Dear Congressman Wolf,

Congratulations on receiving your party’s nomination for Congress. Katherine and I wish you and Carolyn the very best in the months ahead.

 You and I have fundamental disagreements on how to prioritize and resolve the problems facing the 10th District and our Nation. We owe the voters an open and complete discussion of our differences. Virginians should not have to rely on 30-second commercials, glossy campaign mailers, and packaged sound bites to learn about our campaigns. Voters deserve more. Voters deserve to hear our ideas directly.

I propose a series of debates: at least one in each county of the 10th District. Our debates should have a flexible structure that allows us to substantively discuss each other’s ideas. A neutral party should moderate each debate, and each debate should give voters the privilege of asking questions that are not pre-screened. If you prefer, we can involve a non-partisan mediator in the planning process to ensure that debate arrangements are equitable for both campaigns and informative for voters.

 I hope to hear from you by July 15th so we can start arranging our debates. With seven counties and seventeen weeks until Election Day, we shouldn’t have any trouble finding times that fit our busy schedules.

 We share a common commitment to remaining accessible to the people we serve. In that spirit of accountability, I hope you will join me in a series of robust and open debates.
 

Sincerely,

Jeff Barnett
Democratic Nominee for Congress
10th District of Virginia