The Tea Party write-in challenger to Rep. Pete Stark will not get a chance to debate the long-time congressman. Chris Pareja offered Stark a three-way debate with himself and Forest Baker, if “we can find the rock he is hiding under,” Pareja said of their Republican challenger. “Not a chance,” Stark bluntly said this week. “Why would I debate you?”

Pareja, who garnered only half of the over 9,000 signatures needed to gain a spot on the November ballot as an independent, will rely on a write-in campaign to best a congressman whose opponents have won over 30 percent of the vote just once since 1980.

 But, the real question is, can the 78-year-old East Bay legislator ride a mechanical bull? Huh? Depending on your view of the video below, Pareja is not very good at riding a bucking bronco or very adept at falling off one.

-STEVEN TAVARES
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