After a full day of campaigning at Fort Belvoir on Friday, Oct. 11, Robert Sarvis talked about his campaign for U.S. Senate, and his disappointment in not being invited to participate in Tuesday’s U.S. Senate Debate — a major televised debate hosted by The Fairfax Chamber at Capitol One’s convention center in McLean.

“The Fairfax Chamber informed us that it was nothing other than ‘tradition’ to only invite major party candidates,” Sarvis said.

“But this was after we formally requested an invitation, noted that over 145,000 Virginians voted for Robert Sarvis for governor in 2013, and sent them a petition signed by over 1,000 Virginians in support of a three-candidate debate.”

“It was disappointing,” Sarvis said. “Once again, Virginia voters did not hear from all the candidates on the ballot in Tuesday’s debate.”

Sarvis noted that neither of the first two debates featured questions about civil liberties and privacy, and he is the “only candidate in the race who will fight to protect all our constitutional liberties, end the mass surveillance of innocent Americans, and rein in America's interventionist foreign policy.”

“If I had been on stage with my opponents, I would force them to open up and defend their records on these issues,” Sarvis said.

"Independent and libertarian-leaning voters aren't the only victims of establishment-only debates,” Sarvis continued. “Had I been on stage tonight, I could have challenged the spin and hypocrisy of both my opponents. All Virginia voters would benefit from a real debate among all the candidates on the ballot."

"Moreover, my 'Open-Minded and Open for Business' vision resonates with voters who don't identify with either major political party, particularly the majority of millennial voters who are willing to support a candidate who is both fiscally responsible and socially tolerant.”

UPDATED: Headline changed.