The Student Government Association was hoping to host a congressional debate Tuesday, but instead it got a no-show that turned into a sideshow.

Republican nominee Max Burns, vying to be the next U.S. Representative for the newly formed Athens-Augusta-Savannah 12th District, was the only candidate present when the debate kicked off at 4:30 p.m. in the Chapel.

Less than an hour later, after most audience members had left and Burns was en route to his next campaign stop, Democratic nominee Charles “Champ” Walker Jr. arrived, prompting a barrage of questions from several reporters.

“I’m not running away from this debate. I’m here,” said Walker, who said he was late because of “an event that led to a loss of life” — a sniper shooting Tuesday morning in Washington, D.C., that caused a traffic jam and forced him to switch airports before a flight to Atlanta that afternoon.

“I apologize beyond measure to the students of UGA,” he said. “If I would have had a campaign manager like (Georgia head football coach) Mark Richt, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Walker added that when he arrived, he wasn’t allowed to enter late as “the doors of justice had been closed.”

Before Walker’s late arrival, which Burns’ spokeswoman Ann Forbes said was Walker’s “second no-show since the (Aug. 20) primary,” Burns emphasized the power and position of the University in what became a solo debate.

“The key resources are anchored in the port of Savannah and in Athens at the University,” he said.

Burns also expressed his support of increasing the University’s academic admission standards.

He said although some taxpayers are upset because their children are unable to enroll in the state’s flagship school, high standards put the burden on the students.

“The bottom line is students must come prepared, and they must come qualified,” he said.

The University, which has lost $7.3 million since July 2001, is hurting and it is a result of the post-Sept. 11 declining economy, Burns said.

“Our tax receipts are directly tied to the economy,” he said. Since the terrorist attacks, consumers have “yet to recover confidence … so we can pay these bills again.”

The few audience members who stuck around the Chapel after the debate got quite a show, including a shouting match between first-year law student Tyler Thornhill and Walker concerning a Medicare proposal.

But that’s not what SGA intended, said External Affairs Chair Brendan Murphy.

“We’re disappointed we couldn’t have a debate,” he said. “SGA is non-partisan, so this is not what we wanted. We wanted an open forum.”