Harris Claims Victory in First Cancelled Debate

BLAMES DONNELLY & KOSTER FOR GENERATION GAP

Rep. Jeff Harris is declaring victory in the first Democratic Attorney General debate that's been cancelled.

That's because he's the only one of the major three candidates who didn't back out. According to reports, the debate was cancelled because both Rep. Margaret Donnelly and Senator Chris Koster said they could not attend.

"With both Donnelly and Koster yielding the field, Harris’ campaign declared victory in the debate. Whether that victory gets recorded as a 9-0 win like Major League Baseball or 2-0 as in the NFL, the debate tally should clearly reflect that Jeff Harris was the only candidate prepared to face the tough questions and the voters in Northeast Missouri," reads the Harris campaign e-mail.

“All joking aside, the unfortunate losers in this are the Young Democrats and other students at Truman State who worked hard to put this event together, and I am truly disappointed for them. They demonstrated a commitment to democracy and public service that we, as candidates for public office, should honor," Rep. Harris said.

“Senator Koster and Representative Donnelly’s decision to skip this debate is an example of why we have often seen a generation gap within the Democratic Party in historically in voting. I can’t help but wonder if this event had been hosted by the Missouri Bar Association or some other similar organization, that my opponents then would have made the time on their schedules to attend. Since this event was put on by the Young Democrats, they for some reason felt it was OK to snub them," