Dan Reale, Libertarian Party candidate for Congress in Eastern Connecticuts 2nd District, is balking at his exclusion from an Oct. 29 debate at Connecticut College and says he plans to go to the event any way.

Debate sponsors Connecticut Public Television and The Day newspaper have decided to limit the debate to Democratic incumbent Joe Courtney of Vernon and Republican Paul Formica, the first selectman of East Lyme. Reale, a Plainfield resident, and Colin Bennett, the Green Party candidate who lives in Westbrook, will not be allowed to participate.

CPTV is providing time for a one-hour telecast and having four candidates in the debate would dilute the limited time we have for questions that it would provide little opportunity for a true debate, Day Editorial Page Editor Paul Choiniere wrote in an email to Reale.

Reale said the exclusion will hurt his and Bennetts campaigns since the Oct. 29 New London event will likely be the final debate before voters cast ballots Nov. 6. Unaffiliated voters outnumber both Democrats and Republicans thus all candidates on the ballot should be given a final opportunity to address the electorate, said Reale, who is also chairman of the Libertarian Party of Connecticut.

I suppose its The Days and CPTVs right to hand out free advertising under the pretense of an actual debate of all the issues, he wrote in an email. The Day should call a spade a spade and not pretend this debate is something its not. If its not going to represent an actual forum then it should say so. Id even applaud the admission as an honest change of policy.

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Libertarian Congressional candidate balks at debate exclusion