Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer has challenged his Democrat opponent, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, to a series of seven "Lincoln-Douglas style" debates in each of Colorado's seven congressional districts.
In a letter to Udall Friday, Schaffer proposed the debates in the mold of then-Illinois Senatorial candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, who traveled the state debating three hours at a time in 1858.
In a reference to the collegial nature of the Illinois debates 150 years ago, Schaffer wrote, "let’s...discuss the issues important today. I think these debates could be the high-water mark of the campaign and perhaps renew a national and historic standard of campaign civility."
The Fort Collins Republican expressed displeasure at the influence of unaccountable "independent groups," also known as 527 committees, which have already begun to run ads on both sides of the high-profile race. "I do not regard these outside efforts to be a healthy trend in America’s political system and I know you hold a similar opinion."
Calls to the Udall campaign went unreturned Friday afternoon. In his letter, Schaffer requested his opponent respond by May 16 in order to prepare for a debate series "between Memorial Day and Labor Day."
