Debates are about the people
- Mary Camacho Torres
- Jun 5
- 2 min read
It shows whether a candidate can think in real time, move beyond talking points, defend their record and answer questions they did not choose in advance. Most of all, it shows whether they trust the people enough to stand before them and be held accountable.
That is why I asked the delegate to debate before the Republican primary. Instead, he declined my invitation and invoked President Ronald Reagan. Yet President Reagan understood the importance of earning the people’s trust. In 1976, he challenged a sitting Republican president because he believed voters deserved a real choice about the future of the country. In 1980, he stood on the Republican primary debate stage with George Bush because he trusted voters to hear the arguments, weigh the answers and decide for themselves who was prepared to lead.
That is why debates matter.
Anyone asking for the people’s vote should be willing to answer the people’s questions.
Guam voters deserve the chance to hear directly from both candidates, side by side, in a respectful and substantive forum. They deserve to compare our priorities, our plans and our ability to speak clearly about Guam’s place in Washington.
And that conversation matters now more than ever. In recent weeks, residents have been left with unanswered questions about food assistance, immigration, disability benefits, radiation exposure and whether our current representation is delivering results in Congress.
Why, for example, did the delegate tell the people of Guam SNAP funding was safe when our island is now losing approximately $3 million a month?
Why are Guam’s workers, families and employers still waiting for answers on the new immigration policy and its impact on our island?
Why was Guam the only district removed from the expanded Radiation Exposure Compensation Act last year?
Why is our representative in Washington the only delegate in Guam history to never author a federal law in four years?
These are not personal attacks. They are public concerns, the kind of questions every candidate for Congress should be prepared to answer.
When a candidate declines to debate, the opposing campaign is not the one that loses. The people do.
Families worried about food assistance, workers trying to adjust status lawfully, survivors seeking recognition under RECA and young people wondering whether Guam will ever have a stronger voice in Washington all deserve to hear directly from the people asking to represent them.
Public service requires more than holding a title. It requires the willingness to show up, answer hard questions and trust the people enough to face them openly.
Guam deserves a delegate who does not hide behind press releases. Guam deserves a delegate who can stand before the people, speak plainly and earn their trust.
I remain ready to debate anytime, anywhere, in any respectful forum that gives voters the open dialogue they deserve.
Because debates are not about me. They are not about my opponent. They are about the people of Guam, and the people of Guam deserve answers.
Comments