I’m not going to link to any of the Fox or Sinclair (gack!) TV stations broadcasting tonight’s Virginia Democratic gubernatorial debate – the second of four hosted by the Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) – but you can click here to watch it on the DPVA’s website, or check out the video below. The candidates, of course, are Del. Lee Carter, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, and State Sen. Jennifer McClellan. The debate runs from 7 to 8 pm and takes place in Bristol…
UPDATE: The moderator of the debate, Mark Hyman, is this guy –
“the former vice president for corporate relations for Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest chain of local television stations in the United States, until 2005.[1] Hyman became a visible presence during local news broadcasts over Sinclair’s stations, many of which aired on The Point—a controversial daily televised commentary by Hyman. In December 2010, Hyman’s commentaries returned to select Sinclair-owned stations under the title Behind the Headlines with Mark Hyman.[2] He retired in 2018, citing health reasons.”
His Twitter feed is as bad as you’d expect from such a right winger. Check this out, for instance. So…I guess it’s not surprising he’d ask a question like this (click here for the video clip). Totally unacceptable, but it’s what happens when you let a right-wing propaganda station (Sinclair Broadcasting) run your debate. Ugh.
UPDATE 7:40 pm – Question about the mining industry’s collapse – cleanup and mitigating health risks.
UPDATE 7:33 pm – Question about food insecurity.
UPDATE 7:28 pm – Now talking about expansion of rail in SW Virginia, etc.
UPDATE 7:22 pm – Fourth question is about ending qualified immunity.
UPDATE 7:15 pm – Third question is about combatting opioid and methamphetamine addiction.
UPDATE 7:08 pm – Question about reducing poverty in SW Virginia and Southside.
UPDATE 7:03 pm – No opening statements. The first question is about broadband.
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