Christie Vilsack responds to Steve King’s suggestion of 6 debates

Last week, after the deadline for filing nomination papers passed and it was clear neither Democrat Christie Vilsack nor Republican Congressman Steve King face primary opponents in June, King said he wanted to debate Vilsack six times.  Read his letter to Vilsack here.

Vilsack has now responded:

Dear Congressman King:

Thank you for your offer to conduct an open and honest discussion in this campaign by agreeing to debate. As you know, I’ve always supported having debates because the people of the new 4th Congressional District deserve an opportunity to hear our viewpoints and understand the positions we’ve taken. Issues are very important in this race. When I’ve traveled across the 4th District, I have heard concerns about the need for economic opportunity, a good education, a real energy policy, a focus on conservation and improvements in our state’s infrastructure. That is why I have proposed substantive policy measures in all of these areas.

In order to have an open and honest debate, its imperative that we reach as many constituents as possible and perform our due diligence to ensure the moderator of the debate is a neutral party. Currently, my campaign is reaching out to media outlets and other organizations who may be interested in sponsoring these debates. I would encourage your campaign to do the same. This would ensure these debates will be heard and seen by voters across the district, so that they have all the information on where we stand on the issues that matter most.

Through this letter I am formally responding to your request and believe this is the first of many steps in our negotiations for debates. It is imperative that your campaign manager make contact with my campaign manager, Jessica Vanden Berg, at 515-233-5858 to discuss the next steps. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Christie Vilsack