It's probably only a matter of time before John Waelti, the Democratic primary winner Tuesday in the 80th Assembly District, challenges Rep. Brett Davis to a series of debates before the Nov. 4 election.
It's a political rite of passage for a challenger to demand the incumbent agree to multiple debates. Madison Republican Peter Theron did so last week with Rep. Tammy Baldwin in the 2nd U.S. Congressional District. Sauk City Republican Nathan Russell made his challenge public Monday to Assemblyman Steve Hilgenberg.
Another rite of passage is for the incumbent to balk initially. There's rarely a political benefit in giving a challenger multiple opportunities to score points. Usually, the office holder waits it out, and appears at a lesser number of events later in the campaign.
The truth is, any candidate should be willing and eager to debate the issues before voters. The public, political two-step shouldn't be necessary.
Particularly in more local elections, debates - and the news coverage of them - provide a rare opportunity to contrast and compare candidates while also allowing people to visualize how candidates respond to pressure and (hopefully) tough questions. Voters get to see presidential contenders tested like this on a daily basis. Such opportunities aren't afforded nearly as often in state races.
Hilgenberg was right in his response to Russell's challenge that it'd be best for the candidates to attend events organized by groups other than the political parties or campaigns. That's why it's important for local groups to sponsor such events.
And Wednesday we learned Davis and Waelti will appear Sept. 23 in a one-hour forum at the Monroe Public Library to discuss issues and programs affecting retirees and other senior citizens. The Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans and the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups are hosting the forum, and questions will be asked by the League of Women Voters.
But wouldn't it be nice if this fall we could see political opponents determined to work together to make sure as many debates as are reasonable are organized and held throughout their legislative districts?
It's a political rite of passage for a challenger to demand the incumbent agree to multiple debates. Madison Republican Peter Theron did so last week with Rep. Tammy Baldwin in the 2nd U.S. Congressional District. Sauk City Republican Nathan Russell made his challenge public Monday to Assemblyman Steve Hilgenberg.
Another rite of passage is for the incumbent to balk initially. There's rarely a political benefit in giving a challenger multiple opportunities to score points. Usually, the office holder waits it out, and appears at a lesser number of events later in the campaign.
The truth is, any candidate should be willing and eager to debate the issues before voters. The public, political two-step shouldn't be necessary.
Particularly in more local elections, debates - and the news coverage of them - provide a rare opportunity to contrast and compare candidates while also allowing people to visualize how candidates respond to pressure and (hopefully) tough questions. Voters get to see presidential contenders tested like this on a daily basis. Such opportunities aren't afforded nearly as often in state races.
Hilgenberg was right in his response to Russell's challenge that it'd be best for the candidates to attend events organized by groups other than the political parties or campaigns. That's why it's important for local groups to sponsor such events.
And Wednesday we learned Davis and Waelti will appear Sept. 23 in a one-hour forum at the Monroe Public Library to discuss issues and programs affecting retirees and other senior citizens. The Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans and the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups are hosting the forum, and questions will be asked by the League of Women Voters.
But wouldn't it be nice if this fall we could see political opponents determined to work together to make sure as many debates as are reasonable are organized and held throughout their legislative districts?
