The contenders for one of the nation’s most contested congressional seats both plan to participate in debates in
Both campaigns said Tuesday the candidates would be open to additional debates, including a local debate, if they were invited to one.
Graham and Southerland have sparred over debates this summer. Graham’s campaign delivered a letter in late June challenging Southerland to series of debates.
Southerland’s been the target of ads paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, environmental advocacy group Ocean Champions and the House Majority PAC, and other national interest groups are pouring money into the race.
In response to Graham’s challenge, his campaign said they would not debate until Graham denounced what it called “liberal outside groups that are smearing Steve’s record and misleading voters.”
Graham supporters responded 67 days later by delivering 67 yellow rubber ducks to his
The duck delivery was documented in a video on YouTube, and in the video the Southerland staffer who received the ducks told Graham’s supporters that Southerland had already agreed to debate, and campaign manager Luke Strickland echoed that Tuesday in a prepared statement to The News Herald.
“Gwen Graham has proven once again that she and her campaign will play fast and loose with the facts. Steve has already committed to two debates and has had discussions to lock in several more,” Strickland said. ”She’s insulting voters with political gimmicks about ducking debates to cover up the fact that she’s ducked the issues for months.
“Other than her steadfast support for Obamacare and restricting our right to fish, Gwen Graham has refused to take a stand on just about anything. That’s not leadership, and it’s certainly not a quality you’d expect from someone calling for debates.”
Graham’s campaign spokesman Eric Conrad said they had hoped to set up a series of single-issue debates directly with Southerland’s campaign.
“We never got a call back on that,” Conrad said.