Republican 2nd Congressional District candidates Vic Mellor and Dr. Stephen Skoly have separately given TV and radio interviews in recent weeks, but they have yet to appear together on the same stage.
And it doesn’t look like they will before the Sept. 9 primary.
Mellor declined an invitation to participate in a party-led debate against his GOP-endorsed rival, Rhode Island GOP Chair Allyn Meyers confirmed Monday.
Both candidates were invited on Aug. 4 to participate in a debate. Skoly promptly responded, accepting the invitation, but Mellor’s staff held off and promised they would respond soon, Meyers said.
On Monday, shortly before he received confirmation that Mellor would not participate, Skoly separately issued a public challenge calling for a debate on Aug. 14, or at least before early voting begins Aug. 20.
“Given Mr. Mellor’s decision not to participate, an August 14 debate between the two candidates is no longer feasible,” Meyers wrote via email Monday.
It’s not every election two Rhode Island Republicans run for the same seat, but this year there are two GOP primaries: one in the 2nd Congressional District, and another in the gubernatorial race. The purpose of hosting a debate was straightforward, Meyers said.
“If we are serious about building a professional, independent state party, we must develop our own platforms for Republican candidates to communicate directly with Republican voters rather than relying exclusively on traditional media organizations to frame our primary contests.”
Republicans make up only 16% of the 366,603 registered voters in Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District. Democrats account for 30% while most voters are unaffiliated.
Mellor’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday. Skoly’s campaign also did not respond.
But the Skoly campaign did issue a public statement Monday over social media, and in an email newsletter and a separate letter to the GOP, reiterating the need for a debate. Attached to Skoly’s request was a list of proposed terms, which included a mutually agreed upon moderator chosen by both campaigns, equal speaking time, no advance questions or topics, and no notes, phones or earpieces at the podium.
Skoly also wanted the event livestreamed in its entirety and available online through primary day on Sept. 9.
“Primary voters deserved the chance to hear both of us answer the same questions, side by side, under the same conditions,” Skoly wrote in a Facebook post Monday evening. “There was a window to do that, and it was not a long one.”
Skoly’s post noted that he asked for an Aug. 14 debate because once “Rhode Islanders begin casting ballots, a debate no longer serves the purpose it was meant to serve.”
“That window has closed,” Skoly wrote. “Not because I withdrew, but because the calendar does not wait and my opponent said No.”
Meyers said the event wouldn’t have been “closed or controlled,” and that it was the RI GOP’s intention “to involve respected and recognizable media professionals while also giving Rhode Island Republicans an opportunity to submit substantive questions for the candidates,” with a focus on the economy, taxes, affordability, public safety, jobs and government accountability.
“With Mr. Mellor declining to participate, consideration of the proposed debate terms is now moot,” Meyers wrote.
The state GOP began planning the debate more than two months ago, said Meyers, who was elected chair earlier this year. In his tenure so far, Meyers said he has tried to have the party show face in a more consistent and professional way via events like conventions, debates and other activities.
“Mr. Mellor has chosen not to participate, and his reasons are his own,” Meyers said. “Following the primary, we hope the Rhode Island Republican Party will have a meaningful role in the general election debates. Our nominee deserves a fair and professional forum to present a Republican vision and address the issues that matter most to Rhode Islanders.”
Mellor — a Marine Corps veteran and now Warwick resident after decades of living in Florida — has described himself to WJAR as a “J6er” who marched on the capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He does have a busy Saturday ahead, with the scheduling of his second “Rhode Island First” rally at the Cranston Park Theater, with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani among the announced guests.
Skoly, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who lives in East Greenwich and has a practice in Cranston, won the Rhode Island GOP endorsement in June, with the party’s nominating committee recommending him over Mellor, who withdrew from seeking the endorsement.
At the state GOP convention, Skoly ultimately received the endorsement on a 44-19 vote with the 19 dissenting votes representing no endorsement since Mellor had already withdrawn.
Skoly announced he had received the endorsement of Rhode Island House Minority Whip Gordon Rogers, a Foster Republican, on Sunday.
In July, the Rhode Island State Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Mello at its 37th Biennial Conference.
Both candidates responded to a questionnaire from Rhode Island Current for the 2026 Primary Voter Guide which was posted Monday.
The victor of the Republican race will go on to face the incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner in the general election.
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