When Candidates Avoid Free and Open Debate, Voters Lose

Guest Opinion by Seth Burton, Two-time nuclear submarine commander and candidate for U.S. Senate

There is a growing problem in modern politics: high-profile candidates increasingly avoid the test of free and open debate. It is time We the People stop rewarding those who play politics instead of demonstrating accountability.

“The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.” — James Madison

That principle is as relevant today as it was at our nation’s founding.

Yet in today’s campaigns, many candidates avoid debates, town halls, and forums where they might face unscripted questions and direct engagement with voters. Instead, campaigns are carefully managed through advertising, polling, and controlled media appearances.

This may be an effective strategy for winning elections—but it is not a healthy practice for a representative republic.

Debates and candidate forums are not political theater. At their best, they are one of the few remaining opportunities for voters to evaluate candidates in real time—how they think, how they respond under pressure, and how they handle questions they did not write themselves.

This opportunity is especially important in races where candidates share similar positions on many issues. Seeing candidates on stage—tested in real time—helps voters distinguish experience, judgment, and readiness to serve.

When candidates avoid these settings, voters are left with curated messaging rather than genuine insight. Polling begins to shape perception instead of reflect it. Media coverage often follows money rather than merit. Over time, the public’s ability to make fully informed decisions is diminished.

This is not just a campaign issue—it is a civic one.

A self-governing people depends on access to information, open debate, and the ability to weigh competing ideas. When that process weakens, trust erodes—and when trust erodes, the foundation of our republic weakens with it.

Avoiding debate may reduce political risk for a candidate—but it increases risk for the country.

We should expect more from those who seek to represent us. We the People are the sovereign authority—not the officials we elect.

Representation requires accountability. It requires the willingness to answer hard questions, to defend ideas in the open, and to engage directly with the people one hopes to serve.

This is not about any one candidate. It is about the standard we set going forward.

If we want to restore trust in government, we must also restore the expectation that those who seek temporary stewardship of our power are willing to stand before the public and be tested.

An informed electorate is not a threat to democracy—it is its safeguard.

And that begins with open, honest debate.

— Seth Burton

Seth Burton is a two-time nuclear submarine commander and national security expert. He is running for U.S. Senate in Alabama to restore trust, decentralize power, and return government to its constitutional foundation.

For more information on Burton and his campaign, visit https://sethburtonforsenate.com or follow him on social media.

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