Iowa Gubernatorial Debate Called Off: Iowa PBS Session Canceled as Both Sides Accuse the Other of Breaking the Deal
The Des Moines Register reported on Oct. 23 that the gubernatorial debate to be hosted by Iowa PBS will no longer be held. The debate had been scheduled for Oct. 21, and Democratic candidate Rob Sand withdrew and sought to reschedule after his brother-in-law, Walter Lauridsen II, was struck by a car and killed on Oct. 15; Republican candidate Zach Lahn's side expressed support at the time.
Sand's side laid out its position in a statement by his deputy campaign manager, Emma O'Brien: the Sand campaign never agreed to take part in both debates; it had asked the Lahn campaign to choose one of the two television stations for the final debate; the other side took five days to reply; and Sand will take part in the KCRG-hosted debate as scheduled.
The Lahn side tells a different story. Luke Thompson, general consultant to the Lahn campaign, said the Lahn team had already agreed to the rescheduling request the other side made, only for the other side to go back on its word, and that the Sand campaign cannot tear up its commitment to the people of Iowa just because its candidate has lost debate after debate. Lahn campaign spokesperson Dan Capodilupo said in a statement on Oct. 23 that the Lahn side had accepted Iowa PBS's proposal to reschedule the debate to Oct. 29.
The two campaigns had originally agreed to hold four debates, two of which have already taken place, hosted by KWQC in Davenport and KTIV in Sioux City. The third and final debate, hosted by KCRG and The Gazette on Tuesday, Oct. 27, will still be held. Election Day is Nov. 3, the governor's race is one of the most closely watched contests in the state this year, and voters can check voting arrangements on the secretary of state's website. News that this debate had fallen through came in the final ten days of the campaign, adding another variable to an already heated race.
Source: GSM News
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 爱荷华州议会大厦金顶（得梅因）。图片经 Wikimedia Commons。The golden dome of the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. Via Wikimedia Commons.
