organization, approached each of us individually to have three forums, but our opponents refused. This in itself shows they are afraid to not only defend their records, but afraid to be on stage with us and without their Republican colleagues.
“Our democratic process depends on engaged voters making educated decisions. It is disappointing these elected officials have chosen to deny their constituents this opportunity to question their performance and weigh their options.”
