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US Senate, House hopefuls debate this week (at least some do)

By Tim Vandenack - | Jun 1, 2022

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

Utah GOP Chairman Carson Jorgensen looks at his notes during the 3rd Congressional District debate between incumbent U.S. Rep. John Curtis and Republican challenger Chris Herrod at Brigham Young University in Provo on Friday, May 27, 2022. Jorgensen moderated the debate.

If you’re hoping to see the varied Republican candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate together on one stage, heads up, because this is the week for it.

After a chaotic few weeks of back-and-forth, silence, statements and finagling involving the candidates, the Utah Republican Party and the Utah Debate Commission, a debate schedule that still seems subject to adjustment has come together. Your opportunities the see the candidates are limited, though.

It appears the two GOP hopefuls for the 4th District seat, incumbent Burgess Owens and Jake Hunsaker, won’t meet at all, with Owens foregoing participation in any event with his Republican competitor altogether. Two planned “debates,” including one focused on the 4th District contest, will each likely feature just one candidate.

The Utah Republican Party held a debate last Friday between the two 3rd District GOP hopefuls, incumbent John Curtis and Chris Herrod. The party organized another one set for Tuesday starting at 6 p.m. between the two 2nd District GOP candidates, Republican Chris Stewart and Erin Rider.

Here’s the remaining schedule:

The three Republican U.S. Senate candidates, incumbent Mike Lee, Ally Isom and Becky Wright, meet in the only joint debate involving all three on Wednesday at 6 p.m. It’s hosted by the Utah Republican Party and to be held at Park Middle School in Draper.

Tickets are available to the public for $10 online via Eventbrite at bit.ly/3t9Giq5. Carson Jorgensen, the chairman of the party, said the debates the group is organizing will also be livestreamed on its Facebook page, facebook.com/UTGOP, or YouTube page.

Edwards and Isom are to meet in a second debate on Thursday at 6 p.m. hosted by the Utah Debate Commission and to be broadcast live by KSL-TV, where it’s to be held. Lee won’t take part, according to his campaign.

The Utah Debate Commission organized two debates for Wednesday, one at 1 p.m. for the two 4th District GOP hopefuls, Hunsaker and Owens, and one at 6 p.m. for the two 3rd District GOP hopefuls, incumbent John Curtis and Chris Herrod. Owens and Curtis, though, say they won’t be taking part, making for one-candidate debates, each featuring just the challengers.

The Salt Lake Tribune on Friday quoted Jorgensen as saying Owens, going for his second term, had declined a request from the Utah Republican Party to take part in a debate it apparently was trying to organize. Erik Nielsen of the Utah Debate Commission said Monday that Owens hadn’t responded to the organization on its plans, which potentially means the incumbent won’t appear in a debate at all ahead of the June 28 primary.

The Owens campaign couldn’t immediately be reached for comment while Hunsaker’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to queries seeking comment.

Curtis’ campaign said the lawmaker would be outside the country, thus wouldn’t be able to attend Wednesday’s debate, according to the Daily Herald in Provo. Herrod said he planned to still take part, even if he’s the only candidate on stage.

“I look at it as kind of a town hall for me,” Herrod said, and a means to get his message to voters.

The three GOP hopefuls for the 1st District U.S. House seat, incumbent Blake Moore, Andrew Badger and Tina Cannon, meet in a Utah Debate Commission debate on Thursday at 2 p.m. The Utah Republican Party didn’t schedule a debate in that race.

The 1st, 3rd and 4th district Utah Debate Commission events are to be held at KSL studios in Salt Lake City, and KSL-TV will broadcast the 1st and 4th district debates, according to Nielsen. The debate commission will livestream all three debates on its Facebook page and website.

The debate commission has scheduled a debate for 10 a.m. Thursday for the 2nd District GOP hopefuls, Stewart and Rider, but both have declined invites to take part. Nielsen, nevertheless, said the organization holds out hope they’ll take part and it will hold an event if either changes their mind.

The debate-planning chaos stems from contentions in early May by Jorgensen, the Utah Republican Party chairperson, that the party should have a hand in organizing Utah Debate Commission events.

“The Utah Republican Party should co-host the debates. It simply doesn’t make sense for the debate commission to decide what issues will be discussed and who will ask the questions. This is a Republican primary to be voted in by registered Republican voters,” Jorgensen said in a statement on May 10.

The party encouraged GOP hopefuls to hold off on confirming participation pending resolution of the issue from the two sides. But they apparently couldn’t reach middle ground, setting the stage for the tumultuous planning process.

The decision for some of the GOP incumbents to forego Utah Debate Commission events generated questioning by some of the challengers.

“I don’t know if there’s anything more important than a debate,” said Herrod, challenging Curtis on the GOP side in the 3rd District U.S. House race. Debates, he noted, are usually held this time of year, ahead of the primary.

The Curtis campaign said in a statement that pinning down a workable time with Utah Debate Commission reps proved to be difficult for the candidate. As the campaign described it, commission officials offered limited leeway in pinpointing a date. With the one-person debate involving Herrod, Curtis Campaign Manager Adrielle Herring said, commission officials are giving him “an hour of free media time.”

Chelsea Fife, spokeswoman for Edwards, one of the two GOPers challenging Lee in the U.S. Senate contest, noted the import of debates in giving voters a chance to size up hopefuls. “I think (Lee) owes Utah voters an opportunity to hear where he stands,” she said.

Rider, challenging Stewart in the 2nd District race, lamented Stewart’s decision not to take part in the Utah Debate Commission debate, which factored in her decision to forego participation in the event.

“I care deeply about the real challenges facing Utah families, and I’ll debate the issues with my opponent anytime, anywhere,” she said in a statement to the commission that was provided to the Standard-Examiner. “But unfortunately, a debate without my opponent isn’t a debate at all. I refuse to use my opponent’s empty podium in an attempt to score cheap political points. Utah voters deserve better.”

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