League of Women Voters Disputes Plan : 15 Major Candidates Vow TV Debates if Nominated

Fifteen major Republican and Democratic presidential candidates have pledged to participate in four nationally televised debates in the fall of 1988 if they are chosen as their parties’ nominees, the chairmen of the GOP and Democratic national committees announced Tuesday.

The pledges further an attempt by the parties to wrest control of the debates from the League of Women Voters, the sponsor of such live televised contests since 1960. Moreover, the tentative agreement on dates in September and October moves the parties “a long step toward the permanent institutionalization of debates in the general election process,” Democratic Chairman Paul G. Kirk Jr. said.

But Nancy M. Neuman, president of the league, disagreed and termed the candidates’ vows meaningless. “As far as commitments go, they’re pretty much written in sand at this point,” she said. The league, however, has no such pledges from the candidates at this point.

Kirk and Republican Chairman Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr. said eight Democratic and seven Republican candidates have agreed to party-sponsored televised debates on Sept. 14 and 25 and Oct. 11 and 27 in 1988 if they win the nomination.

They said the sites and formats have not been set, but said a blue-ribbon, bipartisan advisory panel whose membership also was announced Tuesday will help resolve any disputes and make sure each candidate is treated fairly. Panel members include such well known political figures as former Defense Secretary Melvin R. Laird, a Republian; former Texas Democratic congresswoman Barbara C. Jordan; former Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Richard L. Thornburgh and Jody Powell, press secretary to former President Jimmy Carter.

The party chairmen said the parties’ influence will help prevent snags that have hampered the league’s debates, citing as an example Carter’s refusal to debate both GOP nominee Ronald Reagan and independent candidate John B. Anderson in the same forum in 1980.

Neuman insisted that the league will not be dissuaded from holding its debates, and insisted they will have greater credibility because of the league’s independence and established reputation as a debate sponsor.

The eight Democrats who agreed to the four dates are former Arizona Gov. Bruce Babbitt, Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, Reps. Patricia Schroeder of Colorado and Richard Gephardt of Missouri, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Sens. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, Paul Simon of Illinois and Albert Gore Jr. of Tennessee. All but Schroeder and Jackson have formally announced their candidacies.

The Republicans are Vice President George Bush, Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas, former Gov. Pierre S. (Pete) du Pont IV of Delaware, former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr., Rep. Jack Kemp of New York, former Sen. Paul Laxalt of Nevada and Pat Robertson, the evangelist. Of those, Du Pont, Haig and Kemp have formally announced.