Ducking the debate

Loren Taylor says Barbara Lee is avoiding a second debate, she says there was no debate; IE money is beginning to flow into Oakland's mayoral race; Alameda ducks a decision on Palestinian sister city

☕️MORNING BUZZ

—Back in 2012, then 40-year Congressman Pete Stark following a horrific performance at a candidate forum in Hayward, refused to debate Eric Swalwell, then an unknown Dublin councilmember.

To highlight Stark’s recalcitrance, Swalwell’s campaign began distributing yellow rubber duckies to voters to highlight his opponent’s propensity for ducking public debates.

For many other reasons, Swalwell pulled off the upset in November, Stark’s refusal to engage, in hindsight, was a strong indicator that his campaign was foundering.

—After an unimpressive performance by Barbara Lee at last week’s debate in Oakland’s special mayoral election, her campaign is taking a curious play from Stark’s playbook.

Lee’s campaign nixed a second debate with opponent Loren Taylor, to be hosted by KQED on March 27.

Taylor’s campaign on Tuesday quickly jumped on Lee’s decision, essentially “rubber ducking” her avoidance of a second debate.

“Barbara Lee is dodging debates because her campaign understands that Oaklanders aren’t buying her vague promises and don’t want the failed status quo—she knows she can’t defend a broken system to those who live in it every day,” Taylor said in a press release.

Lee’s campaign issued their press release on Tuesday denying a debate was ever proposed between her and Taylor on the KQED Forum radio program.

“Loren Taylor and his campaign should stop spreading misinformation and misleading claims, as he has done throughout this race,” Lee’s campaign said. “There was no KQED debate scheduled, and Barbara Lee has agreed to participate in an hour-long FORUM on KQED.”

Taylor’s campaign included an email in their statement from a KQED producer, who wrote, “Sorry for the delay. Barbara Lee’s office does not want to debate.”

The disagreement appears centered on whether a debate was actually scheduled or was in the negotiation stage. Nevertheless, Lee did not want to debate.

As reported here last week, Lee was visibly upset after last week’s debate that was televised on KTVU Plus and streamed online.

She left the event space a few minutes after it concluded while Taylor and attendees stuck around. Lee’s campaign complained that moderator Dave Clark of KTVU posed unfair questions.

—More inside:

• IEs for and against Barbara Lee and Loren Taylor are seeing a sudden influx of large contributions.

• Lee skips Democratic club’s candidate forum and endorsement meeting.

• Amid conflict in Gaza, Alameda eyes sister city partnership with a Palestinian village in the West Bank.

• Oakland councilmember wants to expand the definition of sanctuary cities.

• In Castro Valley, the first rule of “Fight Corner” is you do not talk about “Fight Corner.”

• Campaign finance data for Tuesday, which amounted to the biggest one-day haul of the entire special election.

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