Noem campaign turns down debate invitation - KOTA Territory News

Noem campaign turns down debate invitation

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The Kristi Noem campaign Thursday turned down an offer to debate on statewide TV.  The invitation for a debate on October 15 was issued by KOTA-TV and KSFY-TV to Noem and her challenger, Democrat Matt Varilek, on August 15th.  

The Varilek campaign accepted the same day.

In his e-mail declining the TV debate offer, Noem's Campaign Manager Tom Erickson simply stated, "Thank you for the invitation, but we our campaign will not be participating in the debate.  Thank you for your understanding."  The e-mail did not include a reason for the decision.

Earlier Thursday, Noem attended the United Way Day of Caring kickoff event in Rapid City where she was asked about the debate schedule. "We've been talking about that. We've got many requests for debates so we're going to continue to evaluate these and see if we can get them done."

Noem has agreed to only two TV debates with her Democratic challenger Matt Varilek.

David Benson, Varilek's Campaign Manager commented, "it's very disappointing to hear Congresswoman Noem has declined yet another debate invitation by a reputable organization. Given her leadership role in this dysfunctional Congress, and her confusion about how to advance the stalled Farm Bill even as our farmers and ranchers suffer through drought, it's no surprise she's fearful of facing Matt and answering voters' questions."

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