Gubernatorial debate at Pitt in doubt

Pennsylvania’s two candidates for governor are still debating whether to hold a debate on… Pennsylvania’s two candidates for governor are still debating whether to hold a debate on campus this fall.

Graduate and Professional Student Assembly president Nila Devanath is working to bring the race’s two candidates to campus in late September. So far, Allegheny County Executive and Democratic candidate Dan Onorato has agreed to participate in the debate. His opponent, state Attorney General and Republican candidate Tom Corbett, has not confirmed whether he will attend.

The debate is tentatively set for Sept. 21.

Devanath said she received a confirmation from the Onorato campaign in June.

She had said this summer that Pitt’s potential debate could be the first in the race, but Onorato’s communications director Brian Herman could not confirm when and where the first debate will take place.

“Dan is definitely interested in reaching out to as many people as possible, and the students are a concern of his because they are the future of this current economy,” Herman said.

Herman said the debate schedule has not been finalized and could not guarantee that a debate would happen on campus this year as Corbett has not confirmed that he will make an appearance at Pitt.

So far, the Republican has agreed to one debate, set for Sept. 27 in Hershey, Pa. The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry will host the debate, and Ted Koppel, a former host of ABC’s “Nightline,” is set to moderate.

Kevin Harley, communications director for the Corbett campaign, did not respond to five phone calls over the past two weeks.

If Corbett is unable to attend the debate, Devanath said that the event will be downsized to a more casual gathering where Onorato will speak, followed by a question-and-answer session.

Devanath made one last push for the debate between the candidates by calling the Corbett campaign this week.

“At this point, all I can really do is hope for the best,” Devanath said. “I would really love to have a debate here at Pitt.”

Onorato challenged Corbett to 14 debates earlier this summer after participating in a heated primary. That number is typically considered high for a statewide race — the 2006 contest between Republican candidate Lynn Swann and incumbent Democrat Ed Rendell featured three debates.

Other groups are also working to make the debate possible at Pitt. Among them is the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project, a civic engagement campaign aimed at motivating young people to participate in the civic process.

Another organization assisting in the push for the debate is the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh, which hosted Onorato at a debate during the Democratic primary earlier this year.

Devanath said the idea for the gubernatorial debate came out of a meeting she had with Paul Supowitz, Pitt’s vice chancellor for governmental relations. The two discussed civic engagement, and both want to get undergraduates more involved in local and state politics.

Few students have been openly involved in politics on campus. The May 18 primary election had a less-than-5 -percent turnout in the wards that cover Pitt’s campus.

“I’ve just been focusing on what Ed Rendell is doing, but I will definitely catch up by November,” freshman Ryan Clune said of his political interest. “For me, it’s going to come down to education and tax policy.”

Freshman Henry Lucas had already made up his mind.

“I don’t know who his opponent is, but I plan to vote for Onorato,” he said.

Other students were less decisive.

“I don’t know about the governors race. I’m from Philadelphia,” said one student who declined to give his name.

Corbett is leading Onorato in the race according to a recent poll released by Franklin & Marshall College.

According to the poll, Corbett leads Onorato by only one point — 29 percent to 28 percent — when all registered voters are considered.

Corbett’s lead jumps 11 percent — 38 percent to 27 percent — when only likely voters are factored in.

The gubernatorial election will be on Nov. 2, when voters will also choose a lieutenant governor, a new U.S. representative and a new U.S. senator.