Roberti Wants 12 Debates in 12 Weeks

Dan Roberti has challenged his fellow 5th District Democratic candidates to 12 or more “issue-based” debates in advance of the Aug. 14 primary.

Roberti sent letters to opponents Chris Donovan and Elizabeth Esty this morning. He repeated the invitation this morning during an appearance on “Where We Live,” a public affairs show produced by WNPR and the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network.

“As candidates for the Democratic nomination in the 5^th Congressional District, we owe the voters in our party the opportunity to learn where we stand,” Roberti wrote.

“I offer, here and now, a challenge for you to participate with me in 12 or more issue-based debates. I provide a list of topics below. These are the issues I’ve been asked about most while visiting with thousands of voters in their homes. Please feel free to suggest additional topics,” he wrote.

The Esty and Donovan camps were receptive to Roberti’s request, though both said the details would need to be worked out.

“We looks forward to working with the three campaigns to try and work out the details,” said Donovan spokesman Gabe Rosenberg. As far as the exact number of debates, “that’s something [the three campaigns] are going to have to sit down and try to answer,” he said.

Rosenberg added that the Donovan campaign is pushing for town hall-style forums. “Chris is excited to continue his direct conversations with the voters,” he said.

Jeb Fain, spokesman for the Esty campaign, also agreed that the debates are a good idea, though, he said, “details matter.”

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