BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT WRIGHT -- Republican Jim Bunning accepted Democrat Scotty Baesler's challenge Wednesday to hold a series of debates in their U.S. Senate race.
Mike Duncan, Mr. Bunning's campaign chairman, contacted Mr. Baesler's Lexington campaign office shortly after the challenge was issued Wednesday morning.
In his past campaigns, Mr. Bunning, a six-term congressman from Southgate, has often refused to debate or attend candidate forums with opponents he considered minimal threats.
In the May 26 GOP primary, Mr. Bunning turned down several invitations to appear with state Sen. Barry Metcalf of Richmond, who received just 26 percent of the vote in losing the party runoff.
But Mr. Bunning was quick to react Wednesday to Mr. Baesler's challenge.
"We're going to start negotiations on the debates as soon as possible," Mr. Duncan said.
"We have some things to work out and we need to wait for the dust to settle, but we're looking at three or four locations around the state for the debates."
Mr. Duncan said it was too early to discuss the format, the locations, the dates or the number of debates.
"But several groups have already stepped forward and offered to host one of the debates, so it looks like there is a lot of interest in this," he said.
In a response Mr. Bunning sent to Mr. Baesler and also released to the media, Mr. Bunning said he is looking "forward to delivering my message of having the courage to fight for Kentucky's working families, senior citizens and children in debates."
"We have significantly different approaches on critical issues including taxes, spending, education and Social Security. The families of Kentucky deserve to hear these differences," said Mr. Bunning.
In a letter to Mr. Bunning and in a subsequent press release, Mr. Baesler, who has served three terms in the U.S. House, also talked of the
differences between the candidates and the need to run campaigns that stress issues.
"Our respective candidacies will likely represent distinct differences on key issues of concern to the voters," he said.
Mr. Baesler suggested three debates to discuss, among other issues, education, economic issues facing working families, crime, health care, agriculture, tobacco and foreign policy. "I believe these issues go to the heart of concerns expressed by Kentuckians," Mr. Baesler said.
"Modern campaigns too often become victim to ad-driven strategies while issues of importance are left behind. That is why I believe it is extremely important to the election process that voters be presented with adequate opportunities to fully compare our records and our views."
But Mr. Bunning said Mr. Baesler and the two Democrats he beat in the primary -- Lt. Gov. Steve Henry and Louisville businessman Charlie Owen -- ran the type of campaigns Mr. Baesler now wants to shun.
