News: It’s debate season, folks

Monday, October 7, 2024

It’s debate season, folks

Oct 07, 2024

By Madison Fernandez and Zach Montellaro

Presented by

TOP LINE

We may not get another presidential debate, but buckle up: There’s plenty of action happening down-ballot in the coming weeks.

Most competitive Senate and gubernatorial races will soon be hosting debates. And of course, the agreements for a debate didn’t come without drama in many matchups.

Here are the scheduled debates to watch (and an early congrats to each and every candidate who will declare themselves the winner):

— AZ-Sen: Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake will face off for one debate Oct. 9, hosted by the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, the state’s official debate sponsor.

The first debate was supposed to take place last Thursday with Arizona PBS, but Gallego declined. The station instead interviewed just Lake, and said it is working to schedule a sit-down with Gallego.

For the upcoming debate, Republican state Sen. Jake Hoffman, a member of the state Freedom Caucus, is trying to get the commission to change its rules to allow the Green Party candidate to take the stage, which Lake has called for. Although the third-party candidate isn’t likely to get many votes in November, his inclusion on the stage could give him a boost and potentially take votes away from Gallego from his left.

— FL-Sen: There are no debates on the books between Republican Sen. Rick Scott and former Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign told Score that it accepted three debates, but Scott did not. He previously did not commit to any debates.

— MD-Sen: NBC’s Chuck Todd will be moderating the debate between Democratic Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan on Oct. 10.

— MI-Sen: Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin and former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers will face off for two debates on Oct. 8 and 14, both of which are hosted by local radio stations.

— MT-Sen: Don’t expect any more debates from Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Tim Sheehy. They had one of the earliest general election showdowns back in June and another debate last week.

— NV-Sen: There will be one debate as Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen tries to fend off Republican Sam Brown, which will take place Oct. 17 and is hosted by a local TV station.

IndyFest, The Nevada Independent’s annual conference, was also looking to host a debate, but longtime Nevada journalist and political analyst Jon Ralston said that Rosen’s camp denied after requesting that the debate be broadcast live, televised in two languages and there be no audience. Brown has attacked Rosen for wanting a debate “behind closed doors, inaccessible to you the voters.”

— OH-Sen: There’s nothing scheduled in one of the most competitive races of the year, although both Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Bernie Moreno have expressed an interest in debating.

— PA-Sen: One debate down, one to go in the race for the Keystone State. Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican Dave McCormick had their first debate last Thursday — and it was a contentious one. Their next debate will be Oct. 15.

McCormick’s campaign told Score that it also accepted a third debate.

— TX-Sen: Sen. Ted Cruz’s reelection bid is getting more national attention, and he’ll face off against Democratic Rep. Colin Allred for one debate Oct. 15.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), left, debates Republican challenger Hung Cao at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 2, 2024.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), left, debates Republican challenger Hung Cao at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 2, 2024. | Nextstar/WAVY-TV via AP

— VA-Sen: There was just one debate between Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine and Republican Hung Cao on the books, and that happened last week. Kaine’s campaign told Score that it wanted three debates and a forum, but that didn’t pan out.

— WI-Sen: Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican Eric Hovde will participate in one debate on Oct. 18, hosted by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Foundation. Hovde’s campaign has pressured her to take part in more, pointing to her taking part in multiple debates in her previous campaigns.

— NC-Gov: Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein does not want to debate Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, pointing to his controversial comments and explaining that he doesn’t want to “give him a platform.”

Prior to the reports that came out about Robinson’s alleged offensive comments on a porn site, the Republican called on Stein to take the stage with him. Robinson’s campaign told Score that that challenge still stands.

— NH-Gov: There are plenty of debates in the open race for governor between former Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte and former Democratic Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig. One happened in September, and there are four more on the books: Oct. 15, Oct. 22, Oct. 24 and Oct. 30.

— IN-Gov: There’s also no shortage of debates for the open gubernatorial seat in the Hoosier State. Republican Sen. Mike Braun and former Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick had their first debate last week, followed the next day by another with the third-party candidate. There will be a third debate on Oct. 24.

—WA-Gov: Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson and former Republican Rep. David Reichert had two debates in September, and no more are scheduled.

