Republican James Marter, left, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood are running for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District seat.
A political forum featuring the candidates for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District scheduled for Monday night has been canceled.
The League of Women Voters group serving the Aurora area, which had arranged the meeting between Democratic U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood of Naperville and Republican challenger James Marter of Oswego, called off the event Sunday night without public explanation.
The candidates were to meet at a fire station in Oswego to answer questions about issues facing the nation. While the room was to be closed to the public, constituents were invited to watch the discussion live at facebook.com/LWVAuroraArea.
Representatives of the league haven’t responded to requests for an explanation of the cancellation.
In a series of emails to the league and the Daily Herald, Marter called the event’s cancellation “truly disappointing.” He accused the group of reneging on an agreement to host an in-person debate and said he will not meet Underwood in a fully online forum that doesn’t feature the candidates in the same room.
“The people of the 14th Congressional District of Illinois deserve better, and I will not insult them with a virtual only appearance,” Marter said.
Marter also criticized the public attendance ban for the now-canceled event.
“It is completely weird and unprofessional to have an in-person forum without inviting the public,” he said.
Marter said he intends to show up at the fire station tonight regardless of whether the forum is held.
He accused Underwood of refusing to attend an in-person forum with him. An Underwood campaign spokeswoman said that’s untrue.
“We’ve agreed to virtual or in person,” Underwood campaign adviser Pavitra Abraham said.
Abraham noted the league canceled the event after the Marter campaign publicized the location.
Underwood is seeking a fourth term in Congress in the Nov. 5 election. Marter, a software consultant and library board member, is making his fifth bid for federal office.
They have opposing views on most issues, including abortion, immigration, the economy and the result of the 2020 presidential election.
The 14th District includes parts of Kane, Will and five other counties.