The League of Women Voters has a history of organizing debates and forums from elections for U.S. president to Kentucky governor to local school boards. But this year Republicans in Kentucky’s largest city are not accepting a local chapter’s invitations to appear on stage with their opponents.
Some of the candidates aren’t replying to inquiries at all, while others have refused and said they think the League is partisan, according to LWV Louisville leaders.
The League says that out of contested races for 10 state House seats, two state Senate seats and seven spots on Louisville Metro Council, only one Republican — Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell in the 41st House District — has agreed to a candidate forum. Cottrell will appear alongside former Democratic state Rep. Mary Lou Marzian in an Oct. 7 forum.
Because of a LWV policy to avoid a one-sided event, both candidates must agree to participate in order for a forum to be scheduled.
Dee Pregliasco, former president of the Louisville LWV, said one candidate accused her personally of partisanship because of a letter to the editor that she had penned. She said the letter had nothing to do with the LWV.
“My bottom line to these people is if you want people to accept your view of government, your view of the community, your view of what needs to be done, then you need to engage them,” Pregliasco said.
Democratic candidates are “willing to do it” when contacted about forums, Pregliasco said.
Gail Henson, a co-president of the Louisville chapter, said some Republican candidates responded by saying they prefer to meet constituents one-on-one or that they are busy when a specific date had not yet been offered.
Henson read a response to the Kentucky Lantern from one Republican representative, but did not identify them.
“I do not consider the League of Women voters to be nonpartisan,” the candidate said. “Thank you for thinking of me, but I am not inclined to participate in your event.”
The local chapter is part of a national nonpartisan public policy organization founded amid the women’s suffrage movement. The statewide chapter is a regular advocate in Frankfort for government transparency and civic engagement.
Ahead of the 2024 legislative session, LWV released a report that found the General Assembly has increasingly fast-tracked bills in a manner that makes citizen participation nearly impossible. That report came up in a floor debate over changing rules in the House to loosen leadership’s control.
Henson said two candidates declined to participate because of the LWV’s stance against Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment on November’s ballot that if approved would allow the General Assembly to fund nonpublic schools with tax dollars. Henson said that the League takes positions only if they align with the organization’s national guidelines. LWV does not endorse candidates for elected office but under its guidelines may take positions on ballot issues.
Opportunity to stand before voters and compare policies
Cottrell, the GOP candidate in the 41st House District race, said she was looking forward to her forum. She added that while the district is “very heavily Democratic,” she wanted to offer an opposing viewpoint for voters. Cottrell said she had not been directed to decline participating in the forum bya lawmaker or the Republican Party.
“I’m excited about it,” Cottrell said. “I welcome the opportunity to stand in front of voters and people who are interested in the district and compare policies between two candidates.”
“Democrats are people and Republicans are people ... we need to push back on this sense that because we're so emotionally charged about one issue or another, that it has to turn to some sort of battle.”
– Sara Elizabeth Cottrell
Cottrell said she understands why some candidates may choose to not participate in a forum or a survey because of how questions are worded. But she said has attended previous events hosted by the LWV and did not “expect there to be any bias.” She did say she has pushed back at some of the League’s stances, including its position on Amendment 2.
“Democrats are people and Republicans are people. We have different priorities, and that causes us to take different stances,” Cottrell said. She said “we need to push back on this sense that because we’re so emotionally charged about one issue or another, that it has to turn to some sort of battle.”
Pregliasco said the League has encountered difficulties getting candidates to agree to forums the last couple of election cycles. A trend she sees is that once candidates become incumbents, they do not feel they need to participate in forums. However, the winners of any election — whether Metro Council or seats in the General Assembly — represent everyone in that district, she said..
“So in that sense, our strong feeling is you have an obligation to be out there and letting the public see you against whomever wants to take your job away from you,” Pregliasco said. “There needs to be some comparison.”
In Lexington last year, the local League sponsored a televised gubernatorial debate between Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and former Republican Attorney General Danield Cameron only to be refused by GOP candidates for lower offices.
The Lexington LWV published an opinion piece in the Lexington Herald-Leader last October addressing the lack of participation from local GOP candidates for its forums.
“We firmly believe that the success of our democracy relies on an informed electorate,” Lexington LWV said at the time. “Therefore, we urge candidates running for office in future elections to participate in our community forums for the benefit of voters.”
Jonathan Levin, a spokesperson for the Kentucky Democratic Party, said in a statement that Republicans aren’t participating in the forums because they do not want “to talk about their record because they know it’s indefensible” citing policies “from removing a worker’s right to overtime pay to attacking basic reproductive freedoms.”
“Voters deserve to know where their representatives in Frankfort stand on the issues that matter most,” Levin said. “One out of 19 Republicans being willing to talk directly to voters about their positions is sad but not much of a surprise.”
Andy Westberry, a spokesperson for the Republican Party of Kentucky, told the Lantern that he “can’t speak to any specific individual’s schedule or whether or not they had prior commitments or scheduling conflicts on the proposed dates and times for the forums.” He also said that “Democrats frequently decline to participate in legislative forums, so I don’t think this is particularly newsworthy or unusual.”
“The most critical aspect of running a successful campaign is knocking on doors and engaging directly with voters in the district,” Westberry said. “Regardless of party affiliation, that should be a candidate’s top priority.”
Decline in civic participation
Stephen Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky, said that Republicans’ suspicion of the League “is just one symptom of what’s happened as American politics has become more polarized, especially by gender and social class.”
In the past, local chapters had members who were usually “upper status women,” both Republicans and Democrats, Voss said. But by taking positions on various issues, particularly in Kentucky politics, “there’s no doubt that they’re a progressive organization.” In addition to opposing this year’s Amendment 2, the Kentucky LWV previously opposed an anti-abortion ballot measure in 2022.
In the past, candidates were “seen as basically obligated to appear” in front of LWV chapters and other neutral organizations, Voss said. However, as Republican voters grow suspicious of such organizations, GOP politicians refusing to speak with them “resonates with voters.”
“Being progressive politically, and therefore opposing conservative issue positions isn’t necessarily the same as being ‘partisan,’ but for a Republican to doubt they’d get a fair shake in front of an organization that’s already on record taking positions at odds with their party’s positions on a whole range of issues seems like a pretty legitimate excuse to give.”
Participation in civic events in general is on the decline, Voss noted.
“If you live in a city and you go to a series of political events, it’s dominated by the same set of retirees,” Voss said. “These events are rarely an effective way to broaden your exposure to the voters.”
Pregliasco said the best times to host candidate forums are from Labor Day to the third week of October, as excused in-person early voting begins Oct. 23. She said the League would “be glad” to hear from the candidates it hasn’t gotten a response from yet as there is time left to schedule forums.
The Louisville LVW has scheduled some forums in nonpartisan races — three Jefferson County Public School board districts and a family court judicial election.
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Written by McKenna Horsley. Cross-posted from the Kentucky Lantern.
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