Tampa Bay Times columnist Ernest Hooper gives a strong shout-out to State House District 67 candidate Chris Latvala and you may believe the reason why.
Hooper is commending Latvala, the son of State Senator Jack Latvala, for NOT debating. In a campaign season in which one of the dominant themes has been Charlie Crist’s refusal to debate his Democratic rival Nan Rich, it’s surprising to see someone in the media support a candidate’s decision not to debate his opponents.
Actually, Latvala is doing the right thing.
After one of his Republican primary opponents, Joshua Black, called for the hanging of President Barack Obama, Latvala publicly declared that he would not share a stage with Black. Latvala has remained true to that pledge, even when it would have been to his advantage to receive some free face-time before voters.
But doing the right thing even when it’s difficult and remaining true to your principles even when it’s inconvenient is what leadership is all about. Thank you to my friend, Chris Latvala, for reminding me of that.
And thanks, Ernest Hooper, for noticing and giving Chris some much-needed recognition.
