Richardson agrees to one debate with Dendahl

Gov. Bill Richardson has agreed to one debate with Republican challenger John Dendahl.

The announcement ends weeks of wondering whether Richardson would take part in any debates. Dendahl has repeatedly issued challenges, and two Albuquerque television stations had offered televised debates.

Richardson isn’t yet saying when or where the debate will take place, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Asked why he’s only taking part in one debate, Richardson told the New Mexican, “I agreed to one. That’s enough.”

The announcement comes after Dendahl called Richardson a “300-pound chicken” who was dodging his debate challenges, according to the New Mexican.

KOB-TV in Albuquerque has proposed a debate on Oct. 17 in Albuquerque. KOAT and the Albuquerque Journal have also proposed a debate.

Dendahl has agreed to both, if Richardson will attend.

Wherever the debate is held, the candidates need to insist that a deal be worked so it can also be broadcast in Doña Ana County, which does not receive Albuquerque television signals.

Here’s another suggestion: MediaNews Group, which owns the Las Cruces Sun-News, once sponsored a debate along with KRWG-TV at New Mexico State University. A debate held here and sponsored by both would certainly receive lots of coverage around the state. MediaNews owns newspapers in Las Cruces, Alamogordo, Deming, Silver City, Carlsbad, Lordsburg, Ruidoso and Farmington.

KRWG could work with its Albuquerque counterpart KNME-TV in Albuquerque so the debate would be broadcast around the state. The Albuquerque and Santa Fe newspapers would certainly come to Las Cruces to cover the event, since it’s the only debate.

By holding a debate in Las Cruces, Richardson and Dendahl would be showing voters outside the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area that they care about them. Sources have told me repeatedly that Richardson is targeting rural voters in his attempt to get more than 60 percent of the vote in November.

Holding the debate in Las Cruces would also encourage higher voter turnout in Southern New Mexico. In the central part of the state, voters are already charged up by the hot congressional race between Heather Wilson and Patricia Madrid, and will show up to vote regardless of where the gubernatorial debate is held.