Bucco, Dunn, Bergen Decline Debate Invite; 'No Time,' Moderator Relays

NORTH JERSEY — The Republican-incumbent candidates, who seek re-election for state legislature in New Jersey's 25th District, declined invitations to debate their opponents. The League of Women Voters, which organized the debate, said the candidates told them they had "no time."

State Senator Anthony Bucco and Assemblymembers Aura Dunn and Brian Bergen are campaigning for re-election in the district. In Nov. 2's election, they face a Democratic slate featuring State Senate hopeful Jeffrey Grayzel and Assembly candidates Lauren Barnett and Patricia Veres.

During election seasons, the local League of Women Voters chapters seek to run nonpartisan forums featuring the candidates, also allowing the public to submit questions. The 25th District's incumbents and their campaign manager received an eight-week window to choose a date, according to the organization.

The Republican candidates did not immediately refuse but gave the condition of having the debate in-person instead of via Zoom, the League of Women Voters said. Their Democratic challengers agreed to the condition, but the incumbents "claimed they had no time in their busy calendars for a debate," according to the League chapters of the Morristown Area, Warren and West Morris, and Mountain Lakes.

"Fair and unbiased debates are pivotal to the functioning of our democracy," said a Tuesday news release from the League of Women Voters. "An essential component to running for office is providing the public with an opportunity to compare their elected officials to those who are challenging their positions. Voters deserve to see their candidates in action and to hear all sides of an issue before casting a ballot."

James Connor, the incumbents' campaign manager, says they have tried to negotiate with the league "in good faith." He views the organization's news release as an attack.

“Both campaigns know multiple offers to debate have been extended from other organizations, and we are currently exploring alternate dates," Connor told Patch via email. "The truth is, we could not find a mutually agreeable time to debate with the League of Women Voters.

"The fact that the League issued a press release attacking our candidate team a month out from the election and stating that we didn’t have time to debate shows just how partisan the group has become. This year, we negotiated with the League in good faith despite last year’s sparsely attended virtual debate which was unbalanced as incumbents were forced to remove their elected positions from their names on the Zoom interface."

District 25 includes Bernardsville, Boonton, Boonton Township, Chester Borough, Chester Township, Denville, Dover, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township, Mine Hill, Morris, Morristown, Mount Arlington, Mountain Lakes, Netcong, Randolph, Rockaway Borough, Roxbury, Victory Gardens, Washington (Morris County) and Wharton.

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