1 week Ago By Eric Rosane
U.S. Rep.
Dan Newhouse’s campaign for reelection said Friday it has yet to agree to any debates with Jerrod Sessler, despite a news release from the challenger announcing the debates. The Tri-City Herald reached out to Newhouse’s campaign to confirm the dates after receiving the list. But a spokesperson said he was “shocked” to hear of the dates because the campaign hadn’t confirmed anything yet.
“We have not agreed to participate in any debates yet and had just begun discussions with the Sessler campaign to identify which ones worked for both of our schedules,” campaign manager Robert Bugner said in a statement. “Many of the ones listed in the Sessler press release occur when Congress is in session and congressman Newhouse will be in D.C.
for them,” he continued. The U.S.
House reconvenes next week. In a statement provided after the announcement, Matt Brown, Sessler’s campaign manager, said Sessler “indeed agreed to participate in all debates with the incumbent,” and that they would “look forward to further clarification and hope to see all the candidates there.” “Congressman Newhouse’s office provided the list of possible dates, which we agreed to participate in,” Brown said.
“We are excited about these opportunities to speak directly to the voters of the 4th Congressional District and believe that these debates will provide valuable insight into the issues affecting our community.” Sessler’s Friday announcement said he had agreed to debate Newhouse at several candidate forums on a relatively tight schedule. The Nov.
5 general election is less than nine weeks away. The first of the seven debates being planned could take place as soon as Thursday, Sept. 12, and only one in the Tri-Cities.
The Herald and KNDU TV have also been working to plan a forum with the two candidates. In the announcement, Brown also insisted Democratic write-in candidate Cherissa Boyd will be included. “Democrat voters were denied a candidate of their choice due to the ‘jungle primary,’ despite their votes totaling enough to have come in second place ahead of Dan Newhouse,” he said.
Washington’s 4th Congressional District stretches from the U.S.-Canada border down to the Columbia River, and includes the Tri-Cities, Omak, East Wenatchee, Moses Lake, Yakima and the Yakama Indian Reservation.
It is the state’s most Republican-leaning congressional district. Newhouse is a five-term Republican from Sunnyside. He’s being challenged by fellow Republican Sessler over his 2021 vote to impeach former President Donald Trump for fomenting the Jan.
6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Sessler came in first during the Aug. 6 primary election , earning 33% of the vote in an eight-person race. He and Newhouse, who came in second with 23%, will appear on the general election ballot.
Earlier this week, Politico reported that a PAC aligned with Newhouse reportedly spent $35,000 on a t ext messaging campaign in Central Washington to promote Sessler in the primary as a strategy to oust a possibly stronger GOP candidate..
