Brunner Says He’ll Debate Opponents, But Won’t Join Early January Debate

Missouri Republican US Senate candidiate John Brunner’s campaign says they’ll debate their primary opponents. Just not the one coming up in early January.
KTRS radio morning host McGraw Milhaven is arranging a January 10, 2012 debate for 9 AM, the final hour of his radio broadcast. he says it will be a commercial free hour. He hopes KTRS’ partner, the on-line newspaper The St. Louis Beacon, will also take part.
Milhaven says Republican Senate candidates Todd Akin and Sarah Steelman have agreed to appear. John Hancock of the Brunner campaign says Brunner will not participate.
That is despite the fact that earlier this month, Brunner called fo a series of debates between the candidates.
Hancock says, “We want to sit down with the Akin and Steelman campaign and arrange of set of debates.”
Hancock says the debate schedule should be on the respective campaign’s terms, not news or broadcast outlets.
“That’s the way I’ve always done it. Then you take control of the process.”
Milhaven says the Brunner position is “not comprehensible:
We do not understand their response”, Milhaven told 20 Pounds of Headlines Monday.
“I can’t help that”, replied Hancock.
Hancock says the Brunner campaign has received about 30 debate requests already. He says Brunner will participate in some 2012 debates. The key appears to be the various campaigns having control over the debates.
“We’re not going to debate every night for the next nine months,” said Hancock.
‘It’s not in our interest. I don’t think it’s in the voters’ interest.”