Udall agrees to four debates with Pearce

Following weeks of being called a debate ducker by his Republican opponent, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall has agreed to four debates — one more than he originally said he would participate in.

Udall’s campaign released a schedule on Saturday that includes three debates in Albuquerque in October and a fourth debate on NBC’s Meet the Press at a date that has yet to be announced.

“We feel this schedule gives the people of New Mexico plenty of opportunity to see the candidates side by side,” Udall spokeswoman Marissa Padilla said. “(Republican opponent) Steve Pearce was more focused on theatrics and playing politics than on answering for his record on the issues. Now he has nothing left to hide behind.”

Pearce, who has hammered Udall on the topic of debates for some time, had originally demanded three debates, and Udall agreed. After the two were invited to debate on Meet the Press, Pearce said that should be a fourth debate in addition to those held in New Mexico. At the time, a Udall spokeswoman said the Meet the Press debate would count as one of the three.

In addition to the Meet the Press event, the schedule announced Saturday includes an Oct. 15 debate hosted by KOB-TV 4 in Albuquerque, an Oct. 18 debate hosted by KRQE News 13 and the AARP in Albuquerque and an Oct. 26 debate hosted by KOAT-7 in Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Journal.

Absent from the schedule is a debate in Las Cruces, the state’s second largest city. It’s located in the only county in the state where residents can’t watch the Albuquerque television stations that will be hosting the three debates held in New Mexico.