Happy Monday. Reach me at mfernandez@politico.com and @madfernandez616.

Days until the 2024 election: 29

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Presidential Big Board

BACK TO BUTLER — Former President Donald Trump held a rally Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he survived an assassination attempt 12 weeks ago. “Trump’s return to Butler was as much a moment of personal triumph for him and his supporters as it was a tactical move by the former president,” POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky reported from the rally. “Four weeks before an election that has shifted away from his favor, Trump sought to recapture the energy — and sympathy — that surged toward his campaign in the hours and days after the shooting, but waned in subsequent weeks and barely registered after a second attempt on his life just three weeks ago.”

HITTING THE TRAIL — Former President Barack Obama is hitting the trail for Vice President Kamala Harris. He’ll appear at a Pittsburgh area event on Thursday to kick off a swing-state schedule, POLITICO’s Kierra Frazier reports.

CAMPAIGN INTEL

ALL OVER THE MAP — Senate Republicans have several ripe targets as they try to flip the chamber. But ad spending “is heavily concentrated in just a handful of races — a distribution that doesn’t match the reality of the battleground map,” POLITICO’s Ally Mutnick writes. “A combination of individual candidate strengths and weaknesses, donors’ preferences, and targeting by special interests has created a highly uneven playing field and a clear picture of a party that’s fallen badly behind in individual fundraising.”

A chart shows the amount of spending from Republicans in Senate races.

Jonathan Lai/POLITICO

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, is considering a comeback. With New York City Mayor Eric Adams on the ropes, Cuomo could run to replace him. Now, a “nascent collection of labor, business and advocacy groups [are considering] an organized effort to counter any political comeback,” POLITICO’s Nick Reisman reported. And Nick writes that others in the state are privately encouraging state Attorney General Tish James to run should Adams resign and Cuomo get in.

MORE OBAMA — Obama is also playing in the Senate sandbox, endorsing Democrats in three big races across the nation. NBC News’ Jillian Frankel and Shaquille Brewster reported that he cut ads for Slotkin in Michigan, Mucarsel-Powell in Florida and Alsobrooks in Maryland. The Maryland ad is airing on TV, while the other two appear to be — at least for now — for digital or radio only.

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE — Lake notably feuded with then-GOP Gov. Doug Ducey during her failed gubernatorial bid in Arizona two years ago. Now? She’s touting Ducey’s endorsement in a new digital ad in this battleground Senate race. The ad notably does not feature a video of Ducey, just text of his endorsement.

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THE CASH DASH

NEVER SAY NEVER? — The Democratic Governors Association is pouring some money into the Indiana governor’s race. My colleague Adam Wren reports that the DGA is investing $600,000 into the campaign of former Republican schools chief Jennifer McCormick, who is running against Braun in Indiana.

Q3 TABS — Here are some of the latest Q3 hauls in competitive races (and send yours in!):

— MO-Sen: Democrat Lucas Kunce raised $8.3 million.

— CO-08: Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo raised $2.2 million and has over $2 million in cash on hand.

— NY-17: Former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones raised $2.9 million and has $2.3 million in the bank in his race against GOP Rep. Mike Lawler.

— WI-08: Democrat Kristin Lyerly said she raised over $1.1 million in the vacant, red-leaning seat. There will be a special election to finish out the remainder of former GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher’s term concurrent with the regularly-scheduled November election.

ON THE AIRWAVES

ROUNDUP TIME — Check out the latest batch of ads here. And here are some highlights:

— FIRST IN SCORE — VA-Sen: Kaine touts his work to cap insulin costs.

— CA-13: GOP Rep. John Duarte has a “Schoolhouse Rock”-style jingle saying both parties are fighting, and he “has a better way.”

— ME-02: A DCCC ad has a Maine lobsterman (with the accent you expect) attacking Republican state Rep. Austin Theriault over Medicare and Social Security. The NRCC has an ad saying Democratic Rep. Jared Golden is “wrong on guns.”

CODA — QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The woman running my office is marrying Jill's policy guy. Dangerous to work in my office.” — President Joe Biden on the wedding he attended over the weekend.

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