Hastings, Matheson to clash in four debates

Tri-Cities, Yakima, Wenatchee and ML the sites

MOSES LAKE — Four debates await U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Fourth District, and his opponent, Democratic businesswoman Sandy Matheson.

The first debate is this upcoming Monday in the main auditorium of Columbia Basin College in the Tri-Cities at 7 p.m. Two days later they meet in Yakima on Oct. 20, the following day they go to Wenatchee and then on the 26th of the month, Hastings and Matheson come to Moses Lake.

Prior to this set of debates, both sides remain optimistic about their candidate's chances when encountered with the constituents' questions.

Gil Gilman, campaign manager for Matheson, said she was going to try and answer the questions head-on, seeing the debate as a chance to confront Hastings on important issues, such as immigration, water rights, the cleanup of the Hanford site and pension benefits.

Ellen Howe, campaign manager for Hastings, added to that list of issues topics such as agriculture, homeland security, job creation and natural resources.

Howe said Hastings had "a record of service to the district, and the common-sense approach on how to solve the issues."

She added that she did not believe Hastings' prior experience in political debates would be an edge to the Pasco lawmaker.

"I don't think it's an advantage," she said. "(Debates are) an opportunity to hear a dialog on the issues set up in a fair and equitable format."

Gilman agreed, saying he did not believe 10 years of experience as an elected official would be much of an advantage for Hastings.

"He is not known to be a good performer on debates," he said. "He is kind of a dud in public."

Gilman further accused Hastings of ducking the issues and jumping on Democratic U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray's bandwagon when things got done.

"When the aluminum companies were shutting down, when the electricity prices went up, where was Doc?" asked Gilman, who added the recent flap over a Matheson campaign staffer was a way for the Hastings camp to avoid the issues.

Baxter Swilley was recently fired from the Matheson campaign for giving the wrong figures on a poll which showed Matheson trailing Hastings.

"They do press releases on someone making a mistake," Gilman said. "Let's see them do one on the asparagus industry going down the tubes."

Every county in the district shows a decline in economic performance and "not a peep out of Hastings," Gilman said

On a press release, Hastings' Washington D.C. office defended the congressman's record.

"Hastings won't stop working until everyone who wants a job has one," the release stated. "By blaming Hastings for higher electricity prices, Mrs. Matheson shows how little she knows about energy issues."

While Matheson's Democratic supporters were trying to tear down dams, the release read, Hastings had been a leader in protecting the Bonneville Power Administration.

The release went on to say that Hastings had secured millions of dollars for agricultural research and "has been there time and time again for our farm families and communities."

The scheduling of debates was another point of contention among the campaigns. Gilman assailed the scheduling of debates for dates after absentee ballots had gone out.

Howe said that the reason for the scheduling was because both sides had agreed to wait until the legislative session in Congress was over.

"We asked for four (debates), we scheduled four and we are having four, Howe said.