This year, it’s Baron Hill issuing the first challenge.
The Senate nominee and former Democratic congressman is calling for four debates plus five town halls with Republican Todd Young and Libertarian Lucy Brenton. He says the varied formats will allow both “tough questions” from moderators and direct voter access to the candidates.
Hill argues the rise of outside Super PAC spending makes debates more important than ever.
Hill says he hasn’t sent the proposal to the rival campaigns or the Indiana Debate Commission yet. Young’s campaign manager Trevor Foughty says the Ninth District congressman looks forward to debating Hill again. The two faced off in 2010, when Young won his House seat by unseating Hill. But Foughty says Young is committed to working with the commission.
Since 2008, the Indiana Debate Commission has arranged debates in Indiana’s Senate and governor’s races, including a debate between Young and Congressman Marlin Stutzman in this year’s Republican Senate primary.