Torrance Gets Nod to Host Final Pre-Primary Presidential Debates

The League of Women Voters on Wednesday chose Torrance as the site for the last nationally televised debate between presidential candidates before the Democratic and Republican conventions.

Thrilled civic and business leaders, who had wooed league officials in a bid to capture the debate and the national exposure it will bring, celebrated the selection at a banner-bedecked City Hall reception.

The Torrance High School band was on hand to herald the announcement of the most important political event in the South Bay since former President Carter held a town meeting in Torrance seven years ago.

Separate showdowns between Democratic and Republican presidential candidates will be held June 4 and 5 at El Camino College’s Marsee Auditorium.

The Torrance debates will take place just before the last round of presidential primary elections June 7 in California, New Jersey, New Mexico and Montana. At stake are 466 delegates to the Democratic National Convention and 185 delegates to the Republican National Convention.

“This is an exciting and historic moment, especially for our city,” Torrance League of Women Voters President Lola Ungar told the more than 100 celebrants. “The tremendous debate enthusiasm we have witnessed is proof of the community’s support for nonpartisan, independently sponsored candidates’ debates.”

Ungar said the league must now raise $250,000 in private money and contributions to underwrite costs of staging the two-day event.

Local officials were delighted with the news and the chance to showcase the city before a national audience.

The Torrance debates will be televised live by Cable News Network and broadcast on radio by CBS News and National Public Radio.

Torrance Mayor Katy Geissert told the crowd that when the idea of seeking the debates was first proposed, “I quite frankly thought they were dreaming.”

Geissert, who got her start in politics through the league, said league officials from Washington were excited about Torrance after visiting the city last June. The auditorium facilities, hotels, proximity to Los Angeles International Airport, freeway access and “excellent cooperation of the business community” were all factors in the league’s decision, she said.

A concerted campaign was waged to win the debate. The city of Torrance prepared a full-color videotape describing the South Bay area’s benefits.

The Torrance league and Chamber of Commerce officials staged an elaborately catered luncheon last June in a private dining room at the Torrance Marriott Hotel. Participants described the affair with lace tablecloths, floral bouquets and an abundance of waiters as a “real VIP treatment” that made a lasting impression on national debate coordinator Natalie Testa.

Torrance was the only city in California to compete for the pre-primary debate, although Los Angeles has been selected as site of one of the final pre-election debates between the Democratic and Republican nominees next September or October.

Other league-sponsored presidential debates will be held just before crucial primary election contests in Manchester, N.H., on Feb. 13 and 14; Nashville, Tenn., on March 5 and 6, and Rochester, N.Y., on April 16 and 17.

All six Democratic presidential contenders--Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis; Rev. Jesse Jackson; former Arizona Gov. Bruce Babbitt; Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt; Tennessee Sen. Albert Gore Jr., and Illinois Sen. Paul Simon--have agreed to participate in the first two debates, Ungar said.

On the Republican side, only Rep. Jack Kemp of New York and former Delaware Gov. Pierre S. Du Pont have accepted the league’s invitation to join in the early debates, although Vice President George Bush, Kansas Sen. Robert J. Dole, former Secretary of State Alexander Haig and Pat Robertson have been invited to participate.

Discussions with the candidates concerning the Torrance debate will begin now that the announcement has been made, Ungar said.

Ungar said no decisions have been made about how tickets to the debate will be distributed.