An Open Letter to Morris County Voters:
There has been a lot in the press about Morris County Republican candidates not participating in the League of Women Voters debates, so I wanted to take this opportunity to clarify the current landscape to Morris County voters.
We love debates, discussions and healthy conversations. Last year, I came out strong against participating in the LWV debates (click here to read my 2022 position). This year, I didn't come out as strong, but instead encouraged our candidates one-on-one not to participate. In the very few municipal races that did take part in the debates, my instincts were proven rather quickly to be correct. Questions were asked about Climate Change, the Board of Education, the January 2020 Presidential election and Moms for Liberty. Once again, none of those issues have anything to do with local governance. And then there was an added bonus of the local Dems bombarding the local news with letters to the editor taking sound bites from the debate and twisting them into their own leftist narratives.
I'll repeat my statement from last year when I said, that while the LWV states on its website that it is “proud to be nonpartisan,” the organization’s recent track record has unfortunately demonstrated a distinct and overwhelming bias against Republicans and the issues that they stand for. The national LWV organization has ostensibly adopted a progressive, leftist platform over the last several years. Personally, I feel strongly that it is comprised of progressive activists, instead of non-partisan volunteers.
As the leader of the party, I see no benefit to the Republican candidates to participate in this type of forum hosted by the League at this current time. We would happily participate in other opportunities to debate in forums that are balanced and fair and that give all candidates equal time to communicate their platforms and positions on LOCAL matters.
Most Sincerely,
Laura Marie Ali
Chairwoman of the Morris County Republican Committee