authors Stephen Elliott
The lone debate between the Republican and Democratic nominees for U.S. Senate is off, the Memphis Flyer has reported.
According to the newspaper, Republican Bill Hagerty and Democrat Marquita Bradshaw were set to meet on Oct. 14 at the WKRN News 2 studio in Nashville. The Flyer cited a requirement listed on a debate invitation that, to qualify, candidates must have raised $50,000.
Bradshaw reported raising just $22,000 before her primary victory in August but has since said she has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, though that information has not been filed with federal campaign authorities. Hagerty raised far more than the $50,000 cutoff ahead of his competitive primary race against, among others, Nashville surgeon Manny Sethi.
The debate was called off after one of several independent candidates in the race cited the federal “equal-time rule” in calling for his own inclusion in the race, the Flyer reported. WKRN station manager Tracey Rogers did not cite a specific reason for the event’s cancellation.
After picking up substantial financial support in the wake of her surprise primary win, Bradshaw has further professionalized her campaign effort. She announced last week that she hired Ken Taylor as campaign manager. He previously worked as an adviser to House Minority Leader Karen Camper and is involved with the Tennessee chapters of the NAACP and Planned Parenthood.
Bradshaw also announced the addition of Janel Lacy and Kelli Gauthier to lead communications for the campaign. Lacy previously worked on campaigns for former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and on communications for Metro Nashville Public Schools. Gauthier worked in communications for the state Department of Education.
Politics 2020 elections Bill Hagerty Elections Marquita Bradshaw
