Sen. Potter Challenges Gov. Hoeven to Accept Debate "Obligation"

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Sen. Potter challenges Gov. Hoeven to accept debate "obligation"

Sen. Tracy Potter, Democratic-NPL candidate for U.S. Senate, formally challenged his opponent Gov. John Hoeven to stop avoiding debates in front of large, statewide audiences.

In a letter delivered to Hoeven today, Sen. Potter said that as candidates for the U.S. Senate, "we have an obligation to present ourselves to the voters of North Dakota to allow them to compare and contrast our abilities, our character, and our visions for America."

The candidates have met "once for an hour at 3:00 p.m., when most people are working or in school, in a debate televised only locally," the letter said. "We also met in a hurried half-hour format on Prairie Public Television which has the lowest viewership of our broadcast networks."

KFYR TV has made debate offers to Hoeven in each of his four election contests since 2000. This year, the Fargo Fourm said Hoeven had come up with "a laugh out loud excuse" for not accepting debate invitations. Hoeven's acceptance of the half-hour taped debate with Prairie Public Television contradicted his excuse that he wouldn't accept debates from a specific company.

Potter wrote, "The reason you accepted the ones you did and turned down the others was because you didn't want to say you didn't debate, but you did want to minimize the number of persons who would watch them"

Potter's letter challenged the governor to "meet in a live, prime time televised debate for at least one hour on a major commercial network. We have been offered such a debate on KFYR-KVLY TV as well as by Forum Communications."

The question many people are asking is how can voters expect Hoeven to fight for them in Washington if Hoeven takes the easy way out and ducks face to face challenges in front of a large statewide audience in North Dakota?

Potter's own experience as a state senator shows he has a record of standing up in public, on the senate floor or in committee hearings as an independent voice fighting for his constituents. On the other hand the governor is more comfortable behind the desk, not being publicly challenged on the spot.

Potter told Hoeven that while the governor's campaign advisors don't want Hoeven to debate, by listening to them he was "ignoring the public and media interest in learning more about the candidates."

"I hope that John will show he is better than the typical politician and join me in trying to change the way politics works," said Potter who ended his letter, writing, "Let's debate Governor. Why not?"

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