Sioux Falls, SD – South Dakota voters may not see any general election debates between candidates running for the open US Senate seat if Mike Rounds has his way, according to a Rapid City Journal report.
That’s grossly unfair to South Dakotans, according to South Dakota Democratic Party Executive Director Zach Crago: “Does Mike Rounds hold South Dakota voters in such low regard that he won’t even give them the opportunity to see the US Senate candidates debate? We have an open US senate seat with four candidates and control of the US Senate at stake. South Dakota voters deserve to see the candidates debate the issues – not depend on big money campaign commercials to decide the election.”
If Mike Rounds decides not to conduct TV debates, he would be the first candidate in over 10 years to refuse participation in a TV debate, according to Bob Bosse, Television Director for South Dakota Public Broadcasting. It would be a stunning act of entitlement if Mike Rounds refused to debate his opponents for the open US Senate seat. For open seats in statewide offices, South Dakotans have been given many opportunities to see candidates debate side by side. In the 2010 general election for the open Governor’s seat, Republican nominee Dennis Daugaard debated Democratic nominee Scott Heidepriem 15 times. South Dakotans should expect at least that many debates for the first open US Senate seat in over a generation, according to Crago:”Today, I’m calling on Mike Rounds to commit to 15 debates – just like Dennis Daugaard and Scott Heidepriem did in the open Governor’s race in 2010. This is the first open US Senate seat in South Dakota since 1978. South Dakota voters deserve to see the US Senate candidates side by side. Mike Rounds owes it to voters to debate the issues.”
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