Pearce pushes Udall on debate time

Republican Senate candidate accuses opponent of stalling

Heather Clark | The Associated Press

8/9/2008 -

ALBUQUERQUE — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce has asked his opponent Democrat Tom Udall to meet with his campaign and the media in the next seven days to finalize the dates for a series of debates.

The letter — signed by Pearce and released to the media Saturday — charges Udall is stalling on the debates.

Pearce wrote that it is important to set the dates for the debates now so that Udall cannot "duck and run."

"They're stalling and they're ducking," Pearce spokesman Brian Phillips said. "We all need to get together in the same room, with the principals of the campaigns, with the candidates, with the media representatives to hash out these details."

Udall spokeswoman Marissa Padilla says the letter surprised her because the two campaign managers had what she described as a civil telephone conversation Friday and had agreed to talk again this week to finalize the debate details.

"We're seeing another disingenuous cheap attack on Tom Udall from Steve Pearce," Padilla said. "Given Pearce's lockstep support for the failed Bush administration policies that got us here in the first place, I would not be too eager to debate Tom Udall."

But Phillips said the two campaigns talked only of meeting next week to plan yet another meeting to negotiate the details of the debates.

"What do they have to hide? Why is he not defending his record?" Phillips said.

Last month, the two campaigns sparred over a joint appearance at a New Mexico Farm Bureau event in Mescalero, eventually appearing separately before the group for 30 minutes each.

Days later, the Udall campaign issued a formal challenge to Pearce for three televised debates to be held after Labor Day.

And earlier this week, the Pearce campaign proposed eight dates for three debates.

Pearce also wrote that he would like the Udall campaign to confirm a date for a debate on NBC's "Meet the Press" to be held in Washington, D.C.

The Pearce campaign contends the "Meet the Press" debate should not count as one of three televised debates in New Mexico that the campaigns have agreed to hold.

Padilla said the Udall campaign believes the "Meet the Press" appearance falls under their challenge for three statewide televised debates.

She also accused the Pearce campaign of proposing dates that fall on days that Congress is voting.