Hartke to debate photo of Cantor

A first-time congressional candidate from Culpeper plans to debate an “empty chair” Monday because the four-term incumbent she’s running against has declined to participate in an event his political consultant says they had no part in arranging.

Democratic challenger Anita Hartke, an Amissville real estate agent, wanted to debate Congressman Eric Cantor, R-Richmond, who represents Virginia’s Seventh District in the U.S. House.

So Hartke picked a time and a venue — Monday, Columbus Day, 1 p.m. at Graves Mountain Lodge in Madison County. The first the Star-Exponent heard about the hastily planned debate was via e-mail last Saturday.

The first Cantor’s office heard about it was around the same time, according to the congressman’s political strategist Ray Allen, partner at Creative Direct, a political consulting firm in Richmond.

“It’s a publicity stunt on her part,” Allen said, laughing. “She apparently set a time and a day, reserved a hall, got a sponsoring organization, selected the moderator and questions and sent us a letter after the fact.”

He said debates are usually organized with involvement from both campaigns.

“Typically, they would check our schedule before setting something like this up,” Allen said. “So we are not going to participate with her in that.”

He said he did not know of any other debates between Cantor and Hartke in advance of the Nov. 4 election and that the Cantor campaign had not received any invitations from the usual organizers to do so.

“The first we heard of any of this was two days ago she faxed us a letter,” Allen said Tuesday.

The e-mail the Star-Exponent received last Saturday read, “The Hartke for Congress Campaign has still not received Congressman Cantor’s reply to attend this debate. The debate event will be held whether Congressman Cantor shows or is a no-show.”

Told Tuesday of his consultant’s statement that the debate was “a publicity stunt,” Hartke fired back with a 617-word e-mail to the Star-Exponent, accusing Cantor of “under the table deals” and criticizing his close alliance with the Bush administration.

“I do not understand why Eric refuses to debate me — when even Sarah Palin debates. (Jim) Gilmore debated (Mark) Warner,” she wrote in the e-mail. “With Eric’s voting record, with as little as he has done for YOU in Virginia — no wonder he is afraid to debate. If Eric changes his mind, I promise not to wink!”

Either way, like her father, the late Sen. Vance Hartke of Indiana, did when he was up for office against a Republican incumbent, Ms. Hartke said she would debate a “big picture” of Cantor affixed to an “empty chair” Monday in Madison.

Though the conversation will be one-way, she said she would debate statements made by Cantor and his record.

Hartke said Thursday that she faxed a notice of the debate Oct. 2 to Cantor’s offices in Richmond and D.C. and hand-delivered one to his Madison Road office in Culpeper. She said she had not selected a moderator.

“I just think the people ought to have a chance to hear from both candidates,” she said.

Allison Brophy Champion can be reached at 825-9771 ext. 101 or abrophy@starexponent.com.