Expert says Pillen passing on debate with Blood challenges voters in Nebraska's governor's race
Democratic candidate Carol Blood says she was only on stage against Pillen at the Nebraska Chamber forum during the primary.
Democratic candidate Carol Blood says she was only on stage against Pillen at the Nebraska Chamber forum during the primary.
Democratic candidate Carol Blood says she was only on stage against Pillen at the Nebraska Chamber forum during the primary.
Nebraska candidates for governor won't go head-to-head on stage at the Nebraska State Fair.
Democratic candidate Carol Blood is calling on Republican Jim Pillen to step up and debate her at the state fair, but Pillen calls it political theater. A UNO political science professor says it's uncommon to forego these events.
"It's very likely that he's looking at this saying, 'Since I'm in the lead, I really don't need to debate,'" Randall Adkins said.
The political science professor says Pillen has everything to lose and nothing to gain by participating in debates.
"I think it makes the role of the voter more challenging because they don't get the opportunity to see the two candidates next to each other," Adkins said.
Adkins also says it's also tough on Blood, saying debates level the playing field between candidates by addressing issues and performing in front of voters. Democratic candidate Carol Blood says she was only on stage against Pillen at the Nebraska Chamber forum during the primary earlier this year.
"One campaign gets to hold this issue hostage," State Sen. Blood said. "So the voters never really get the ability to see a side by side to see what our real solutions are."
Pillen's campaign manager said in a statement, "Jim Pillen has been the most accessible gubernatorial candidate in Nebraska's history, outworking every opponent in this process. Campaigning through more than 500 events across all 93 counties, including five candidate forums, 32 Nebraska Farm Bureau town halls, and 23 press conferences, as well as five tele-town halls and countless media interviews ..."
"We need to be in an organic environment, talking one-on-one, showing people that we can think on our feet," Blood said.
The state senator from Bellevue says if she could debate Jim Pillen, she would want to hash out a solution to fix property taxes.
"Being in a debate is just a little bit different because it's a focal point during the campaign," Adkins said.