Horgan preps for big debate debut
As a party leader in the spotlight, he’s learned about staying on message in heat of battle
If the old expression is true, and you never get a second chance to make a first impression, then Thursday is a very big day for B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan.
The election radio debate on News 1130 is the first chance for the public to hear the party leaders spar, and, for many, their first introduction to Horgan as a potential premier-in-waiting. It’s a big spotlight for someone whose low profile as a Vancouver Island MLA has been a persistent problem, and for whom name recognition has not come easily.
“I’m going to continue to be myself and talk about what I’m hearing and what people want to see in their government,” Horgan said in an interview Wednesday.
“To use a sports analogy, it’s a big part of the playoffs. We’re in a playoff run here, a 28-day process, and these are key moments. I’m not oblivious to that. But I’m not putting any more pressure on myself than already exists.”
To continue the sports analogy, Horgan doesn’t have home-team advantage in the world of radio debating. That edge likely belongs to Liberal Leader Christy Clark, who spent several years before becoming premier as a talk-show host on CKNW radio in Vancouver.
But Clark also carries the baggage of 16 years of B.C. Liberal government, and many voters have long since made up their mind about whether they like her.
For Horgan, his public image is more of a blank slate, which will start to be filled when the radio microphones go hot. He said he’s been undergoing debate preparation and training, mostly for next week’s televised leaders’ debate, scheduled for April 26. One key he’s learned is that he can’t approach the debates like they are actual conversations.
“I have to get my head around the fact this is not about a genuine discussion between her and I,” he said. “She’s going to say probably the same things she said three or four years ago, because it worked for her. So I’m not going to engage her unless the opportunity presents itself.”
Then there’s the matter of sarcastic comments, made in the heat of the battle. Horgan was once able to do that, as just an MLA, but now every comment takes on heightened importance as leader. He’ll have to keep his cool while under fire from Clark on the one side and B.C. Green Leader Andrew Weaver on the other.
“The consequence of a glib comment are far higher now than they were 12 years ago when I was first elected,” he said.
“So moderating my instincts to engage in a conversation, or engage in a debate . ... There’s going to be two other people on the stage or screen and they are going to be both at yelling at me, if the first week of the campaign is any indication.”
Horgan said he’s not going to try to talk over his opponents, especially during the radio debate when it will confuse listeners. And he’s been told to keep his body framed to the camera during the TV debate, rather than turning to physically address his opponents.
Horgan said he’d recently re-watched and studied the 2013 TV leaders’ debate, featuring Clark and then NDP Leader Adrian Dix. At the time, Horgan said he thought Dix won. Now, he realizes Clark emerged the victor due to her focus.
“If you watch Clark’s performance in 2013 she had the grin on, looked straight forward no matter what the circumstances were and talked about her message only, exclusively,” he said.
“Why I thought we’d won, for example, was there was a marijuana question at the end of the debate in 2013. Adrian answered it ... and Christy Clark just said jobs. And I thought at the time, she’s so out of touch she can’t even answer the question. But it wasn’t about the question, to her it was about burrowing in to her message.”
The radio debate runs 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and will be livestreamed on the News 1130 website.