Are 3rd District debates a thing of the past?

Political debates have long been a time-honored tradition in Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District. As far back as I can remember, when Republican Steve Gundersen represented western Wisconsin, candidates for the office would meet for a televised debate, often airing on local television and radio. It was a chance for voters to get to know the candidates who want to represent them aside from their political ads. But those days may have come to an end. UW La Crosse and local broadcasters have been working for months to try to schedule a debate between the democratic candidates for the August primary. A variety of dates was proposed for the debate, but each time, at least one of the candidates said no. Candidates were given 21 different options to hold a debate on six different dates. In their final effort, organizers proposed July 30 for a debate on the UWL campus. But candidate Rebecca Cooke has rejected that final opportunity to debate her opponents, so it appears likely there will be no debate this campaign season.  Only candidate Katrina Shankland said yes to all the debate options. Democratic candidates two years ago criticized Republican candidate Derrick Van Orden for refusing to agree to debate his Democrat opponent. With no democratic debate this year, candidates can’t criticize him for refusing to reveal themselves to voters, as they are guilty of the same thing. That is unfortunate. Because as we saw in this year’s presidential debate, you never know what may happen, and how it may influence the election outcome.