Face The State Staff Report
While Bob Schaffer and Mark Udall met in the third of at least seven scheduled debates this week, candidates in Colorado's 4th Congressional District are struggling to schedule any debates at all. The impasse shows no sign of breaking this week as Democrat Betsy Markey declined to participate in a debate Saturday at a Loveland radio station. Markey is challenging incumbent Republican Marilyn Musgrave for the seat.
Courtesy Musgrave for Congress
Musgrave campaign manager Jason Thielman told Face The State his camp proposed a schedule of three debates in mid June, but Markey never responded. "She's completely refused to engage us on any sort of discussion on this," he said. The campaign followed up with a second letter dated July 24. "We never heard back from her in any way shape or form," said Thielman.
Multiple calls to Markey's press secretary, Ben Marter, were not returned. Marter was quoted by Politicker.com last month as saying the campaign "had not responded because they have been working with the news organizations that extended the invitations to debate."
Saturday's forum was to be moderated by John Clarke, a former Larimer County Commissioner who now hosts a weekend show on Clear Channel's Newsradio 600 KCOL.
"I think I'm getting a big run around from the Markey campaign," Clarke said, later telling Face The State he learned Markey was unavailable for the KCOL debate because she would be taping an interview with a Denver sports radio station. His Saturday show featured a solo interview with Musgrave.
Musgrave faced tough competition in 2004 and 2006 from well funded Democrat challengers. Gay rights activist Tim Gill, a major funder of Democrat political infrastucture in Colorado, reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in efforts to defeat her, including a highly contentious ad portraying Musgrave picking the pockets of a corpse.
Thielman believes Markey may be avoiding debates, instead waiting for third parties to run ads on her behalf. "[Markey is] going to hide away and wait for people with deep pockets," he said. "Will the real Betsy Markey please stand up?"
Musgrave's campaign was quick to turn the uncertainty over debates into a campaign issue. Campaign staffers toured Northern Colorado media outlets Saturday, with one dressed in a duck costume. A Friday press release was headlined, "Quack Quack Quack."