Below is a transcript of the conversation between KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck and Danna O’Connor, which is slightly edited for clarity.
Danna O’Connor: Tell us about what went into organizing the candidate forum and what led to this decision.
Lucia Starbuck: We started reaching out to incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo’s and Democratic challenger Aaron Ford’s campaigns starting in June, through email, calls, texts, and even physical letters. While Ford’s team agreed to participate, Lombardo’s campaign ultimately declined on October 2. We asked them to reconsider; they did not. Even though there was only one candidate on the stage, we still felt it important to hold this forum for the opportunity for voters to hear directly from those running for office to lead Nevada. The governor’s campaign requested several times for us to not include an empty podium, but both Sierra Nevada Forums and KUNR left the podium empty because we felt it was necessary for people to know who was and wasn’t willing to be here to answer questions from the media and voters about the top issues facing our state. I should also note we chose to do the event at the Nevada Legislative Building because the security there is readily available at a time of heightened concern about political violence. Our priority was to provide a safe environment for the candidates, attendees, staff, and members of the media.
O’Connor: There was an effort to prevent you guys from using the room – what happened?
Starbuck: Six hours before the event began, we were notified that Republican Assemblymember P. K. O'Neill withdrew his sponsorship to secure the room from, in his words, being used to facilitate a single-candidate event. O'Neill also sponsored the room for our forum the night before, where we had an open seat for CD2 candidate David Flippo and incumbent Assemblymember Lisa Krasner, both Republicans. He did not indicate that night he would pull his sponsorship. He pointed to the League of Women Voters’ national policy to not have an empty podium during a debate and called into question their tax-exempt status if they proceeded. However, we have always called this event a candidate forum, and we cannot control how the campaigns might characterize it. Ultimately, the league decided it would no longer sponsor the event. In O'Neill’s place, Democratic Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno sponsored the room, allowing us to proceed as scheduled.
O’Connor: Did this new sponsorship affect the event in any way?
Starbuck: No. Regardless of which political party sponsored this room, the journalism remains independent. That is our commitment. My questions were not changed because of the sponsorship, and neither KUNR nor Sierra Nevada Forums is here to advocate for a candidate. KUNR’s responsibility is to ask fact-based questions, press for meaningful answers, and hold candidates accountable to the voters they seek to represent. You can see for yourself: the full forum is available on KUNR’s YouTube page. I questioned Ford about his record on creating the tax break programs for data centers and the film industry, his lack of a plan to address people losing their home insurance due to fire risk, and how the legislature can actually fund the huge health care funding gaps caused by the Big Beautiful Bill.
O’Connor: And what’s next?
Starbuck: You can tune in to Purple Politics Nevada on Friday, October 16, where we’ll continue the conversation about this growing trend of candidates not wanting to share a stage with their opponents. A majority of the Republicans we invited from CD2, statewide and legislative races, declined or ghosted us. And KUNR’s political intern, James Wolfgang Perez, is moderating an event with candidates for AG, treasurer, and lieutenant governor on Monday at 6 pm at the Brewery Arts Center.
Watch KUNR and Sierra Nevada Forums’ gubernatorial candidate forum below.
