JEFFERSON CITY â One of the leading candidates in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate said Thursday two other major candidates were avoiding the debate stage in the run-up to the Aug. 2 contest.
The Senate campaign of U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, said Nexstar, which owns KTVI (Channel 2) in St. Louis, informed the Hartzler campaign that a debate planned for Wednesday was being canceled due to âlogistical concerns.â
Hartzlerâs campaign manager said the two opponents, former Gov. Eric Greitens and Attorney General Eric Schmitt, were âin hiding.â
âOur opponents are airing ads of themselves with flamethrowers, flash grenades, and sniper rifles, but remain in hiding at the possibility of answering questions about their records,â Mike Hafner, campaign manager for Hartzler, said in a statement.
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Audrey Prywitch, vice president of news for KTVI and KPLR (Channel 11), said in an email that not all major candidates committed to a debate, but didnât say who.
âWe attempted to organize a debate, but we could not secure the participation of all the key candidates,â she said. âWe are hoping to do longform interviews with all candidates polling above 5% prior to the August 2nd Primary.â
Prywitch said the debate was scheduled for July 13 in St. Louis but was called off this week.
Rich Chrismer, spokesman for Schmittâs campaign, suggested in a text message that Schmitt didnât commit to the Nexstar debate because Greitens wouldnât.
âThis is a two-candidate race between Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens, and as weâve said all along, if Eric Greitens agrees to participate, Eric Schmitt would look forward to the opportunity,â Chrismer said.
Chrismer said Schmitt had already attended two debates â one at the state Lincoln Days event in February, and a second at in March.
âEric Greitens refused to participate in either,â Chrismer said.
Hafner described both events as forums, not debates. He said the biggest difference between the two formats is that in a forum, candidates arenât allowed to criticize their opponents.
Meanwhile, Greitensâ campaign said he is scheduled to attend , but that Hartzler and Schmitt havenât committed.
Another candidate, U.S. Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield, accused Hartzler of âdodgingâ that debate. Hafner said when the debate was proposed in June, that Hartzler already had events scheduled on the day of the debate.
Hafner said the Nexstar debate, called off this week, was first proposed in January.
Thursdayâs comments followed news Wednesday that a planned debate among Democratic U.S. Senate candidates was canceled because one of them, Trudy Busch Valentine, did not respond to multiple invitations to participate.
Democrat Lucas Kunce, who had committed to the debate on Gray TV, which owns KMOV (Channel 4) in St. Louis, issued a news release after the decision to postpone the debate.
âI hope that my opponent will have the respect for Missouri voters to show up and debate,â Kunce said.
Organizers only invited Kunce and Valentine to the debate.
Scott Diener, news director for KMOV, said Wednesday on Twitter that organizers limited debate participation to candidates that had garnered at least 5% support in a Real Clear Politics average of polls or the Gray TV/Survey USA poll.
Candidates could also win a spot on the stage if they had at least 5,000 individual contributions with the Federal Election Commission, Diener said.
News of the cancellation prompted criticism from one of the nine other Democrats running, entrepreneur Spencer Toder of Olivette.
âIâve campaigned across this state for 14 months and have earned a place on the debate stage,â he said on Twitter. âThe mediaâs efforts to judge candidates on the basis of money instead of on commitment to community is a disservice to Missourians. Iâll debate anyone any time. Who would tune in?â
found Kunce had 10% support among those polled. Valentine had 8% support, while Toder had 3%.
Sixty-three percent of respondents were undecided.
âThe media has a responsibility to inform citizens of candidatesâ actions. But they only report on extremist Republicans and money,â Toder said. âEliminating a platform for me to be heard is exactly why 63% of @KMOVâs land-line polled potential voters were undecided. I will not stay silent.â
Peverill Squire, political science professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, said avoiding debates is an understandable tactic for candidates that enjoy wide leads in the polls.
âAvoiding debates allows a candidate to try and control the narrative about their candidacy and to sidestep awkward or embarrassing questions that they may not want or be able to answer,â he said in an email. âIt is an understandable approach for a candidate enjoying a big lead, but a bit baffling for candidates locked in tight battles.â
Hafner, Hartzlerâs campaign manager, said another debate is planned for July 19 on Gray TV stations. He said he didnât know if Greitens or Schmitt had committed.
âOur opponents know the only way they can win is to mislead voters with false attacks,â Hafner said. âMissourians deserve a U.S. Senator who isnât afraid to answer tough questions and we want to thank Gray Television for their planning and commitment to airing the debate statewide in ÁńÁ«ÊÓÆ” on network affiliates.â