By Joe Jordan | Nebraska Watchdog
Republican Deb Fischer and Democrat Bob Kerrey hold their first Senate debate.
[Update, August 17, 4:35 p.m. The debate game continues to bounce around. Earlier today the Kerrey campaign announced that it had accepted an invitation from "Fox News Sunday" to debate Deb Fischer. Marty Ryan, Fox News Executive Producer, says that the network "cannot confirm and nothing has been finalized." At the same time though Fischer's campaign says it also received a Fox invite which is being evaluated "in addition to many other proposals."]
[Update, August 17, 9:00 a.m. According to Bob Kerrey's campaign Kerrey has accepted an invitation from "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace to debate Deb Fischer. No date was announced. The Fischer campaign was not immediately available for comment.]
In eight days Republican Deb Fischer and Democrat Bob Kerrey hold their first debate in their run for the U.S. Senate, but then what?
Fischer’s campaign insists the debate is the first of three. Kerrey’s campaign isn’t so sure.
“So far (state Sen. Fischer) has signed up for just one debate, though she has told the media there will be three,” campaign spokesman Chris Triebsch told Nebraska Watchdog. “Fischer continues to duck, dive and dodge on debates.”
“There will be three debates, we’re currently working out the details for the other two,” said Fischer spokesman Daniel Keylin.
Kerrey’s campaign continues to remind reporters that during the GOP primary Fischer told KFAB radio, “I plan to be at every debate I’m invited to.”
Following the primary Kerrey challenged Fischer to at least seven debates but Fischer, who leads in the polls, wasn’t biting.
“There haven’t been seven debates in any Senate race in the past,” she told Nebraska Watchdog. “I think (three is) a good number.”
Throughout the summer Kerrey has argued that while he puts out specific plans dealing with the future of Social Security and Medicare, Fischer — who has signed the Grover Nordquist no new taxes pledge — refuses to say how she’ll keep Social Security and Medicare strong and what cuts she’ll make to balance the budget.
Fischer’s campaign has called Kerrey’s plans nothing more than a “middle class tax hike.”
The 90-minute Aug. 25 debate at the State Fair will be televised of RFD-TV across Nebraska. Kerrey’s campaign wants future debates televised statewide as well.
Contact Joe Jordan at joe@nebraskawatchdog.org.
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