| Democratic candidate Mike Russo sent me a letter last night that he has sent to his Republican opponent, Assemblyman Roy McDonald, asking McDonald to join him on the campaign trail for a series of town hall meetings. Russo specified that these would be town hall meetings and not debates.
In his e-mail to me, Russo said that he has doing this because he believes people are sick of negative campaigns and don't want to see fancy TV ads and glossy mailers.
"I think people are fed up with negative campaigns and character assassinations and would be pleasantly surprised by candidates who are willing to openly discuss issues and differences in a positive way," Russo said via e-mail.
He added: "In these difficult times, people want less glitz and glamour, fewer fancy TV ads and glossy mailers and more straight talk, more direct contact with their representatives, so I see this as a unique opportunity for two opponents that respect each other to make it happen."
Russo wrote a kindly worded letter to McDonald inviting him on the trail. In that letter, Russo touched on some of the same themes he discussed in his e-mail. He also added this:
While we may have differences of opinion on the legislative process, I believe there are few areas of great disagreement. I am struck by the certain fact that the issues that confront the residents of the 43rd will be issues that will not divide us but unite us. It is in that spirit of cooperation and expression of civility that I offer this suggestion as a means to not only give the voters a fair and equal opportunity to be heard but also provide a unique opportunity that demonstrates to our constituents that political campaigns can be civil, issue oriented and ones where all concerned respect the views and opinions of all, no matter what their party affiliation.
This is a unique proposition from Russo to McDonald. I don't expect McDonald to say yes but if he did, it certainly would speak volumes for how both men want this race to be carried out. An issue-based campaign would be nice and leaving the negative attacks and character attacks is a must. In these tough times, people want answers. They don't want you fighting against each other while important issues are ignored. If McDonald accepts, it would send a clear message. He, too, wants to run a clean, issue-based campaign.
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