Vance, Ryan Campaigns Continue to Debate About Debates

The great Ohio U.S. Senate debate over debates continues between Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan and Republican nominee J.D. Vance.

The candidates agreed to take the stage on Oct. 10 in Cleveland in a forum hosted by WJW Channel 8 and on Oct. 17 in Youngstown coordinated by WFMJ-TV.

Ryan’s campaign said he committed to another debate, planned for Oct. 4 in Hamilton, not far from Middletown, where Vance grew up.

Vance campaign spokesman Luke Schroeder told reporters that Vance has not agreed to the Oct. 4 forum, which would be hosted by Cincinnati’s WLWT-TV.

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) speaks during an event at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Oct. 13, 2019. (Duane Prokop/Getty Images for Wellness Your Way Festival)

“We have reiterated in multiple conversations with WLWT that an Oct. 4 debate in Hamilton is not logistically possible,” Schroeder said.

Earlier this month, Ryan released a statement last week saying that he will participate in debates on Sept. 26 in Youngstown at Stambaugh Auditorium, on Oct. 4 at Parrish Auditorium on Miami University’s Hamilton Campus, and on Oct. 12 at the Akron-Summit County Public Library.

Vance said in a statement the same week that he would participate in the event hosted by WJW-TV in Cleveland on Oct. 4 and a debate coordinated in Hamilton at a date to be determined.

It is not clear whether the date for a debate in Hamilton will be changed to accommodate the campaigns.

The Ohio Debate Commission proposed the Oct. 12 forum. Vance’s campaign declined, citing partisanship concerns.

After learning that Vance would not appear at the Ohio Debate Commission event, Ohio Debate Commission (ODC) executive director Jill Miller Zimon said in a statement that, “In an election cycle where voters have indicated how concerned they are about threats to

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