Romney Won't Go To Big Iowa Fox News Debate, Disappointing Local GOP
A senior GOP official in Iowa tells us that Mitt Romney has decided not to attend the Fox News GOP debate in the state that was set for December 4 -- effectively killing the debate, according to this official.
Chuck Laudner, the executive director of the Iowa GOP, says that he got word of Romney's decision two hours ago. He claims that other leading GOP contenders were waiting to see what Romney was going to do -- and now that Romney won't be attending, the others will pull out too.
"With no frontrunner, there's no debate," Laudner said, adding that many Iowa GOPers would be upset with Romney's decision -- a potential blow in a state where Romney is facing an aggressive insurgent challenge from Mike Huckabee. The Iowa GOP had been heavily promoting the debate, the first one to be broadcast by Fox News in the state.
"It's disappointing," Laudner said, adding that Huckabee, John McCain and Fred Thompson had said they'd be showing up and that Rudy was waiting to see what Romney did. "We're losing a statewide 2000-person event. It's a huge, huge event. We had county chairs raising money off of it. They're not gonna be too happy."
There is another GOP debate scheduled for Dec. 12 in Iowa sponsored by the Des Moines Register.
Romney spokesman Kevin Madden confirmed the campaign's decision. "We have received invitations to a number of debates in the month of December," he emailed me.
"Along with other campaigns, we unfortunately had to decline an invite to a December 4 debate as part of a scheduling decision. We will be participating in a December 12 debate sponsored by the Des Moines Register however, and we look forward to that opportunity to again meet with Iowa voters on the issues."
Jonathan Martin, who's also on this story, says that this has the potential to really rankle in Iowa because "this was to be the state party's own event -- and on what amounts to the GOP's station of record."
Comments (35)
GordonsGirl wrote on November 15, 2007 5:04 PM:Well, at least we now know Romney's an equal opportunity discriminator! Black, brown or white, he doesn't just doesn't like debate audiences.
RichM wrote on November 15, 2007 5:07 PM:Hmmmm... Why would anybody go on a debate sponsored by a network that has already picked and is actively engaged in promoting their candidate?
Michael wrote on November 15, 2007 5:13 PM:Thanks RichM, I was trying to figure out his angle. I was like why would he blow off fox entertainment and that explains it. Fox is promoting Mr. 9/11 so mitt the flip says forget you guys, not interested. Now, I get it. Duh.
Mike wrote on November 15, 2007 5:15 PM:Are people seriously going to give this man crap about not attending a debate in Iowa when there is another one 8 days later?! Would it be better for a candidate at crunhch time to do 5 stops in Iowa one day and have the room to himself or go to a debate with countless candidates? Smart move by the Romney people.
js wrote on November 15, 2007 5:15 PM:Mitty is trying to play prevent defense here.
TheraP wrote on November 15, 2007 5:16 PM:So, do you think this means he does not want a national forum, but only a state one, in order to try and target his message just for Iowa?
Makes you wonder.
Elbeau wrote on November 15, 2007 5:35 PM:Oh, come on...Mitt is debating the following week...and did you notice the part that NOBODY else had comitted to attend. They all were waiting on Romney which makes him the bad guy on whichever debate(s) get cancelled...not because he's avoiding debate, but because it's not reasonable to do them all.
bob wrote on November 15, 2007 5:54 PM:Weird to see Romney defenders here.
Regardless of how many debates there are, it's obviously going to hurt him to decline to participate in the Iowa Republican Party's debate.
That's beyond just running a conservative frontrunner in Iowa campaign where no one else gets to take a shot at you, it's just a big mistake. Hillary may be leading the Dems, but you don't see her declining all of these debates.
slcathena wrote on November 15, 2007 6:41 PM:js wrote on November 15, 2007 5:15 PM: Mitty is trying to play prevent defense here.
You know...I always thought that was one of the more unintelligent strategies in football. It winds up giving your opponent the chance to chip away at you, death by a thousand cuts isn't any prettier than death by a machete and 50 days is a long time for Huckabee to chip away...
