Michigan gubernatorial candidates at a loss for debate agreement

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Michigan may not see an official gubernatorial debate this election.

Democratic candidate Virg Bernero and GOP candidate Rick Snyder have yet to agree on debate terms. Friday, the Snyder campaign ended negotiations because of two sticking points.

Bernero spokesman Cullen Schwarz said they objected to the time of one debate and the moderators, because they were all chosen by the Snyder campaign.

“They gave us a final offer with a four-hour deadline,” Schwarz said. “We accepted their offer, but suggested we continue to talk about two modifications. They unilaterally ended negotiations (after) we accepted 99 percent of what they wanted.”

Michigan gubernatorial candidates have not always hosted debates. In 1998, Republican governor John Engler refused to debate Democratic candidate Geoffrey Feiger.

Bill Ballenger, editor of Inside Michigan Politics and former Griffin Endowed Chair, said debates were not consistent in the years before television and radio.

The candidates are in opposite positions at the moment; Snyder, an Ann Arbor businessman, has everything to lose and Bernero has everything to gain by debating, Ballenger said. “It wouldn’t be the end of the world,” Ballenger said. “Snyder is so far ahead in the polls, that he’s just basically in a position where he may try to run out the clock, set his own agenda, basically stiff-arm Bernero, and allow the days to go by until all of a sudden it’s November 2.”

It felt as though Bernero, mayor of Lansing, was delaying the process during negotiations because it is better for his campaign to debate closer to the election, said a representative for the Snyder campaign.

Bernero surprised the Snyder campaign when he appeared unannounced at one of their events Monday. Snyder invited Bernero on-stage to speak and answer questions from the crowd.  Snyder’s strategy is likely to do debates as early as possible and control the format, which has been standard debate strategy for half a century, Ballenger said.