Marks wants more one-on-one time with Schrader

Steve Marks’s campaign is calling it the “debate dodge.”

Last week, Marks sent a letter to his opponent in the Democratic primary in the 5^th Congressional District, state Senator Kurt Schrader, asking for a series of debates, one in each of the counties in the district.

Schrader’s campaign’s initial response was positive, but the Senator seems to be falling through on the follow-up.

Marks is selling the debates as a chance for voters to learn where the candidates stand on a series of issues, beyond the simple five-minute stump speech.

A recent press release discussed repealing the Bush tax cuts. "Where does my opponent stand on this issue?” Marks asked. “We don't know because he won't debate.”

Paul Gage, Schrader’s campaign manager, said that he feels there are plenty of opportunities already on the calendar, such as candidate forums, where the voters will be able to hear the candidates’ issue stances.

“We’ll keep looking at the calendar. We are getting requests for forums and debates from different groups all the time, and we will evaluate them as they come up,” Gage said.