Analysis: What U.S. Senate Midterm Debates Reveal About Key Races

Of the 35 Senate seats contested this November, 21 have no debates scheduled between the leading candidates, according to an analysis by ABC News.

One notable absence has surprised many observers: the Texas race between James Talarico, a Democratic state representative, and Ken Paxton, a Republican and former state attorney general.

Polls in the traditionally Republican state suggest Talarico could be within reach of an upset victory. If he wins, he could help Democrats gain control of the U.S. Senate by flipping one of the four seats they need for a majority.

Talarico has accepted four debate invitations from different news networks. Paxton, meanwhile, has not accepted any of them.

In July, Paxton’s campaign spokesperson told media outlets that he would debate Talarico. Since then, the campaign and Paxton have said little on the matter. Donald Trump, who backed Paxton in the Republican primaries, has even urged the candidates to debate.

“One thing about not showing up is you lose the opportunity to make the case for yourself, and instead, what you do is you give your opponent the ability and the opportunity to make your case as negative as possible,” Peter Trumbore, a political science professor at Oakland University, told CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. partner, last month.

Source link