The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission will hold a special meeting at 2 PM today to consider a complaint filed by New Jersey Globe Editor David Wildstein asserting that a gubernatorial debate sponsored by WABC-TV in New York and WPVI-TV in Philadelphia fell a few minutes short of a statutory requirement that debates for governor and lieutenant governor “shall be of at least one hour’s duration.”
The meeting is open to the public and is being held via Zoom, but advance registration is required. Those interested in attending must email [email protected] no later than 1 PM today with the following information: first and last name, email address, organization, and phone number.
Wildstein told ELEC that they must remedy the defect by ordering another debate in the race between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
“There is absolutely no harm to the public in requiring the candidates to debate again,” Wildstein said in the complaint. “There is an extraordinary benefit to the public who would have the opportunity to hear more from the candidates, as is their right under state law.”
The statute states, “Each of the debates shall be of at least one hour’s duration.”
ELEC issued an amended order to show cause on October 14.
Attorneys for ABC, Inc. say their network affiliates, WABC-TV in New York and WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, “fully complied with New Jersey law.” They said the agreement provided a one-hour debate with a one-minute break.
“According to WABC-TV’s internal ‘As-Run’ log, the debate began at 6:59:01.03 p.m. and ended at 8:00:01.00 p.m. The length of the debate was one hour, fifty-nine seconds,” their attorneys, Michael Berry and Robert J. Clark, said in a letter to ELEC.
PIX 11 in New York and PHL-17 in Philadelphia have not disputed their failure to follow the statutory requirements in the September 30 debate for Lt. Governor between Democrat Dale Caldwell and Republican Jim Gannon.
“The PIX 11 Lieutenant Governor debate was between 56 minutes and 57 minutes long. This hour-long debate is in alignment with past ELEC-designated gubernatorial debates airing on network television,” said Aurea Vasquez-Alexander, the ELEC compliance director.
Wildstein is also seeking an order for another debate between Caldwell and Gannon.
