November 05, 2009 09:16 PM UTC

McInnis Defends No-Debate Decision

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• by: Colorado Pols

In the Denver Post’s editorial section today, gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis lays out the reasons for his pledged refusal to debate opponent Josh Penry–that is, aside from raising more money and burying Penry in early polls:

There is so much on the line for Colorado’s economy, and the need for a new direction on several critical fronts. Voters need and deserve robust and civil conversations among candidates. I have never backed away from an opportunity to face and discuss the issues.

Coloradans are hungry for a vision detailing how we turn our state around, maintain and increase jobs, and gain positive traction. Candidates have a responsibility to answer their inquiries and differentiate themselves in print, conversations, and forums.

Voters want and deserve straightforward, candid answers based on experience and thoughtful leadership. I am committed to positioning the issues in light of my experience, accomplishments, and proposed solutions…

Never in recent memory have forums started this early in any campaign calendar. The objective of GOP candidate forums is to bring value through substantive review of the governor’s failed policies and mismanagement – not the tearing down of fellow Republicans.

…I’m looking forward to the numerous forums already on the schedule, and others in the months ahead. I will work diligently over the next year to ensure that our party is unified, and that we avoid past mistakes where Republicans wrote the Democrats’ television commercials for them.

Unseating an incumbent governor, no matter how unpopular or flawed his policies may be, is always a tough battle, and the last thing Republicans can do is grease the path to the governor’s office for the other party the way the GOP did in 2006.

For all of his early mistakes and apparent meltdowns, McInnis is definitely playing this strategy very well. He has put Josh Penry on his heels, forcing him to make more and more outlandish statements in a frantic effort to get more media coverage.