It looks like we have our first congressional debate of the season.
When Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-Irvine) earlier this year opted against running for House reelection, running instead for the U.S. Senate, it opened up a close race that could tip the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The race pits State Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) against former Republican State Assemblyman Scott Baugh, who also led the OC GOP as chairman for years.
Both have agreed to come onto the Feet to the Fire virtual stage this year and also debate each other at the OC Forum.
Stay tuned for dates.
And other races.
And keep the ideas coming.
It’s all part of a great response I got to a column I wrote earlier this month after attending a voter outreach event in Irvine and publicly raising the importance of debates this election year.
[Read: Santana: OC Voters Deserve Election Debates]
People started asking if we could bring back the popular Feet to the Fire debate series led by former Orange County Register columnist Barbara Venezia, who now serves on the Voice of OC board of directors.
Barbara agreed to make a comeback for another series of the talk show F2F format and got on the phone as a producer to reach out to candidates.
At the same time, Taryn Palumbo, executive director of Orange County Grantmakers, also has been working with the OC Forum as a VP of Programs to schedule two debates this year, already gaining commitments from Baugh and Min.
Palumbo is also working to bring a U.S. Senate debate to Orange County reaching out to both House Rep. Adam Schiff and former Dodger Steve Garvey.
“OC Forum is thrilled to lead the planning effort to pull together a group of cross-sector organizations and bring to Orange County a series of debates leading up to the November Election,” said Palumbo, who is also a leader in the OC Votes effort looking to engage nonprofit civic leaders this election year.
“The Forum will engage leaders and organizations representing business, philanthropy, nonprofits (the OC Votes effort), and academia in order to represent the true breadth of Orange County residents,” she said, noting that the F2F virtual debate series also lines up with the coalition’s goal.
“These debates will provide an opportunity for residents of all backgrounds and sectors to meaningfully engage in this election cycle.,” Palumbo added.
“I’m delighted that so many organizations and readers weighed in with excitement,” Venezia told me this week as we updated each other on outreach efforts.
“It proves that the political climate is ripe for intelligent and honest debate,” she noted.
One key point for candidates and viewers when it comes to F2F is that it’s more than just a debate, which can often be boring affairs with neither side really engaging with the other.
Debates can also often lack spontaneity and frank discussion.
“What made the original Feet to the Fire so attractive was its talk show format – which we will continue in this new series,” Venezia said as the lead producer for the series.
“This format lends itself to in-depth and intimate conversations about the issues giving voters an insight into candidates in a way traditional forums in the past hadn’t, “she added.
The biggest challenge facing this burgeoning community coalition will be getting candidates from both sides to participate.
That’s why it’s heartening to see Min and Baugh agree in principle so quickly in the election season.
For years, many nonprofit leaders – such as the League of Women Voters – have stuck to the rule that there can be no empty seat on the stage. Both sides have to be represented for a debate to take off.
Yet that approach also has essentially quelled debates in Orange County in recent years – where the candidates with the most name ID (aka incumbents) typically refuse to give a challenger a chance to go toe-to-toe in discussions.
We are seeking to change that – sending a message that residents deserve debates and frank discussion in Orange County, much like the traditional election caucuses in Iowa.
Venezia also feels it is important to keep readers involved and suggested the possibility of an online poll to see where the most interest is around key election races.
This year, the theme for F2F will be solutions.
“My sense is voters are tired of the current state of affairs of politics and want their potential leaders to come to the table with solutions to the issues facing the county and the state,” Venezia noted.
“Not grandstanding and in-fighting.”
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