Debate

U.S. Senate candidates Frank Lautenberg and Dick Zimmer will meet for their second and final debate tonight at NJN studios in Trenton.  NJN News anchor Kent Manahan will moderate the debate, and a panel of reporters from NJN News, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Gannett New Jersey will question the candidates.  The one-hour debate will be broaccast live on NJN tonight, simulcast on NJN Public Radio, and rebroadcast at 11:30AM Sunday morning.  The debate can also been seen on WHYY on Sunday at 5PM, and on WNET on Sunday at 11:30 PM.

Before the U.S. Senate debate in Manchester, police arrested a man dressed in a duck costume outside the WMUR television studio.

A video of the arrest can be seen using this link: arrest

The last debate between U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-Waterville Valley) and former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) might be best remembered for how uneventful it was.

Shaheen attempted to tie Sununu to President Bush, while Sununu tried to separate himself from the Republican leadership.

GILBERTSVILLE -- Usually after the conclusion of a debate, the discussion from the participating campaigns turns to spin on the issues, but shortly after the conclusion of this morning's final U.S. Senate debate between U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) and businessman Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville), McConnell's camp was talking about a recording device and pondering criminal charges against the Democratic candidate himself.

A digital recorder left near Lunsford during the debate at Kentucky Dam Village by an National Republican Senatorial Committee staffer was allegedly picked up by the candidate after the debate, according to state Sen. President David Williams (R-Burkesville) and the NRSC staffer.

The staffer says he asked for it back, but Lunsford allegedly gave it to someone from his own campaign.

"He said 'No, you will not be getting this back,'" said Richard St. Onge, the NRSC tracker in question, of Lunsford's reaction for the request for the device.

The recorder was retrieved from the Lunsford camp shortly thereafter, and given to a Marshall County Sheriff.

Lunsford's consultant Achim Bergmann said a staffer had the recorder and returned it to a police officer.

Marshall County Sheriff R.K. Byars confirmed he was given the device by the Lunsford camp and returned it to St. Onge.

The McConnell camp reports a substantial amount of recordings from the device were erased, but Bergmann said he was unaware of that fact and said no one from the campaign would have erased the device.

Williams wielded the returned recorder in front of reporters and called the incident "a criminal action."

"Mr. Lunsford will be lucky if someone doesn't swear a warrant out for him today in district court," added Williams, alleging the supposed activity was "theft.

"How is that theft?" asked Bergmann when told of Williams' comments.

The Democratic consultant said he couldn't see how the incident constitued a crime.

HENNIKER-Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) struggled in a debate over a question asked by Politicker.com national managing editor James Pindell.

Shaheen was participating in the first live televised debate against U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-Waterville Valley).

"Governor can you give one issue that you believe in your gut to be absolutely true but that the polls suggest to be politically unpopular," Pindell asked in a debate held at New England College.

Shaheen press secretary Caitlin Legacki: Photo Credit: PolitickerNH.comHENNIKER-Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen's press secretary wore a fisherman outfit to draw attention to a fishing trip U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-Waterville Valley) took with embattled U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).

In 2004 Sununu attended a fishing trip in Alaska with Stevens. A Nashua Telegraph story last week said that Sununu received reimbursements relating to the trip, which were funded by taxpayers.

MEDFORD, Ore. -- Republican U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith acknowledged Monday night that one of the outside groups helping him went too far with an ad attacking his Democratic opponent, Jeff Merkley. During a debate, Smith recalled a National Republican Senatorial Committee ad that showed his Merkley caught unaware of a foreign policy crisis in the former Soviet republic of Georgia while he was eating a hot dog. "I regret the tone of campaign," Smith said. "The Republican Senatorial Committee ran a commercial with Jeff Merkley eating a hot dog. Jeff Merkley is a good person. I think I am a good person too. I would not belittle someone like that. I'm sorry we ran that kind of ad."

MEDFORD - Oregon's U.S. Senate candidates battled for rural policy superiority in a debate Monday night in Medford.

U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) had to start the night playing defense, after a poll released Monday afternoon showed that challenger Jeff Merkley (D-Portland) had increased his lead over the incumbent senator to 46 to 41 percent. Smith, who is Oregon's only federal official from east of the Cascades, argued that he had a better grip on rural policy than Merkley and he warned rural Oregonians that the state House Speaker would not be a voice for them in Washington, D.C.

The Oregon Senate debate was for the most part a display of two seasoned, well polished politicians. However, U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) came up with the one noticeable gaff of the night.

"I met Sarah Palin once," Smith said. "She's a lovely person, she's a great governor of California."

Smith was answering a question asked by Jeff Mapes of the Oregonian regarding whether he thought Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, was prepared to be president of the United States. Republicans have pushed the idea that Palin, the governor of Alaska, has extensive governing experience after being her state's chief executive.

"Governor Schwarzenegger is going to be very surprised to find he's been succeeded by Governor Palin," Smith's challenger, Jeff Merkley (D-Portland), said.

PORTLAND - Oregon's Senate candidates focused on the economic crisis and argued over tax policies in their first general election debate Thursday night.

U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) argued for his re-election, defending his support of the Bush administration's tax cuts, saying they were the kind of policies that were needed to get the economy going again.

With an economic downturn facing the country, Smith said that he was the kind of senator Oregon would need to send back to Washington, D.C.

"I believe in pro-growth tax cuts," Smith said. "Every Oregonian, because of how I have voted, is paying lower federal taxes today. Every Oregonian is paying higher state taxes because of way Jeff Merkley voted."

Smith went on to question whether Democratic candidate Jeff Merkley (D-Portland) was ready to help Oregon through the financial crisis, and he criticized the Oregon House Speaker for not supporting the Bush tax cuts.