Debate about debates continues in 2nd District race

Democratic 2nd Congressional District candidate Harry Teague is seeking to put an end to allegations that he’s ducking debates, but Republican opponent Ed Tinsley isn’t letting up.

Teague’s campaign put out a news release on Monday announcing his “debate and forum schedule.” In addition to two events that have already taken place — one in Mescalero sponsored by the Farm Bureau and one in Las Cruces sponsored by the Association of Commerce and Industry — the Teague campaign said he plans to participate in three televised debates and two forums.

That includes a televised debate sponsored by The Municipal League on Friday in Clovis, an Oct. 9 debate on KRWG-TV in Las Cruces and an Oct. 19 debate sponsored by the Albuquerque Journal and KOAT-TV in Albuquerque, Teague claimed. The forums are on Sept. 4 in Grants and sometime in October in Carlsbad, according to the release.

The release states that Teague “has now agreed to participate in more forums and debates than the presidential candidates and anticipates participating in other forums as well.”

“We want the people of the 2nd Congressional District to see the differences between Harry and his opponent,” Teague campaign manager Frank Costanzo said in the release. “Harry Teague supports the minimum wage, but as a Washington lobbyist Ed Tinsley fought against it. Harry Teague provides his employees good wages; Ed Tinsley refuses to open a restaurant in cities where a decent minimum wage is the law.”

Tinsley shot back in his own news release that there is only one scheduled debate he knows about — the KOAT/Journal debate on Oct. 19. Tinsley campaign spokesman Jim Pettit said the campaign hasn’t “received anything from KRWG.”

The Municipal League event, Tinsley’s news release states, isn’t a debate. It’s a forum that is closed to the public, “and candidates will not be allowed to ask each other any questions.”

“Similar forums including both candidates were held July 26 in Ruidoso and Aug. 7 in Las Cruces,” the release states. “Here again, candidates were not allowed to ask each other questions.”

In Las Cruces, each candidate was allowed to submit one question that the moderator asked of the other candidate. Tinsley wanted more, but that’s all Teague would allow.

“Ed Tinsley believes voters get more information through a debate format, not through speeches on issue positions that people can read off a campaign Web site,” Pettit said in the release.

Meanwhile, Tinsley also released on Monday a three-minute Web video in which he discusses his support for increased domestic and offshore drilling and his energy plan. Here it is: