A Friday night debate between Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Prince William County Supervisor and GOP nominee Yesli Vega has been canceled after Spanberger pulled out, citing concerns about security and moderators.
The Prince William Committee of 100 and the League of Women Voters of Prince William and Fauquier Area announced the cancellation of the debate between the two candidates for Virginia’s 7th congressional district in a joint news release Monday. The debate would have taken place at Gar-Field High School in Woodbridge and would have been the first debate for the two.
“Our team’s work to find agreement between the campaigns of Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega ended in an impasse over security concerns and disagreements over proposed moderators,” the release said.
Spanberger raised concerns about ticketing for the event, wanted a detailed plan for security at the event and did not support the choice of conservative commentator and talk show host Larry O’Connor as one of the event’s moderators, according to The Washington Post.
“The League and the Committee of 100 volunteers worked tirelessly to accommodate requests on everything from the format and media coverage to security; however, we were unable to reach an acceptable compromise within the timeframe set by Congresswoman’s campaign,” the organizations said.
Other attempts to get the candidates to debate in what is one of the nation’s most expensive races also have failed.
