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(From left to right) Libertarian Barry Hess, Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, moderator Ted Simons, Democrat Attorney General Terry Goddard and Green Party candidate Larry Gist prepare for the required Clean Elections gubernatorial debate Sept. 1. (Photo by Evan Wyloge/Arizona Capitol Times)
Terry Goddard isn’t going to get the additional debates he had asked for, and despite several miscues by Gov. Jan Brewer, his one and only showdown with her might not give him the boost he needs to make the race competitive.
After the Sept. 1 Clean Elections debate, Democrats crowed over Brewer’s verbal blunders and her refusal to retract a false statement about headless bodies being found in the Arizona desert – prompting the governor to walk out on reporters after the debate.
But though the grammatical errors sounded bad, and the walkout looked even worse, it’s unlikely to do much to sway the electorate because Clean Elections debates have low viewership and voters may be willing to overlook Brewer’s miscues, according to political experts.
Pollster Michael O’Neil, of O’Neil Research in Tempe, said Goddard won the debate but isn’t likely to gain much ground on Brewer, who is leading by double-digits in most polls.
“I think Goddard dominated the debate,” O’Neil said. “The related question, however, is – is this enough to turn things around? And my answer to that would be, not by itself.”
Fred Solop, the director of Northern Arizona University’s political science department, said Brewer’s performance in the debate will probably hurt her, though not enough to make a difference in the race.
“If someone was undecided going into this debate, I don’t think we’re going to see anybody say, ‘Based on this debate performance, I’ve made my decision,’” he said.
Brewer’s performance was panned by Democrats and media from across the country. KTAR referred to it as a “meltdown” for the governor, and Politico said she tripped up against Goddard and “stumbled out of the gate.” ~The New York Times~ called her the candidate to beat, “despite her propensity to mangle words.”
The governor paused for about 10 seconds in her opening statement as she lost her train of thought, and she made the same grammatical errors that became infamous after her Republican primary debate in June, including using the phrase “have did” several times.
Brewer also refused to acknowledge that she made a mistake months ago when she said that drug cartels had left decapitated bodies in the Arizona desert. She walked out on reporters who pressed the issue after the debate.
Brewer’s walk-out looked bad, said public relations consultant Jason Rose, and he’d be surprised if the Arizona Democratic Party or the Goddard campaign didn’t turn it into a campaign video by the end day. “Temperament matters,” he said.
But none of Brewer’s miscues changed the dynamics of the race, Rose said.
“Does the fact that Gov. Brewer’s need to enroll in English-only classes herself, that it was on full display last night … affect the outcome of the election? Doubtful, because Terry Goddard is swimming upstream on substance and in the end is a candidate that makes Tim Pawlenty look like David Lee Roth,” Rose said.
In a Sept. 2 interview on KTAR, Brewer said the debate was not her finest hour, especially the long pause in her opening statement, which she referred to “the longest 16 seconds of my life.”
But she said she walked out on the press because she was irritated that reporters were focusing on such a trivial matter while ignoring the substantive issues raised in the debate.
“I think it’s unfair that when you come out of a debate that the first thing you are approached with is people yelling at you about beheadings, given the fact that we had a lot more important things to discuss,” Brewer told interviewer Bruce St. James. “I’m human. We all have our levels of tolerance.”
The debate didn’t go well for Brewer, but at least it will be the last one for her. The day after the primary, Brewer said that there would be no more debates between her and Goddard.
“I think people know what we stand for,” Brewer said, noting that both she and Goddard have held public office since the early 1980s.
Goddard, who had challenged Brewer to six additional debates, kept pressing the governor.
“It is our responsibility to give Arizonans clear information that will allow them to exercise their fundamental right to make an informed decision about who should lead our state into the future. Arizonans deserve more than a single discussion of the issues we face,” Goddard wrote in a Sept. 2 letter to Brewer.
Republican lobbyist Kevin DeMenna said Brewer could improve her performance if she participated in more debates. But Brewer has no good reason to do so, he said.
“I would not ask for a do-over,” DeMenna said.
Goddard spokeswoman Janey Pearl called Brewer’s errors and walk-out demonstrations of why she doesn’t want more debates.
“I think what happened last night – although we want more debates, I think it’s pretty clear now that there won’t be more debates, which is unfortunate because Arizonans deserve to hear from the two main candidates more than just once and in more than just little soundbites,” she said.
Debates are opportunities for candidates to make up lost ground, O’Neil said, and few candidates would agree to more if they had the kind of lead Brewer has over Goddard.
“The real reason she doesn’t want them is the classic one – she’s way ahead,” O’Neil said. “Even if she were his match as a debater – which she’s not – she still wouldn’t want a debate.”
RELATED: Goddard, Brewer debate jobs, budget, ‘headless bodies’
Watch the entire debate below, or click here to see the video on KAET’s website.