Apr 04 2008
Mumpower Refuses Debate, Upset Over Rules
Hat tip to cmitchz and Blue Ridge Politics
Republican candidate for the 11th Congressional District in North Carolina, Carl Mumpower, has engaged in a chain of not-so-friendly emails with the moderator of a planned GOP primary debate scheduled in Flat Rock on April 10th. Apparently, Mumpower has an issue with the rules regarding campaign materials and has withdrawn himself from the debate.
The way I am understanding this is that as part of the official rules the candidates are limited in how much promotional material they are allowed to have presented at the forum. Presumably, this means literature, buttons, etc. but if I am wrong someone feel free to correct me. I personally don’t see what the big deal is, but it’s definitely miffed Mr. Mumpower.
I would imagine that a rule like this is there to keep the candidates on as equal footing as possible. I suppose the moderator feels that if one candidate with a lot of money were to overshadow the event with campaign materials, whereas other candidates cannot due to lack of campaign funds, that might create a subliminal bias in favor of the wealthier candidate in the minds of the audience.
Whether or not this will effect Mumpower’s electability in May will depend upon how widely viewed the debate is and whether or not a larger ordeal will be made out of his behavior surrounding it.
Thanks for posting. The impression I get, because the article uses the word “size,” is that Carl Mumpower would not be allowed to place his campaign signs (which are probably 16×24 inches) all over the building, as he has done at all the debates/campaign events I’ve seen.
If I’m right on that, then he’s behaving pathetically and seems to have little confidence in his own ability to sway attendants in the actual debate.
Further, since Mumpower, John Armor and Spence Campbell just had a debate last week in the URTV studio (viewable at urtvforums.org/debate.php ) where there was no campaign material posted (or live audience for that matter), I suspect that there is something more to the event than just a debate - such as, a straw poll. And if Mumpower pulls out of the event and loses the straw poll, which is further likely since it is in Henderson county, on Spence Campbell’s turf, he can chalk it up to the fact that he didn’t attend.
Again, just speculation on my part. Hopefully the facts around this will be fleshed out before the debate.