Harris claims victory in debate that never took place

It's not exactly the kind of victory to write home to Mom about, but Democratic Attorney General candidate Jeff Harris is claiming victory in the first debate...after the debate was canceled because of scheduling conflicts for competitors Margaret Donnelly and Chris Koster. A news release issued by the Harris campaign earlier today read:

Chalk up one victory for Representative Jeff Harris in the Democratic battle for Attorney General. Harris’ campaign declared victory in the first round of debates as his leading rivals forfeited the event citing scheduling conflicts. With both Donnelly and Koster yielding the field, Harris’ campaign declared victory in the debate. Whether that victory gets recorded as a 9-0 win like Major League Baseball or 2-0 as in the NFL, the debate tally should clearly reflect that Jeff Harris was the only candidate prepared to face the tough questions and the voters in Northeast Missouri.

Harris issued the following statement:

“All joking aside, the unfortunate losers in this are the Young Democrats and other students at Truman State who worked hard to put this event together, and I am truly disappointed for them. They demonstrated a commitment to democracy and public service that we, as candidates for public office, should honor.

“Senator Koster and Representative Donnelly’s decision to skip this debate is an example of why we have often seen a generation gap within the Democratic Party in historically in voting. I can’t help but wonder if this event had been hosted by the Missouri Bar Association or some other similar organization, that my opponents then would have made the time on their schedules to attend. Since this event was put on by the Young Democrats, they for some reason felt it was OK to snub them.

“By listening to the concerns of voters and talking to them, we can bring Missourians and Americans together behind a common cause. As candidates and elected officials we should respect all voters, whether they are eighteen or eighty, and we should always stand by our commitments when we make them.”

The decisions by Senator Chris Koster and Representative Margaret Donnelly skip the debate both came after their campaigns had confirmed that they would in fact attend the debate, which was to be held this Thursday at Truman State University in Kirksville. Invitations for the debate were sent more than a month ago.