Today, State Senator Robert Hurt sent a letter to all 21 Republican unit chairs of Virginia's 5th Congressional District and requested that they work together to sponsor five regional debates among all of the Republican candidates seeking the nomination to defeat Tom Perriello in November 2010. In the letter, Hurt asked unit chairs to work together to come up with five dates and locations that would be convenient for all of the candidates and for all of the local Republican committees, large and small. In addition, Hurt requested that the rules of each debate be developed in collaboration with the committees and the candidates to ensure that the debates are fair and balanced.

"I believe that by having the local Republican committees develop the plan for these five debates, Republican voters across the 5th District will be well served by increased debate attendance, greater participation by smaller units and the greater likelihood of widespread press interest. I believe that having the candidates communicate directly to Republican voters about our vision for the 5th district will help ensure that we select the strongest candidate to defeat Tom Perriello and to represent our conservative values in Washington," said Senator Hurt.

Senator Hurt was elected to the House of Delegates in 2001 and was elected to the Senate of Virginia in 2007. Senator Hurt represents the City of Danville and Campbell County, Franklin County, and Pittsylvania County in Virginia's 19th Senate District.