Senatorial Candidate Debate Set, Sen. Hatch MIA
"Don't wait until October" Ashdown says
SALT LAKE CITY, UT--A debate with four of the six candidates running for US Senate, and one state party chair, has been set for August 12, 2006 at the Salt Lake City Main Library Auditorium from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Pete Ashdown (Democratic nominee), Scott Bradley (Constitution nominee), Julian Hatch (Desert Green nominee), and Roger Price (Personal Choice nominee) have agreed to debate; Dave Starr Seely (Libertarian nominee) is unable to attend but will be officially represented by Libertarian state chair Rob Latham. The debate will be a town hall format, where candidates will respond to questions from the audience on any issue. The media and public are invited to attend and participate.
While Senator Hatch has not directly communicated to any campaign in response to requests to debate, there will be a chair open for him, his campaign staff, or a Republican party official to officially represent his positions. The Senator's camp has sent mixed signals in the press regarding his involvement in debates. Responding to Hatch's non-denial denial on KCPW's Midday Metro, Ashdown said, in a post on his campaign blog today, “I gave him opportunity to debate anywhere, anytime, and this is written off in the same breath as, 'We’re not going to do it to the ridiculous extreme.'”
Hatch's campaign manager has refused to allow him to debate before September, reportedly because campaign season doesn't begin before then. Ashdown hopes that this request is "genuine, considering that the Senate returns to business after Labor Day." Realizing that, Ashdown challenged Hatch to debate at the Utah State Fair, anytime between September 7 and 17. “The Utah State Fair falls in Dave Hansen’s 'campaign season',” Ashdown said in his blog, “I see little reason not to have the first debate then.”
Ashdown noted that the only reason that Senator Hatch is choosing not to debate is because “he's the incumbent and he thinks the more he acknowledges me and my positions, the more people will know about my candidacy, and I think they will like what they see.” While Ashdown isn't surprised by that, he stated, if the roles were reversed, "I would be debating right after the nomination.” Noting again the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1856, held all over Illinois, Ashdown challenged his Republican opponent: “Instead of waiting until the last week of October to have one or two, let us allow the public to ask us questions in several open debate forums.”
Here are the details of the debate:
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND MEDIA TO ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE:
US Senatorial Debate featuring:
Pete Ashdown, Democratic nominee
Scott Bradley, Constitution nominee
Julian Hatch, Desert Green nominee
Roger I. Price, Personal Choice nominee
Rob Latham, Libertarian Party of Utah chair, officially representing Libertarian nominee Dave Star Seely.
Open seat available for official representative of Orrin Hatch, Republican nominee.
10:30 AM-12:30 PM
Salt Lake City Main Library Auditorium
210 East 400 South
Salt Lake City
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