Steve Pearce, left, and Harry Teague (Photos by Heath Haussamen)
A planned Monday radio debate between Democratic U.S. Rep. Harry Teague and Republican challenger Steve Pearce appears to have fallen apart, with both candidates accusing the other of backing out.
In addition, another planned radio debate in Artesia remains in limbo.
The Alamogordo debate was to be held Monday on KZZX 105.3-FM. Teague wanted it to focus specifically on veterans’ issues, while Pearce wanted it to be open to any topic about which the moderator asked.
That was the sticking point, and it now appears that the debate won’t happen at all.
“Pearce rejects veterans debate in Alamogordo,” a Teague news release stated Tuesday evening.
“It is a shame that Congressman Pearce has rejected the opportunity to have an hour-long conversation, proposed nearly a month ago, about a topic as important as our veterans,” Teague Campaign Manager Dominic Gabello said in the release.
The Pearce campaign responded in its own release by accusing Teague of withdrawing from the Alamogordo debate after “poor performance” in the Las Cruces debate held earlier this week.
“(Teague’s) staff demanded that all radio debates be a sanitized, single-issue debate,” the Pearce release stated.
Pearce’s campaign also released part of an e-mail it said it sent to the Teague campaign during debate negotiations:
“The Pearce campaign consented 100% to the Teague campaign’s choice of dates, times, locations, communications medium and rules [including issue] at the KRWG Las Cruces debate.
“The Pearce campaign submitted proposed rules for the KZZX radio debate on September 3. On September 20, we received your counter to our rules.
“The Pearce campaign will again agree to the Teague campaign’s choice of dates, times, locations, and communications medium (radio only). However, we believe the voters deserve better than a single issue, sanitized debate without each candidate having the ability to answer and/or rebut every question.
“As we have stated from the beginning, we strongly believe that every debate should cover a broad range of topics important to all voters. There is no doubt Veteran’s issues are incredibly important and should be included in any debate but so are jobs, the economy, border security, immigration, healthcare, etc.”
Teague announced that he’s still planning on an Oct. 4 debate in Artesia focused solely on congressional reform, but with him insisting on the specific topic and Pearce insisting on a general topic, there’s a good chance that debate won’t happen either.
Teague also announced that he’s agreed to participate in an Oct. 19 debate in Carlsbad on a “wide range of issues.” Both have agreed to general, televised debates on Oct. 24 in Albuquerque and Oct. 27 in Las Cruces.