Dan wrote on November 15, 2007 6:57 PM:I don't blame Mitt. Why help out the network that is trying to defeat you?
Mark wrote on November 15, 2007 6:59 PM:I see this as a very smart move. It's not essential to participate in every debate. Besides... who else other than Romney has spent as much time as he has in Iowa? Romney has done hundreds of events in Iowa alone meeting people 1-on-1 and face to face and I think that's more important to stand on a stage and talk about issues in front of a camera when you can be out meeting people directly and then debating 8 days later. If they criticize anyone, it should be Giuliani. They couldn't make the decision on their own so they relied on another campaign to make the decision for them. Some leadership from the Giuliani circus.
Mark wrote on November 15, 2007 7:14 PM:Yeah, these guys work too hard. They need to take it easy, you know, don't try so hard to talk to the American public in a widely publicized event, not worry about what the American public thinks about them, and to hell with the issues anyway. They're ONLY running for President, after all, so if you're scared to face off against other people 'cuz you think you have the lead, or that everyone's out to get you, that's cool. America doesn't need an intelligent guy willing to stand up and try to talk about the troubles facing America, we'll just take anyone who knows how to win elections.
gujarbhai wrote on November 15, 2007 7:47 PM:If you cannot take on FOX news how can you take on Osama Bin Laden.
CranialRectalLoopback wrote on November 15, 2007 7:50 PM:I wonder when the Right Wing Media will flog Willard Glove Romney for being afraid of Fox News. If you are afraid of Fox, how can we trust you to stand up to the terrorists. Anyone remember that crap, or has national amnesia set in for Repubic-hen transgressions?
Maybe he's disgusted by FNC's use of soft porn.
Tim Kelley wrote on November 15, 2007 8:27 PM:Yep I agree ..it's prevent defense...Romney hears Hucks Army rising up...given equal airtime Huck would blow Romney away- there were two discoveries back in the 19th century...resulting in two new religions..one involved digging up bones supposed to be the MISSING LINK(which is still Missing) later proven to be a fraud.."Piltdown Man"(google it)(one of the many reasons the core "BELIEF" of Evolution (the bedrock of the atheist's faith) is a fraud. To question these "scientists" on this is like questioning the Catholic church 500 yrs ago. The other "religion" started when a boy dug up 240lbs worth of "golden plates" -that were conveniently lossed before they could be examined.... ask Mitt Romney what happened to them?? Let kids be taugh Intelligent Design ...what are they so afraid of???? They are afraid of equal air time!!!!
Anonymous wrote on November 15, 2007 8:33 PM:Go Huck...great line on Fox exposing the hypocrisy of these people...fact is we need to seal the borders and most likely assimilate the 12 million already living here...we all know that it will be imposible to send them all back...so let's take care of the borders and stop being hypocrites(everyone of us has benefittted by an illegal worker here in America whether we realize or not..if we would not have aborted 50 million babies inthis country maybe we would not have needed them..the baby boomers can think about that when they have noone to wipe them in the nursing home
Eric wrote on November 15, 2007 9:01 PM:FOX is obviously in Giuliani's pocket. I can't blame him for ditching it. He will be doing a debate on the 12th in Iowa.
DanF wrote on November 15, 2007 9:18 PM:As others have said, Fox "News" loves them some Rudy G. I think Mitt is making the only smart choice he can. Fox moderators will ask questions designed to hurt Romney and promote either Rudy (who really has no chance of winning in IA) or, more likely, Huckabee. As Josh had written earlier in the day, a loss in IA may be a death knell for Mitt's campaign.
Bob Thomas wrote on November 15, 2007 10:03 PM:I think Mitt Romney is a great candidate. I just hope this doesn't turn out to be a big mistake. It could!! It's true that foxnews is in love with Rudy Giuliani, and they promote Huckabee anytime they aren't promoting Rudy. But, I personally feel Mitt should have gone to both. He's a fantastic candidate.
