Corker silent on invitation to debate, Ford agrees to proposed 'Meet the Press' event
By Bartholomew Sullivan
September 7, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Nine months after asking candidates in contested U.S. Senate races to debate their differences to a national audience on "Meet the Press," an NBC spokesman said Wednesday it is "still waiting for a commitment" from Republican Bob Corker.
"We invited Tennessee and probably nine other races back in January," said the Sunday morning talk show's executive producer, Betsy Fischer. "Congressman Ford accepted and said any weekend would work for him."
The network gave the campaigns a window of Sunday mornings beginning Labor Day weekend and aired the Pennsylvania debate between Bob Casey and Rick Santorum last Sunday.
"The Corker campaign has thus far not given us a date they wanted to do it and have not said they want to do it for sure," Fischer said. "Now, nine months after the invitations have gone out, we have one Sunday left that's available -- Oct. 22. The Ford campaign has said that's fine, and the Corker campaign we're still waiting on a commitment from."
Said Corker spokesman Alexia Poe: "Bob Corker has confirmed three televised debates in the three grand divisions of the State of Tennessee. He looks forward to debating Congressman Ford and discussing the congressman's 10-year liberal voting record in Washington, D.C."
Corker and Ford have agreed to meet for televised debates in Memphis on Oct. 7, in Chattanooga on Oct. 10 and in Nashville on Oct. 28.
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