Lack of western presidential debates irks governors

John Hughes

Sunday, March 5, 2000 | 10:16 a.m.

WASHINGTON - It's not the Super Bowl, but a presidential debate brings national attention to a region and can propel an area's issues into the limelight.

But none of this fall's three presidential debates - in Boston, St. Louis and Winston-Salem, N.C., - will be held in the West.

None of the 26 presidential and vice presidential debates since 1960 have been held in a Rocky Mountain state, Pacific Northwest state, Hawaii or Alaska.

"We're trying to figure out why we are being ignored," said Gov. Ben Cayetano, D-Hawaii.

"It's incredible to me," said Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, R-Idaho. "It is important that the West be represented."

Western governors want the Commission on Presidential Debates to add a debate in the West this year or look for ways to include western topics in debates elsewhere.

But bringing a debate out West is easier said than done, commission officials said.

A national TV schedule jammed tight with baseball playoffs, the World Series, National Football League games and the 2000 Olympics makes it near impossible to squeeze in another debate, said Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., the commission co-chair.

The commission, a non-profit group that has sponsored all post-convention debates since 1988, also does not dictate debate questions and could not guarantee western topics would be involved, he said.

"It's not a question of this commission shunning the West," said Fahrenkopf, a Nevada native. "But you didn't have bidders."

Three of the 12 proposals for hosting fall debates this year came from the West.

But two contenders, the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, withdrew because of renovation and a capital funding drive, Fahrenkopf said.

The third West applicant - the University of Portland in Oregon - was rejected because an arena proposed for the debate was not air conditioned, he said.

Debra Miller, director of public relations at the University of Portland, said an air conditioning system will be added to the arena by the end of March, well ahead of the October debates.

"They knew that when they came to the site visit," she said of commission officials. "I could have provided them documentation from the contractor. ... We were totally shocked."

Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-Wash., a debate commission member, pushed for the university, saying cool Northwest weather removes the need for air conditioning.

"I was very unhappy there wasn't a western site chosen," she said.

But Dunn agreed with Fahrenkopf the problem was too few applicants. "There were too many universities who thought it would be too much trouble," she said.

The only three autumn presidential debates held in the West since 1960 were in San Francisco in 1976, Los Angeles in 1988 and San Diego in 1996.

Western political leaders want to land another one to show off the growth in the region, universities, and what they see as overall high quality of life.

They also want to highlight key issues such as land use, water use, and endangered species.

A 1996 vice presidential debate in St. Petersburg, Fla., led to increased voter turnout in the city and boosted young voters' interest in the election, according to a study cited by the debate commission.

But getting selected is not easy. The commission has a lengthy list of requirements for city services, transportation, hotels and security.

The debate host must have a place for more than 5,000 news media members, $550,000 to pay for debate production costs, and satellite hookups so that up to 100 million Americans can watch the event.

Members of the Western Governors Association discussed the absence of western debates in a meeting in the nation's capital on Tuesday. After questioning Fahrenkopf, they said they will continue pressing the issue and, at a minimum, expect to have a presidential debate out West in 2004.

"We're fighting for respectability," said Gov. Mike Leavitt, R-Utah. "This is an important recognition of the maturity of the region."