Iowa Governor Debate Rescheduling Dispute: Lahn Says He Accepted PBS Move to October 29; Sand Camp Disagrees
Iowa's two gubernatorial campaigns clashed publicly on October 23 over rescheduling a third debate, with Republican Zach Lahn and Democrat Rob Sand offering competing accounts, and Iowa PBS's plan to restage the debate collapsed.
The Lahn campaign said that day that Lahn had accepted Iowa PBS's offer to reschedule its debate to October 29, while also planning to attend the October 27 debate hosted by KCRG and The Gazette. Spokesperson Dan Capodilupo said: “Zach is committed to honoring his original pledge to participate in four debates. We can't think of a better way to close out this campaign than Iowans getting two chances to learn about Zach's conservative vision.”
The Sand campaign immediately disagreed. Deputy campaign manager Emma O'Brien told the Des Moines Register that attending both debates was never on the table. She said Sand withdrew from the Iowa PBS debate on Monday to be with his family after his brother-in-law, Walter Lauridsen II, was killed in a vehicle crash on October 15, and that, in good faith, the campaign had given the Lahn team the choice of network to host the final debate: “Instead of working with us, they took five days to respond to a simple choice, and now are abusing it. We will be doing the KCRG debate as planned on Tuesday, October 27.” Lahn campaign general consultant Luke Thompson said that account was not true. The Iowa PBS debate had been scheduled for October 21 and was canceled after Sand withdrew; the two candidates previously debated in Davenport (KWQC) and Sioux City (KTIV). Early voting is under way in Iowa, and Election Day is November 3.
Source: GSM·America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：得梅因爱荷华州议会大厦。摄影：Paul R. Burley，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, by Paul R. Burley, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