Paul wrote on November 15, 2007 10:04 PM:"no front runner no debate"? Oh Please, Romney's no front runner. He's terrified of Ron Paul. Iowa and New Hampshire are covered in Ron Paul signs and banners....
votenic wrote on November 15, 2007 10:15 PM:2008 Presidential Candidate Weekly Poll
Results Posted Tuesday At Midnight.
votenic wrote on November 15, 2007 10:17 PM:2008 Presidential Candidate Weekly Poll
Results Posted Tuesday At Midnight.
Kasey wrote on November 15, 2007 10:59 PM:The senior GOP guy is an idiot and obviously doesn't like Romney. Romney, Giuliani, McCain, and Thompson decided collectively to not attend, yet this guy rips only on Romney, the candidate who has done the most for Republicans in Iowa...without Romney at the straw poll it would have been a complete flop of a fundraiser.
This guy sounds like a 6 year old who's best friend wouldn't come out and play with him.
Relindis Ebong wrote on November 16, 2007 12:37 AM:The democraticdebate has become aforum to
audition for vice president.What makes this bad is that their stategy is preventing the other candidates from breaking through Hilary's lead by crying
foul to any steps by Obama or Edwards.This is abig threat to our democracy.The voters should be the one to make that judgement.BIll Richardson is clearly eyeing the vice president while Dodd seems to be joining him.
If voters had known the level of Kerry's
flipflop it may be they could have thought twice before rallying behind him.
Thanks; Relindid from MD
None of the other major GOP contenders are taking Iowa seriously.
Why give them the free national exposure when you can instead force them to play to a statewide audience in a state they are planning to skip?
John-Ross Cromer wrote on November 16, 2007 9:25 AM:I would love for Guiliani to drop out too so we can see a Huckster / Ron Paul debate. If spun correctly, that could spell bad news for the front-runners.
Anonymous wrote on November 16, 2007 9:27 AM:I am not a supporter of Romney, but he is showing some much needed balls in the Republican party.
I don't watch FOX news because it is so one sided and life is too short to be made a fool of.
Anyone that watches that bullshit that they pour out night after night is a right winged supporter. They are saying what you want to hear. It makes your little hearts happy.
So, as for Romney good for him. Why the hell should he set himself up for a bias debate. Who needs it.
It leads me to the question all American's should be asking themselves, do I really need to watch a network that informs me of only things I WANT to hear and not the TRUTH
Good, there should be a total boycott of FALSE NEWS who have no journalistic standards whatsoever and are just the mouthpiece of the right wing nutjob agenda with Rudy as their favorite corrupted candidate
JLF wrote on November 16, 2007 7:19 PM:Obviously there is some back room politics at play here. If Fox is serious about Rudy, so be it. But Iowa is too important to mess around with. So If Romney has begged off the Fox thing then they must believe they can survive with out them. If the other guys don't go either then obviously there is no harm done. Although watching Ron Paul do his Dennis Kucinich imitation would be funny for five or ten minutes.
doug lominac wrote on November 17, 2007 1:45 AM:Romney did the right thing. I was very annoyed at their last debate when Chris Wallace sandbagged Romney several times. It does appear to me that FNC is in the tank for RG, no doubt about it.
Fred Staggs wrote on November 17, 2007 8:50 AM:I don't know that he did the "right" thing, but he did the correct thing pulling out of a debate sponsored by the network that suborns lying to federal investigators looking into the background of the nominee to head Homeland Security to protect its chosen candidate.
Merg wrote on November 17, 2007 11:33 PM:I'm not sure Guiliani will beg off. This might give him a chance to knock Huckabee down a few pegs without interference from Mitt, especially if FOX stacks the deck of questions and we all know that they will
Tom wrote on November 18, 2007 6:37 PM:After watching what passed for moderating a debate on CNN I can't imagine anybody who'd want to let themselves be at the mercy of Fox entertainment producers.
Anonymous wrote on November 19, 2007 12:03 PM:"Maybe he's disgusted by FNC's use of soft porn."
What, are they showing Kucinich's wife again?
