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Reporter William March has covered state and national politics since 1994. Email

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Tampa Presidential Debate Cancelled

Posted May 24, 2007 by William March

Updated May 24, 2007 at 11:05 PM

A Republican presidential candidates debate that was to have been held in Tampa later this summer and broadcast over a conservative religious radio network has been cancelled after John McCain and Rudy Giuliani refused to participate.

Mitt Romney, who has been working hard to court religious right voters, was the only one of the top three candidates who had agreed to the debate. It was to have been broadcast over Salem Radio Network, which owns a chain of radio stations including several in the Tampa Bay area, and over an affiliated web site, TownHall.com.

Chuck DeFeo of Townhall.com said letters from the McCain and Giuliani campaigns didn’t specify reasons for declining the debate. Neither campaign provided any explanation Thursday night.

“It’s disappointing to us. We were looking forward to participating,” said Eric Fehrnstrom, spokesman for Romney.