Mark Ronchetti Calls out Ben Ray Lujan for Ducking Debates, Hiding from New Mexico Voters
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CONTACT: Jeff Glassburner [email protected] Mark Ronchetti Calls Out Ben Ray Lujan for Ducking Debates, Hiding from New Mexico Voters Lujan Announces He Will Break Debate Precedent in Press Release Albuquerque, NM – Today, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Ronchetti called out Ben Ray Lujan for breaking historical precedent by only agreeing to a single network debate. Lujan’s campaign sent out a press release yesterday, committing to only one televised network debate. In the last two open U.S. Senate elections, candidates have debated a minimum of three times on network television. (See Research appended) “I want the voters of New Mexico to hear what I stand for. Ben Ray thinks he is entitled to this Senate seat and doesn’t want to explain a voting record that is out of touch with New Mexico,” said Mark Ronchetti. Ronchetti is challenging Ben Ray Lujan to a traditional slate of debates on KOAT, KOB, and KRQE to reach as many voters as possible. “Serving as a U.S. Senator for New Mexico is an honor,” said Ronchetti. “The people of this state deserve to see us exchange ideas and I’m ready to do that on all of our major media outlets before ballots go out. It’s important that as many voters as possible can hear from both of us, so they can make an informed decision for this election. I welcome the opportunity to share my positions with all of the voters in New Mexico.” Ben Ray Lujan has only agreed to debate Mark Ronchetti on one of the major news outlets, KOAT. Lujan has agreed to only one other forum sponsored by a liberal front-group on KNME, but turned down neutral debates from KRQE or KOB despite their invitations for his participation. “I don’t blame Ben Ray for hiding from the debates, because he knows he has to hide his far-left, extremist, D.C. record. He spent over a decade climbing Nancy Pelosi’s ladder while never passing even one bill into law,” said Campaign Manager Jeff Glassburner. “Ben Ray Lujan represents everything that is wrong with politics. He is a career politician who has sold out New Mexico, and now wants to hide from voters.” ### Senate Debates For Open New Mexico Seats 2012: Martin Heinrich (D) And Heather Wilson (R) In 2012, Heinrich And Wilson Participated In Four Hour-Long Debates In 2012, Heinrich And Wilson Agreed To Four Debates. Heinrich Said He Agreed With No Hesitation To The Four Debates And That It Was An Ample Number For Voters To Evaluate The Candidates. “Heinrich and Wilson will debate four times in all, including in Las Cruces on Oct. 17… Heinrich said he agreed with no hesitation to the four scheduled debates, all sandwiched around his other campaign appearances across the state. He said this was an ample number for voters to evaluate the candidates.” (Milan Simonich, “Heinrich, Wilson To Debate For First Time Tonight,” Las Cruces Sun-News, Nexis, 10/10/12) On October 10, 2012, Heinrich And Wilson Participated In An Hour-Long Debate On KRQE. “Democrat Martin Heinrich and Republican Heather Wilson will debate from 6 to 7 p.m. today on television station KRQE in Albuquerque. Dick Knipfing will moderate.” (“Heinrich, Wilson To Debate For First Time Tonight,” Las Cruces Sun-News, Nexis, 10/10/12) On October 17, 2012, Heinrich And Wilson Participated In An Hour-Long Debate On KFOX. (“New Mexico Senate Debate,” C-SPAN, 10/17/12) On October 21, 2012, Heinrich And Wilson Participated In An Hour-Long Debate On KOAT. “Republican U.S. Senate candidate Heather Wilson called Rep. Martin Heinrich’s energy policy a ‘green dream’ Sunday night while the Democrat insisted that wind, solar and other renewables are important energy sources of the future. The two candidates faced-off in a civil and often substantive hourlong televised debate sponsored by KOAT-TV and the Albuquerque Journal, touching on immigration, gay marriage and other subjects.” (Michael Coleman, “Divided By Energy Policy; U.S. Senate Candidates Part Ways On Top Issues,” Albuquerque Journal, Nexis, 10/22/12) On October 25, 2012, Heinrich And Wilson Participated In An Hour-Long Debate On KOB. (“New Mexico Senate Debate,” C-SPAN, 10/25/12) 2008: Tom Udall (D) And Steve Pearce (R) In 2008, Udall And Pearce Debated Three Times On October 15, 2008, Udall And Pearce Participated In An Hour-Long Debate On KOB. (“New Mexico Senate Debate,” C-SPAN, 10/15/08) On October 18, 2008, Udall And Pearce Participated In A 90-Minute Debate On KRQE. “Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall -- who has consistently tried to cast Republican opponent Steve Pearce as inseparable from the unpopular President Bush -- made Pearce defend Bush’s record during a televised debate Saturday. Toward the end of the 90-minute event, held at Albuquerque’s Desert Spring Church and broadcast on KRQE Channel 13, candidates were allowed to ask each other a question.” (Steve Terrell, “U.S. Senate Debate; Udall Pushes Pearce On Bush,” The Santa Fe New Mexican, Nexis, 10/19/08) On October 26, 2008, Udall And Pearce Participated In Their Third And Final Debate Which Aired On KOAT. “U.S. Senate candidates Tom Udall and Steve Pearce took turns accusing each other of holding radical views Sunday in a debate that displayed sharp differences on a range of issues. Sunday’s debate, televised by KOAT-TV and co-sponsored by the Journal, was the third and final of three Senate debates.” (Dan Boyd, “Fighting Words; Pearce, Udall Take Last Chance To Blast Each Other On ‘Radical’ Ideas,” Albuquerque Journal, Nexis, 10/27/08) Udall And Pearce Initially Agreed To Four Debates, But NBC Ultimately Scrapped Its October “Meet The Press” Debate For The Two Candidates In August 2008, Udall And Pearce Agreed To Four Debates: Three In Albuquerque And A Fourth On NBC’s “Meet The Press.” “Following weeks of being called a debate ducker by his Republican opponent, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall has agreed to four debates — one more than he originally said he would participate in. Udall’s campaign released a schedule on Saturday that includes three debates in Albuquerque in October and a fourth debate on NBC’s Meet the Press at a date that has yet to be announced.” (Heath Haussamen, “Udall Agrees To Four Debates With Pearce,” NMPolitics.net, 8/18/08) In October 2008, NBC Scrapped Its Upcoming Debate Between Udall And Pearce. “A national debate scheduled for this Sunday between U.S. Senate candidates Steve Pearce and Tom Udall is not to be. The most important political talk show in the nation will instead devote its broadcast to a discussion of the ongoing financial crisis… In a statement sent to the Pearce campaign, Betsy Fischer, Executive Producer of Meet the Press, said: ‘Due to our need to focus the program on the escalating financial crisis, we are going to be unable to host this Sunday’s New Mexico Senate Debate. We hope you understand that as a news program we sometimes have to change our programming plans as major news dictates.’” (Michael Coleman, “NBC Scraps Udall- Pearce ‘Meet The Press’ Debate,” Albuquerque Journal, 10/9/08) .