Van Orden rejects formal debate challenge in 3rd district race, proposes voter-led debate against Pfaff

WASHINGTON – The Republican running for Wisconsin's open 3rd Congressional District has rejected his Democratic opponent's formal debate challenge, saying he would only participate in a debate led by members of the public as he accused the media of being biased and his opponent of playing "games."

"I challenge the media to provide a fair, town hall style setting for a debate with Brad Pfaff," Derrick Van Orden said in a statement Friday, referencing his Democratic opponent.

"75% of our district does not have a four year degree, and they deserve to ask the questions, not university professors or biased media."

The question of whether or not there would be a debate in the western Wisconsin race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Ron Kind has taken center-stage in the contest over the past several days.

Pfaff, a state senator, earlier this week challenged Van Orden to three debates across the district — in La Crosse, Eau Claire and Stevens Point. The Democrat subsequently accepted an offer from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to debate on campus and called out Van Orden, who polls indicate is leading the race.

"Anything short of a full acceptance of this challenge means that Derrick is either incapable of engaging in a candid and frank conversation about real solutions to voters' real concerns, or he is too afraid of me and the voters of this district to risk a transparent and public event," Pfaff said.

On Friday, Van Orden claimed Pfaff's campaign and the organizers of the UW-La Crosse debate coalition showed "they will not act in good faith." A spokesperson in an email to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel accused Pfaff and the debate coalition of "going behind our backs" to set up the debate.

The campaign said it reached out in August to local TV stations in La Crosse and Eau Claire about potential debates, but nothing came of the effort.

"Debates are supposed to be negotiations, instead we've been met with a 'do it or else' proposal," a spokesperson for Van Orden said. "That's not right, and it's not fair to the people of this district."

Anthony Chergosky, a UW-La Crosse professor and the debate coalition's organizer, in an interview said the coalition tried to arrange meetings with Van Orden's campaign about a debate but had been having trouble getting in touch. 

Chergosky noted the debate format the coalition proposed is "a long-standing format" they've used in the district and does not involve Chergosky asking questions. Rather, Chergosky keeps time during the debate and calls on members of a media panel to ask questions.

Van Orden participated in at least one such debate where Chergosky was moderator during his unsuccessful race against Kind in 2020.

Still, Chergosky said the coalition is open to discussing a town hall-style debate.

Pfaff's campaign manager Andrew Whitley called Van Orden's response "a desperate attempt to hide from voters" that "won't work."

“Derrick ... will use every excuse in the book to escape answering tough questions," Whitley said. "He is afraid to face unscripted questions from the people of Wisconsin, and it’s showing now in this absurd conspiracy theory statement."

"Voters deserve accountability and somebody who isn’t afraid to answer their questions and take responsibility for their actions."

When asked if Pfaff would participate in a town hall-style debate, Whitley said: "We welcome an opportunity to engage in a real discussion about format, but we've already made our offer of three debates and Derrick's response is nothing but a refusal."

Before his Friday statement, Van Orden's silence on the debate challenge drew the criticism of top Democrats. U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who frequently spars on Twitter with Van Orden, accused the former Navy SEAL of being unable to "handle an intellectual debate of issues."

Kind in a tweet Thursday accused Van Orden of being a "chicken."

"The Yellow-Bellied @derrickvanorden is a species of chicken that isn’t native to Wisconsin. It just flocks here to run for political office, screeches loudly at teenagers in libraries, and runs away at lighting speed when challenged by @pfaff4congress to an honest debate!" Kind wrote.

"Stay classy Ron Burgundy," Van Orden responded, referencing a movie character played by Will Ferrell.

"I will be clear, this kerfuffle is another example of biased media coordinating with the Democratic Party," Van Orden said Friday. "To imply that I'm afraid to speak to the voters in the 3rd is a foolish statement." 

"We are done playing Professional Politician Pfaff’s games."

Contact Lawrence Andrea at landrea@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @lawrencegandrea.