YWCA Drops Debate Sponsorship Over Exclusion of Third-Party Candidates
That whole commitment to non-discrimination thing
Recently, Rick Stewert and Jason Melehani, two supporters of Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson, wrote a letter to the Young Women's Christian Association asking them to withdraw their sponsorship of the Commission on Presidential Debates because of their exclusion of third party candidates.
The YWCA is the first sponsor of the Commission on Presidential Debates to announce that they will cease their sponsorship of the debates. The debates are still being sponsored by Anheuser-Busch Companies, the Howard G. Buffet Foundation, Sheldon S. Cohen, Esq., Crowell & Moring LLP, International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), The Kovler Fund, Philips Electronics North America, and Southwest Airlines.
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Update: Philips Electronics has dropped their sponsorship.
Dear Mx. XXXXXX,
The Commission on Presidential Debates is a nonprofit, 501(c) (3) corporation dedicated to providing a platform to the U.S. public ? in the form of presidential and vice-presidential debates ? which serves to inform voters on a variety of issues. Philips, a company with roots in the U.S spanning more than eight decades, supports the goals and ideals of having a more engaged and informed electorate. Philips also has a long and proud heritage of being non-partisan in the many countries it serves around the world. While the Commission on Presidential Debates is a non-partisan organization, their work may appear to support bi-partisan politics. We respect all points of view and, as a result, want to ensure that Philips doesn't provide even the slightest appearance of supporting partisan politics. As such, no company funds have been or will be used to support the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Kind regards,
Mark
Mark A. Stephenson
Head of Corporate Communications, Philips North America
XXXXXXXXXX@philips.com | XXX-XXX-XXXX (B) | XXX-XXX-XXXX (M)