After issuing a letter Aug. 4 challenging Billy Long to a 10-week series of debates, Scott Eckersley released a news release Aug. 12 stating the Long campaign had not responded to the request.
In the Aug. 4 letter, Eckersley proposed a a series of debates on the steps of each of the county courthouses in the 7th district.
"In the spirit of true representation, I'd like to extend a challenge to debate," he wrote in the letter. "As you know, the people of southwest Missouri have a keen interest in the race."
In the Aug. 12 news release, the Eckersley campaign said it had not received a response to several attempts to contact Long's campaign.
"I'm disappointed that Mr. Long isn't taking the public's call for candid debate more seriously," Eckersley said in the release. "This is exactly the kind of attitude that frustrates the people of southwest Missouri."
Royce Reding, a spokesman for Long's campaign, told the Springfield News-Leader in an
article published online Aug. 13 that Long had been on vacation when the calls were made and now that he is back will discuss the possibility of debates with the Eckersley campaign.
Eckersley will hold a news conference at noon on Aug. 17 on the steps of the Greene County courthouse to discuss plans to move forward with districtwide courthouse debates, the release said.
SBJ made a call to the Long campaign, but a spokesperson was unclear as to the the status of the debates.
U.S. senator candidates Roy Blunt and Robin Carnahan are also in discussion about the possibility of Missouri debates before the Nov. 2 general election.[[In-content Ad]]
