Sometimes testy, always informative — Modesto Bee candidate debates are here
California Senate candidates squirming when asked about transgender athletes in high school.
State Assembly hopefuls denying we have extremist groups in Stanislaus County.
Candidates for Stanislaus supervisor accusing each other of pulling political stunts.
All that and much more, you can see in our endorsement interviews now appearing in the opinion section at modbee.com.
Most of the recordings, conducted remotely in debate format, focus on serious issues affecting our lives — homelessness, garbage rates, the price of gas, illegal marijuana grows, policing, and roadside dumping. For the most part you’ll see informed, engaged office seekers thinking fast on their feet, although you’ll also hear some head-scratchers.
Verbal sparring should get people talking. Like this exchange between Terry Withrow, the incumbent Stanislaus supervisor, and challenger Tony Madrigal, a Modesto councilman who nearly ousted Withrow four years ago:
Madrigal: I don’t know where my opponent gets his information ... What my opponent might call being opposed, I call giving voice to folks that don’t have a voice.
Withrow: I just call it someone making political hay during an election to try and get elected ... which is sad.
Madrigal: There he goes again.
And that’s just one among several clashes in the testiest debate hosted so far by The Modesto Bee Editorial Board, in campaigns for the June 7 primary election.
I say “so far” because we’re not quite done; our interviews with candidates for two congressional seats representing most of Stanislaus County are scheduled this week and should be ready to view in a few days.
Right now you can see:
- Madrigal and Withrow go at it in the county race for District 3, which includes Salida, Wood Colony, part of west Modesto and a good chunk of northwest Modesto.
- Five candidates for Senate District 4, a crazy expanse of mostly mountain regions from Lake Tahoe to Death Valley, plus Stanislaus County. Those interviewed are Marie Alvarado-Gil, Steven Bailey, Jolene Daly, George Radanovich and Tim Robertson.
- Three candidates for Assembly District 22, which covers most of Stanislaus County except for Riverbank, Oakdale and Salida — yes, it’s hard to describe and many of us are mad about new boundaries, but that’s a discussion for another day. Participating in this debate are Joel Campos, Chad Condit and Jessica Self.
- Mani Grewal, the incumbent Stanislaus supervisor appointed a couple of years ago by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Grewal’s opponent did not respond to several invitations, so this is the shortest of the four videos.
Local House debates on tap
In a few days you’ll be able to see us interview people running for:
- Congressional District 5, which includes the Mother Lode and most areas in Stanislaus County east of Highway 99, except Ceres.
- Congressional District 13, including Stanislaus areas west of Highway 99 and all of Ceres, plus Merced County and parts of Madera and Fresno counties.
Although the senate recording is the busiest, you’ll probably be impressed with how efficient most candidates were with their answers. The discussion moves quickly and is quite watchable. But I was a little surprised that the four barely known office seekers did not want to mix it up with the clear front-runner, Radanovich, who is returning to politics after having served in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Daly was at the wheel while participating remotely, and we all laughed as fire engine sirens whizzed by. That’s dedication. Also, candidates know they aren’t eligible for Bee endorsements if they don’t participate. Some in both the assembly and senate races missed this opportunity.
One part of the assembly video may raise eyebrows, where Condit seems to characterize an answer by Self as “bureaucratic nonsense.” They are vying for the same Democratic voter pool and know it’s imperative to put space between them.
Play nice, boys
The spiciest, again, is the Withrow-Madrigal rematch. Remember that Withrow retained his seat in 2018 by a mere 129 votes, which Madrigal correctly points out was a margin of less than one half of 1%. No love is lost in that one, truly.
These debates help inform The Bee’s voting recommendations, which will appear in editorial endorsements to be published in coming weeks. Look for them in the newspaper and at modbee.com soon after election officials begin sending mail ballots on May 9.
Off camera, but observing all debates, are members of our Community Advisory Board, who volunteer in six-month stints and who bring valuable nonjournalist perspective. They are Joyce Parker, Rosalee Rush and Salvatore Salerno, and we greatly appreciate their insights and help with suggestions on what to ask candidates.
Perhaps the greatest value of these forums is providing a space where voters might connect with candidates, in a sense. With so many people running for so many offices, getting to know them — and figuring out which align with our personal values — can be hard. Bee videos bring them right into your den, living room or wherever, letting you hear them say what’s important to them in their own voices.
So check out debate videos at modbee.com/opinion/, and when it’s time, don’t forget to vote.
