Mum's the word

Robert Blaha says he's asked Congressman Doug Lamborn to debate no fewer than 16 times.

"I can't get him to respond," says Blaha. "I can't get him to debate."

Consider it the incumbent advantage. No matter how much your opponent presses for a debate, you generally can just ignore the issue.

"There's lots of people who would say that's good politics," says Jeff Crank, head of Americans for Prosperity in Colorado, "and you probably would find lots of strategists who would say that.

"I think that it's a bit disrespectful to voters."

When Crank ran against Lamborn in 2008, he couldn't get the congressman to debate then, either.

According to the Blaha campaign's spokeswoman, Ashlee Springer, they are willing to accommodate Lamborn's wishes for time, venue, you name it. KOAA-TV has made a standing offer to moderate any debate.

Lamborn's spokeswoman, Catherine Mortensen, declined to respond to requests for comment. But on Friday, the Indy caught up with Lamborn at a prayer meeting on the steps of Colorado Springs City Hall. When asked if he knew how many times Blaha had asked him to debate, Lamborn responded, "I don't care what his count is; I don't keep track of the guy."

The third-term congressman went on to question why his challenger would even want to step into the ring. "I'd think that he'd be afraid to debate," he says, "after I trounced him at the Pikes Peak Firearms Coalition."

At the only forum the two have shared since Blaha announced his candidacy four months ago, the longtime businessman made a gaffe. While answering questions from the crowd of guns' rights supporters last month, Blaha stated that he opposes the Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller a decision that maintained the individual right to bear arms. Blaha has since clarified that he misspoke, and that he supports the Supreme Court's decision.

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Mum's the word

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