After her public demands for a one-on-one meeting fell on deaf ears, D.C. Council Chair and mayoral candidate Linda Cropp on Tuesday communicated her interest in a debate directly with the campaign of front-runner Adrian Fenty.
Cropp, who runs second to Fenty in most polls, has gone on the offensive in the last two weeks, challenging his record on education, his experiences as a probate lawyer and his vote last month against the emergency crime bill. She also agreed to debate him during an Aug. 29 event arranged by the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations, but Fenty has so far declined, citing a scheduling conflict.
On Tuesday, Cropp sent a letter to Fenty calling for a series of debates, including the Civic Associations event plus at least one other.
“There are unanswered questions about your record and District residents deserve the opportunity to see the two of us debate head-to-head,” Cropp wrote in the letter, which included her phone number and a request to “please call my campaign.”
She said: “With four weeks to go before the primary, I think it is reasonable to expect an answer from you before the end of the week.”
Fenty, who went head-to-head with Marie Johns over the weekend, said he hadn’t received the letter as of Tuesday afternoon. “Just like when I agreed to debate Johns — she called me directly and I responded,” Fenty said. “I’d be glad to respond in this case. To date no one has called and my cell phone is on.”
The two will likely get together, but not on Cropp-only terms, said Lewis Wolfson, professor emeritus of communication at American University.
“I think inevitably if [Cropp] puts the pressure on him, he’s going to have to respond,” Wolfson said. “But he’ll put his own frameworkon it.”
Fenty would risk increasing scrutiny if he opts out of a one-on-one, said Stephen Hess, professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. But Cropp’s call for the debate, Hess said, should tell voters something.
“You don’t ask for the debate if you’re ahead,” he said.
