The performance of our current lieutenant governor in the recent gubernatorial debate at Norfolk State University brought to mind a career-changing moment in popular music from years ago. I’ll get to that in a moment, but first, for those who missed the debate, let’s catch up. 

In what may be the only debate of the governor’s race, this was supposed to be a chance for voters to hear where the candidates, Abigail Spanberger and Winsome Earle-Sears, stand. Instead, the lieutenant governor seemed determined to keep that from happening — and to ignore the ground rules altogether. She interrupted. She goaded. She talked over her opponent. Some observers counted around 30 interruptions; others put the number closer to 60. Virginia voters deserve better. 

We applaud Spanberger for staying the course during the barrage of intrusions to her responses. She kept her cool and followed the rules. She stayed on message, letting the constant disruptions speak more about her opponent than about herself. 

Perhaps our lieutenant governor, who has given more than one contentious interview, took a cue from her fellow Trump supporter and rapper Kanye West. In 2009, at the MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift was giving her acceptance speech for winning the award for Best Female Video for “You Belong With Me.” While she was giving her speech, West walked on stage and grabbed the mic. 

“Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you — I’mma let you finish — but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time,” he said. 

I can’t recall what video that Beyoncé was nominated for back then, but I’d be willing to concede the point that West was making. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the proper forum for a debate on the selection process for the VMAs. He stepped on someone else’s spotlight and made himself appear rude, arrogant and disrespectful. 

The moment became a cultural flashpoint. While she was already on her way to great success, her response to West’s unhinged behavior added a new dimension to her public persona — resiliency. She kept her composure during his rant, which was a sharp contrast to the unhinged behavior of the uninvited guest on the stage. His attempt to diminish her ended up amplifying her. Since then, she’s become a mega pop star, and her latest release, “The Life of a Showgirl,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, her 15th chart-topping album. 

West’s fortunes, as you may know, have taken a turn in recent years. Controversial actions and comments made over the last few years have cost him endorsement deals and touring revenue. Two counties, Australia and Slovakia, have banned him from entry. Turns out that a pattern of refusing to respect boundaries catches up with you eventually. 

The contrast at Norfolk State was also stark. One candidate showed she’s ready for the responsibility of governing Virginia. The other showed she hasn’t learned that talking over someone doesn’t make you right — it only makes you loud.