No debates planned in 21 of 35 US Senate races — BBC News
In the United States, no debates between the leading candidates have been scheduled in 21 of the 35 races for Senate seats ahead of the November 3 election. BBC News reported this, citing an ABC News analysis. At the same time, debates in a number of competitive states were accompanied by personal attacks and disputes over Republicans’ attitude toward President Donald Trump.
Republicans’ differences with Trump
According to a Reuters analysis, two-thirds of candidates in competitive House of Representatives and Senate races have diverged from Trump to some extent during the current election campaign. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who is running for a sixth term, stressed her differences with the president during a debate. Her opponent is Democrat Troy Jackson, the former president of the Maine State Senate.
In Iowa, Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, who is competing against Democrat Josh Turek, criticized the Trump administration’s agreement with the aggressor state Russia on importing 300,000 tonnes into the United States. She said that gasoline and diesel fuel prices should be lowered without making such a deal with Russia.
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Personal attacks during debates
In Michigan, Republican Mike Rogers, who is backed by Trump, asked during a debate whether anyone in the family of his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, was on a “watch list.” El-Sayed, who could become the first Muslim in the US Senate if he wins, responded by calling Rogers a “puppet of the Trump administration.”
In Georgia, incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff and Republican Congressman Mike Collins also traded insults. Ossoff accused his opponent of taking money from Georgia residents in favor of data center developers and called him a bigot. Collins said that Ossoff was spreading “madness” and stated that he condemns racism, antisemitism, and hatred regardless of their source.
Texas race without debates
In Texas, Democrat James Talarico accepted four debate invitations from different news networks, while Republican Ken Paxton agreed to none of them. In July, a representative of Paxton’s campaign told the media that he would debate Talarico, but subsequently the campaign and the candidate himself made almost no public comments on the matter. Trump, who endorsed Paxton in the Republican primaries, also called on the candidates to hold debates.
