The Mackinac Policy Conference was set to host a highly anticipated debated between the top three Democrat candidates and the top three Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate seat that will soon be vacated by Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
But the Detroit Regional Chamber, which hosts the Mackinac Policy Conference, said the debate has been canceled because democratic frontrunner Elissa Slotkin and republican frontrunner Mike Rogers have declined invitations to participate.
“With disappointment, the Detroit Regional Chamber regrets to inform Mackinac Policy Conference attendees and Michigan voters across the state that there will not be a U.S. Senate debate at the Conference, as previously scheduled,” the Chamber said in a statement.
“This is certainly not something we expected after we initially gauged campaigns’ interest starting on April 1 and then commissioned a poll to determine participants, who were extended invitations on April 30.”
The format of having all six candidates on stage for a single debate was previously done at the Policy Conference in 2018 for the gubernatorial race.
“The leading candidates’ refusal to engage in this vital forum points to a deeply concerning trend. It undermines our democratic process and hampers our state’s progress. This is a clear reflection of today’s political dynamics, which increasingly discourage candidates from directly addressing voters’ concerns. Today’s dynamics favor sound bites, clicks, and ‘likes,’ and let political strategy take precedence over informing voters by standing ‘in the arena’ debating ideas, priorities, and values with others vying for the same position of public trust,” the Chamber’s statement said.
The Chamber still extended invitations to attend the conference to Republican Sandy Pensler and Democrats Nasser Beydoun and Hill Harper to next week’s conference, but it’s unclear whether that invitation was to debate issues or simply attend the conference as a guest.
This Chamber added: “The decision to cancel the debate also marks a significant departure from a tradition of civic engagement and public discourse that has been upheld by leading candidates for statewide office at our Conference since 2010. The Mackinac Policy Conference can and should serve as a crucial platform for leading candidates for statewide office. Notable figures such as Gov. Rick Snyder, Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Sen. Gary Peters, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer participated in debates at the event to foster a robust dialogue on issues that matter to Michiganders.”
The platform certainly would have been a highlight of the conference for both attendees and voters around the state, but the decision to cancel due to lack of participation from each party’s frontrunners underscores the current political climate in Michigan and across the nation.
In what would have been a clear opportunity for the candidates to lay out their platforms and discuss hot-button issues, it seems as though neither party’s leading candidate wanted to risk their respective position in the polls.
“The Detroit Regional Chamber is committed to exploring solutions that will encourage better outcomes for the state,” the statement read. “We believe in the potential of reforms such as a non-partisan primary, ranked-choice voting, or other innovative approaches that could reinvigorate our political landscape and ensure that elected officials genuinely listen to and serve their constituents.”
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