Star Politics: The debate over debates, will Missouri’s Senate candidates ever agree?
U.S. Rep. Billy Long wants to debate.
We’re about three months out from the Aug. 2 primary in Missouri, and the major candidates — Long, U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and former Gov. Eric Greitens — have not formally agreed to any debates.
To some extent, this is typical. Campaigns jockey over conditions of debates in order to get a maximum advantage for their candidate. They weigh the media markets, the benefits and risks involved with getting on the stage (or skipping an event) and typically end up having at least one forum where voters are able to compare candidates.
But Long’s finger is pointed firmly at Schmitt and Greitens as the reason there’s been little success in getting the candidates on the same stage.
He said the Schmitt campaign won’t agree to a debate unless Greitens will attend. He said the Greitens campaign won’t commit to a debate unless it focuses purely on policy (aka they don’t ask about the allegations that he physically and mentally abused his wife and children).
“These guys don’t want to debate and they don’t want to get me on the debate stage with them, I guarantee,” Long said. “There needs to be debates, whether just three of us up there or four or whatever it is. Because the supposed front-runners aren’t going to want to debate, there’s just too much to lose.”
Neither Schmitt nor Greitens’ campaign responded to a request for comment. On KCMO radio on Wednesday, Greitens told host Pete Mundo he was willing to participate in a debate if it stuck to policy, prompting Mundo to offer to host.
Hartzler’s campaign has agreed to a statewide debate hosted by Nexstar media (they own stations in Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield and Joplin), but said they have not received any other formal invitations.
“You’ll have to talk to the others on why they are dragging their feet,” said Michael Hafner, Hartzler’s campaign manager. “We are certainly not opposed to other debates, but would like to know why they can’t commit to this one when invitations were sent months ago.”
It’s an open question whether debates have much of an impact on an election. Often the people who tune in already have a candidate they’re supporting and want to see how well they do. But in a primary, where candidates often share similar policy views and voters rely on more intangible factors to pick whom they’ll support, it could help candidates build their base and make voters question the candidate they’re supporting.
Long, who is trailing behind Hartzler, Greitens and Schmitt in most polls, sees an upside in being able to challenge his opponents on stage. He has already been critical of them on the campaign trail, particularly their support from large donors, calling the race the “battle of the billionaires” (though Long, too, has a PAC supporting him).
“I want to ask them questions, I want to have them ask me questions,” Long said. “I want a regular debate.”
More from Missouri
Greitens’ attorney appeared in Boone County court on Tuesday to argue that he should be allowed to subpoena for cellphone records of Greitens’ ex-wife, Sheena Greitens. He is trying to prove a “sad suspicion” that allegations that Greitens physically and emotionally abused his family are a political conspiracy — something Sheena Greitens flatly denies (she made her allegations in sworn testimony). It was the opening salvo in a court case that’s attracted lots of attention as Greitens attempts a political comeback in his bid for U.S. Senate.
Here are headlines from across the state:
Greitens’ attorney pushes political conspiracy in hearing over cellphone records, Kacen Bayless
Challenge to controversial Missouri gun law allowed to proceed, Kacen Bayless
Missouri faces more lawsuits over lack of redistricting map, David A. Lieb, Associated Press
After silent 911 call from Greitens’ home, he said kids played with phone, Kacen Bayless and Jonathan Shorman
Supreme Court hears Schmitt-led case over immigration policy, Daniel Desrochers
And across Kansas
A state judge struck down the Republican-drawn congressional map, saying the Legislature intentionally diluted minority votes in a partisan and political gerrymander. His ruling quoted French philosopher Montesquieu and a folk song called “Every Step of the Way.” Attorney General Derek Schmidt is appealing, which means the Kansas Supreme Court will ultimately decide what to do with the map.
Judge strikes down KS map, finding lawmakers intended to dilute minority voter power, Jonathan Shorman and Katie Bernard
Kansas is a step closer to eliminating sales tax on food, Katie Bernard and Lucy Peterson
Kansas lawmaker makes a transphobic statement about her colleague, Katie Bernard
Trump admin $700 million loan to Johnson County company under fire, Daniel Desrochers and Kevin Hardy
House fails to override vetoes on ‘parents bill of rights’ and ban on trans athletes, Katie Bernard and Sarah Ritter
The latest from Kansas City
In Kansas City …
KCPD member under investigation for role in Greitens ride-along, Glenn E. Rice and Jonathan Shorman
Leaders say they’re ready to build park over the downtown interstate loop, Kevin Hardy and Cortlynn Stark
Here’s an inside look at artwork you’ll find at the new KCI airport terminal, Robert A. Cronkleton
Have a news tip? Send it along to ddesrochers@mcclatchydc.com.
