Three CO-4 debates planned for October, but Musgrave wants to start now

Waterfowl for Musgrave: Musgrave campaign intern Kyle Anderson went to 4th Congressional District radio stations Friday in a duck suit after Markey declined to appear on a radio debate scheduled for Saturday morning. (Photo courtesy of the Marilyn Musgrave campaign)Three 4th Congressional District debates are being tentatively scheduled for the second, third, and fourth week of October.

But U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave's campaign is crying "fowl" after Democratic nominee Betsy Markey did not accept an invitation to a radio debate Saturday morning.

Though the exact details have not yet been finalized, the Fort Collins Coloradoan is sponsoring a 4th Congressional District debate in Fort Collins during the second week of October, a source said. That debate would be televised on KUSA-TV.

The third week of October, the two candidates would square off in Windsor in a debate sponsored by the Greeley Tribune, Windsor Now, and Fort Collins Now and televised on KDVR-TV, the source said.

The fourth week's debate would be held in Fort Morgan and focus on agricultural issues, according to the source.

But the Musgrave campaign wants to start debating immediately. Friday afternoon, her campaign issued a press release chastising Markey for not accepting a proposal to debate Saturday morning on KCOL-AM.

Musgrave challenged Markey to the KCOL debate -- as well as two others -- in June; Friday's Musgrave release cited a Politicker.com article from late July in which Markey spokesperson Ben Marter said the debates would definitely happen later on.

But Marter told PolitickerCO.com Friday afternoon that Markey can't debate Musgrave on KCOL-AM Saturday morning, as she'll be on a different radio show - "Ultimate Politics" on KCKK-AM 1510 and KSXT-AM 1570.

Marter made assurances that Markey will debate Musgrave during the 2008 campaign.

"We are debating," he said.

Musgrave manager Jason Thielman responded that as Musgrave's challenge came in June, it was striking that Markey got booked on another radio show during the same time as the KCOL show.

"That (other radio show booking) is conveniently appeared, I believe," Thielman said.

The Musgrave campaign publicized Markey's "ducking" of the debate by sending out intern Kyle Anderson to local radio stations in a duck suit. In May, the Markey campaign had accused Anderson of "'James Bond' tactics" after he surreptitiously filmed Markey's speech at the 4th Congressional District Democratic assembly.

Friday's Musgrave press release was issued under the title "Quack, Quack, Quack."

Asked what Markey's position was on ducks, Marter answered, tongue firmly in cheek, that "Betsy Markey draws a line in the sand about ducks."

"She feels there are good ducks like Daffy Duck and bad ducks like Scrooge McDuck," Marter said.