Tea party protests Allen-Kaine debate

Credit: BOB BROWN/TIMES-DISPATCH

Senate hopeful Jamie Radtke and other protesters gathered outside the state Capitol today.

By: Wesley P. Hester | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: December 07, 2011

The gathering outside this afternoon’s Associated Press Day at the Capitol debate between U.S. Senate candidates George Allen and Timothy M. Kaine is about who’s not participating.

The Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation is holding a 1 p.m. rally outside the state Capitol to protest the exclusion of numerous candidates based on the qualifications set by event organizers.

As of 12:30 p.m., about 10 people had gathered carrying signs that read “Liberal media -- keep out of our primary process,” and “Shame on Allen and Kaine.”

To participate in the event, candidates were required to average 15 percent or better in published polls and a fundraising total of at least 20 percent of the respective party’s front-runners, Allen and Kaine. No one met the criteria.

A lawsuit filed over the qualifications in U.S. District Court by little-known Democratic candidate Julien Modica was last week dismissed in U.S. District Court.

Jamie Radtke, a former chairwoman for the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation, joined the protesters outside the state Capitol.

“You can’t make a decision if you don’t know who the candidates are,” she said. “What’s going on today epitomizes the frustration that people have with the political process.”

Radtke criticized both Allen and Kaine and called them both “career politicians.”

(This has been a breaking news update. Check back for more details as they become available.)

Tea party protests Allen-Kaine debate

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