Odds and ends
Hawley grills judicial nominee
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley on Wednesday criticized Nancy Abudu, President Joe Biden’s nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which covers Georgia, Florida and Alabama.
Abudu is a civil rights attorney who currently serves as the strategic litigation director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal organization based in Alabama known for designating organizations as hate-groups. That includes the Family Research Council, a conservative religious group that often hosts Republican lawmakers at its annual conference (The FRC was named a hate group because of its stance on LGBTQ issues).
Hawley asked Abudu if she denounced statements made by a leader in the organization and read articles critical of the SPLC before saying he couldn’t believe she had been nominated for the position.
However, he said there was little he could do to block her confirmation.
“The Democrats have yet to break ranks on a single judge,” Hawley said. “I don’t think there’s been a single Democrat that’s voted no on a single Biden judge either on the committee or on the floor. So I think they’re just committed to accepting every radical that he sends up, and she is a radical.”
Heated letter
At that same Judiciary Committee meeting, Utah Sen. Mike Lee asked Nusrat Jahan Choudhury, a nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, about a letter she signed in 2018 criticizing Hawley.
The letter was written by classmates of Hawley’s at Yale Law School and said he was lying to Missourians. It also called him a coastal elite.
Choudhury apologized for the tone and “overheated” language of the letter, but wouldn’t answer Lee when he asked if she would apologize for calling Hawley a liar.
“I regret both the tone and the overheated language, which was overheated language in the moment,” Choudhury said. “And I apologize for signing it.”
Hawley said he didn’t see the exchange. When informed of it, he laughed and said “it’s funny.”
They bought billboards
It feels like the campaign for Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District is just a series of statements about how annoying high gas prices are. The Democrats took another milquetoast step in the battle this week in buying a billboard to criticize Republican Amanda Adkins’ opposition to a suspension of the federal gas tax.
“Pain at the pump? Amanda Adkins opposes gas tax cuts,” the billboard says.
Democrats have been attempting to hit Adkins on the issue for a while now, as Republicans continue to hammer Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids over inflation. The federal gas tax holiday she supports has yet to pick up much momentum in Congress. This week House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that it was “good PR” but that there’s no guarantee any savings would actually be passed on to consumers.
Instead, Democrats this week said they would put forward legislation that would allow them to go after oil companies for their wholesale and retail prices, claiming the companies are using instability in the market created by the war in Ukraine to increase their profit margin.
Meanwhile, the National Republican Campaign Committee put up with their own billboard on Friday.
Honor flights
Hawley and Sen. Roy Blunt sent a letter to Deb Haaland, the secretary of the interior, on Thursday requesting her department to resume offering police escorts to veterans who come to Washington, D.C., as a part of an “honor flight.”
The program brings veterans to Washington for free so they can visit memorials to the wars they fought and reflect on their service. Former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole often greeted veterans participating in Honor Flights at the World War II Memorial, which he helped bring to fruition.
The letter from Blunt and Hawley comes after they were informed that a Missouri-based honor flight was denied a police escort, even though they had received the service in the past.
“Such a policy change is wholly unacceptable and deserves further explanation,” the letter said. “It needlessly creates new challenges for Honor Flight groups, including veterans from our home state of Missouri.”
Kudos
The Star’s Jonathan Shorman, Bryan Lowry and Eric Adler won a National Headliner Award for their coverage of Hawley in the aftermath of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
You can read the article that won them the prize here.
Lowry is returning to The Star’s politics team, this time taking the helm as the new political editor.
Happy Friday
Here’s an article about a rich person being scammed (con artist articles are my favorite). The kids are guzzling martinis. I like mine with gin, stirred and with a lemon twist. Here’s a song by Nina Simone that I listened to often last weekend. Yes, I’m in a bit of a jazz phase, just go with it.
Enjoy your weekend.
Looking for more?
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This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 6:17 PM.