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GOP candidates boycott Univision debate over Rubio flap

Posted Oct 5, 2011 by William March

Updated Oct 5, 2011 at 06:22 PM

At least six of the Republican presidential candidates are planning or threatening to boycott a planned January debate on Univision, the nation’s leading Spanish-language TV network, over a story it did on a decades-old drug bust involving a relative of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

The boycott also stems in part from a Miami Herald article saying a network news executive offered to kill or soften the story if Rubio appeared on a popular talk show on the network.

Five candidates—Michele Bachmann, Tim Huntsman, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney—have said they won’t participate in the debate unless there’s a resolution of the controversy between Rubio and Univision, and Herman Cain told the Tribune he doesn’t plan to participate.

The dispute stems from a story in July on the Miami-based, nationwide network on the arrest of Rubio’s sister’s husband on drug charges in 1987, when Rubio was 16. Rubio aides called the story unfair to Rubio and his family and non-newsworthy.

The Herald reported that prior to airing the story, Univision repeatedly asked unsuccessfully for Rubio to appear on Al Punto, its popular talk show, whose host, Jorge Ramos, disagrees with Rubio on a key question on illegal immigration. Ramos favors the Dream Act, which Rubio opposes, which would allow a path to citizenship under certain conditions for illegal immigrants who serve in the armed forces or attend college.

The Herald also reported, citing Rubio aides and unnamed Univision staffers, that shortly before the story ran, Univision news president Isaac Lee told Rubio advisers in a conference call that the story might be changed if Rubio appeared on the show.

Lee denied that. But in response, Florida Republicans including U.S. Rep. David Rivera of Miami, a close associate of Rubio, along with the state Republican Party, asked that the campaigns boycott the debate.

Huntsman campaign manager Matt David wrote Univision programming chief Cesar Conde, “We have received a letter from Hispanic leaders in Florida and the local Republican Party regarding the dispute between Senator Rubio and Univision. ... Unless Univision resolves this issue in a timely and satisfactory manner, Governor Huntsman will not give consideration to your network’s debate currently proposed for January, 2012.”

Other candidates made similar statements.

“The scheduled Univision debate on January 29, 2012 is an important opportunity for Latinos to hear the conservative message of economic opportunity and pro-family values.  However, the reports of extortion tactics by Univision against Senator Rubio are disturbing ... They must be addressed in a satisfactory manner before Newt will consider appearing at the debate,” wrote Gingrich spokesman Joe DeSantis.

Rubio has refused to comment on the issue.

“I really don’t even want to address the whole issue. I don’t want to give that thing any oxygen,” he said today at a forum sponsored by news agencies in Washington.