http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=113141&ran=142995
Kellam pulls out of four debates with Drake
By JON FRANK, The Virginian-Pilot
© October 24, 2006
VIRGINIA BEACH — Congressional candidate Phil Kellam has pulled out of four scheduled debates with incumbent U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake.
His campaign blamed the decision on unspecified “backdoor shenanigans” by his opponent.
Kellam made the call Friday, the day before he was scheduled to appear at a debate in front of the Sandbridge Civic League.
The other canceled debates include one scheduled for tonight in Hampton, one scheduled for the Eastern Shore on Thursday and one scheduled for Virginia Beach on Friday.
That leaves only one remaining joint appearance for Drake, the Republican, and Kellam, the Democrat, before Election Day.
Both candidates are scheduled to appear on “On the Record with Joel Rubin” on WVEC-TV. The show will be taped Nov. 3 and air Nov. 5, the Sunday before the election.
On Monday, Kellam would not personally answer questions about why he withdrew from the debates.
In a written statement, his communications director, Drew Lankford, said the “shenanigans” included efforts by the Drake campaign to get debate sponsors to change rules and false statements by the Drake campaign to the press.
“The Drake campaign has even stooped to distorting Phil Kellam’s statements to use in false campaign commercials,” Lankford wrote.
Drake’s campaign denied any wrongdoing.
In a telephone interview Monday, Drake said she thinks Kellam is dodging debates and issues to satisfy a national strategy in which Democratic candidates avoid taking strong stands on key issues.
“How do people make choices,” Drake said, “if he won’t tell people how he stands on the issues?”
Drake and Kellam have debated three times during the 2006 campaign. All three meetings have been in Virginia Beach.
# Reach Jon Frank at (757) 222-5122 or jon.frank@pilotonline.com.