Will McVay vs. Mr. Parrott

Posted to the Delaware State News forums:

The Kent County Young Republicans had been organizing a debate between the two Republican candidates for the 32nd Representative District race, Ellis Parrott and Will McVay. Both candidates had agreed to participate in this debate, and then, suddenly, last week, Mr. Parrott had a change of heart and withdrew. He posted the following reason on his Facebook page.

“For everyone concerned, the reason I will not debate McVay is he owes his allegiance to the Libertarian Party not to the Republican Party. If anyone would like to know how I stand on issues, they can call me 670-8345 or e-mail me at ellisparrott@gmail.com. Ellis.”

While Will is, in fact, the vice chairman of the Libertarian Party of Delaware, he is also a registered Republican and he has paid the necessary filing fee to contest the primary. Will has been very open about his political affiliations and how this differentiates him from his opponent. All the more reason that the Republicans of the 32nd District are entitled to a debate between these two candidates. I would think Mr. Parrott would be eager to point out those differences to the voters of the 32nd.

Is it possible Mr. Parrot is intimidated by Will’s track record of forceful advocacy for his ideas and intimate knowledge of the General Assembly? Why else would he resort to such a sorry excuse for backing out of the debate? Should Mr. Parrott win his primary, will he then refuse to debate his Democratic opponent because he owes his allegiance to the Democratic Party? If he should get elected, how will he stand up to the opposition in the state legislature if he is too intimidated to debate an opponent in the much-friendlier venue offered by the Kent County Young Republicans?

What does allegiance to the Republican Party have to do with one’s qualifications to serve the voters of the 32nd District, anyway? Aren’t the voters the ones to whom a candidate for public office owes their allegiance? I think Mr. Parrott’s decision not to debate is shameful, and his excuse, laughable.

Daniel Bentz

Hartly

I would tend to agree.  Thanks, Daniel.