1st District candidates agree to one debate

CEDAR RAPIDS - Iowa 1st District congressional candidates Rep. Rod Blum and challenger Monica Vernon will meet in their first and only debate Wednesday.

The Blum campaign, which originally proposed 10 debates across the 20-county northeast Iowa district, has agreed to debate 7 p.m. Wednesday at Coe College. It will be hosted by The Gazette and KCRG-TV9.

Although the campaigns reached an agreement on one, the debate over debates continued.

'While the Blum campaign has tried in good faith for months to schedule an extensive series of debates between Rep. Blum and Monica Vernon, it has become clear the Vernon campaign will not negotiate, will not compromise, and will not debate outside of her home county,” said Daniel Sunne, spokesman for Republican Blum's campaign.

Vernon's Democratic campaign countered by proposing two debates sponsored by Iowa Public Television and The Gazette-KCRG. Blum then sought six debates, then four and then three, before the campaigns agreed on one.

'We wish Congressman Blum would have also accepted the Iowa Public TV debate on Nov. 3,” Vernon campaign manager Michelle Gajewski said. 'That said, Monica Vernon looks forward to the districtwide debate Oct. 26. We look forward to a substantive debate about how we can grow an economy that works - for all of us.”

Sunne also expressed disappointment there won't be more debates, but added 'we are looking forward to a substantive discussion of the issues facing our nation.”