South Tidewater News

Late last month, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe confirmed his decision to skip a joint Hampton University–Liberty University gubernatorial debate after being informed of an Election Integrity rally held on Aug. 6-7 on the Liberty campus in Lynchburg.

"Upon learning that Glenn Youngkin will be attending an Election Integrity rally hosted at Liberty University by insurrectionists who attended the deadly event at the U.S. Capitol, Terry McAuliffe will be declining Liberty University’s invitation to participate in its upcoming gubernatorial forum,” McAuliffe campaign spokesperson Jake Rubenstein said, as reported by the Augusta Free Press.

The debate would have been the first of its kind to have been hosted at a historically black college and university, and the second of its kind to be suspended. 

“That meeting would have been co-hosted by Liberty and Hampton University at a site to be determined,” WDBJ reported. 

 “This Election Integrity event at Liberty University will be providing Glenn Youngkin with a platform to peddle Donald Trump’s debunked lies and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election,” Rubenstein said. “These types of events are unpatriotic, diminish respect for the Commonwealth and our country around the world, and are an insult to the men and women fighting right now to protect our sacred democracy.”

Only two debates have been agreed on so far by the two candidates – one at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy on Sept. 16, and another in northern Virginia on a date to be determined. Talks have been held for potential debates at the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, NBC4/Telemundo 44 and the Schar School of Public Policy and Government at George Mason University. 

Youngkin, who declined to participate in a Virginia Bar Association debate at the Homestead Resort in July, responded to McAuliffe directly on Twitter. 

"Terry McAuliffe just said on Friday that he would debate me any time, anywhere,” Youngkin tweeted. “Today he declined an invitation to debate me at Hampton University. His word was good for almost five days — must be a record!”

A response to McAuliffe’s reasoning for dropping out of the Liberty/Hampton debate by a spokesperson for the Youngkin campaign appeared in Virginia Scope. 

“As an American, Glenn Youngkin is absolutely right that in order for Virginia to do well economically, the foundations of our country must be strong, including confidence in the integrity of our elections and Americans’ willingness to accept the results of our democratic process,” the spokesperson said.

While some officials agreed with McAuliffe’s decision to opt of the event, other criticized it. GOP National Spokesperson and Director of Black Media Affairs Paris Dennard took to social media.

“So the Democrat running for Virginia Governor (McAuliffe) refused to accept an offer from the Republican candidate to debate him at #HBCU while at the same time touting an endorsement from a group that wants to #DefundThePolice and abolish prisons!” Dennard tweeted.

“The Hampton University/Liberty University debate is unique in that an HBCU partners with a PWI to host this gubernatorial debate," Da'Quan Marcell Love, executive director of the Virginia State Conference NAACP tweeted. "I’m personally disappointed that Gov. McAuliffe is declining to participate in this HBCU-sponsored debate at Liberty University.” 

McAuliffe did not respond to requests for comment from South Tidewater News.