Ashdown on Senatorial Debates
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2006
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Office: (801) 983-7383

****PRESS RELEASE****

Senatorial Candidate Debate Set, Sen. Hatch MIA

"Don't wait until October" Ashdown says

SALT LAKE CITY, UT--A debate with four of the six candidates running for US
Senate, and one state party chair, has been set for August 12, 2006 at the
Salt Lake City Main Library Auditorium from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.  Pete
Ashdown (Democratic nominee), Scott Bradley (Constitution nominee), Julian
Hatch (Desert Green nominee), and Roger Price (Personal Choice nominee)
have agreed to debate; Dave Starr Seely (Libertarian nominee) is unable to
attend but will be officially represented by Libertarian state chair Rob
Latham.  The debate will be a town hall format, where candidates will
respond to questions from the audience on any issue.  The media and
public are invited to attend and participate.

While Senator Hatch has not directly communicated to any campaign in
response to requests to debate, there will be a chair open for him, his
campaign staff, or a Republican party official to officially represent his
positions.  The Senator's camp has sent mixed signals in the press
regarding his involvement in debates.  Responding to Hatch's non-denial
denial on KCPW's Midday Metro, Ashdown said, in a post on his campaign
blog today, "I gave him opportunity to debate anywhere, anytime, and this
is written off in the same breath as, 'We're not going to do it to the
ridiculous extreme.'"

Hatch's campaign manager has refused to allow him to debate before
September, reportedly because campaign season doesn't begin before then. 
Ashdown hopes that this request is "genuine, considering that the Senate
returns to business after Labor Day."  Realizing that, Ashdown challenged
Hatch to debate at the Utah State Fair, anytime between September 7 and 17.
 "The Utah State Fair falls in Dave Hansen's 'campaign season'," Ashdown
said in his blog, "I see little reason not to have the first debate
then."

Ashdown noted that the only reason that Senator Hatch is choosing not to
debate is because "he's the incumbent and he thinks the more he
acknowledges me and my positions, the more people will know about my
candidacy, and I think they will like what they see."  While Ashdown
isn't surprised by that, he stated, if the roles were reversed, "I would
be debating right after the nomination."  Noting again the Lincoln-Douglas
debates of 1856, held all over Illinois, Ashdown challenged his Republican
opponent: "Instead of waiting until the last week of October to have one
or two, let us allow the public to ask us questions in several open debate
forums."

Here are the details of the debate:
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND MEDIA TO ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE: 
US Senatorial Debate featuring:
Pete Ashdown, Democratic nominee
Scott Bradley, Constitution nominee
Julian Hatch, Desert Green nominee
Roger I. Price, Personal Choice nominee
Rob Latham, Libertarian Party of Utah chair, officially representing
Libertarian nominee Dave Star Seely.
Open seat available for official representative of Orrin Hatch, Republican
nominee.



Saturday, August 12, 2006
10:30 AM-12:30 PM
Salt Lake City Main Library Auditorium
210 East 400 South
Salt Lake City