South Bend Tribune: “Incumbent agrees to one debate in remote corner of district”

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly: “Even when I was an incumbent, every single year I ran, we always had debates and we always had televised debates.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Congresswoman Jackie Walorski is dodging campaign events and her Hoosier constituents in Indiana’s Second District. Not only did Walorski agree to only one debate in a remote part of the district, the debate’s moderator is a former Republican colleague from the Indiana Statehouse.

This latest turn of events is in stark contrast from 2010 when Jackie Walorski challenged then U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly to six public debates. Donnelly agreed to two public debates – with one being televised.

So why is Jackie Walorski hiding from Hoosiers? Why is she dodging repeated debate requests from Lynn Coleman? Why does she continue to serve the special interests in Washington, D.C.?

“Congresswoman Jackie Walorski has a history of putting her Washington political agenda ahead of the duties of serving constituents in Indiana’s Second District,” said Drew Anderson, communications director. “From failing to hold consistent public town hall events to using taxpayer dollars to mail out political mail pieces across the district, Walorski is afraid to be held accountable for her out-of-touch agenda that aligns with Washington special interests and leaves Hoosiers falling behind.”

Check out the key points to the South Bend Tribune story below:

“The Wabash Farm Bureau is hosting the debate, and WKUZ’s Bill Ruppel will serve as moderator.

Coleman’s campaign raised several objections on Monday and pointed out that the Indiana Farm Bureau has endorsed Walorski.

Also, Ruppel is a Republican who served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 2010. Walorski was a member of the Indiana House from 2004 to 2010.”

[…]

“Walorski’s attitude toward debates has changed dramatically since her first congressional campaign in 2010, when she was running as a challenger to incumbent Democrat Joe Donnelly.

In July of 2010, Donnelly proposed that the candidates debate twice — once at Rochester Community High School and once on WNIT Television in South Bend. The Rochester debate was also broadcast on radio.

Walorski’s campaign reacted by saying that she and Donnelly should debate no fewer than six times to give every voter an opportunity to see the candidates head to head.

Last week, the Indiana Democratic Party released a video of Donnelly talking about how he has always felt an obligation to debate his opponents — even when he was facing a tough re-election battle against Walorski in 2010.

‘Even when I was an incumbent, every single year I ran, we always had debates and we always had televised debates,’ Donnelly said.”

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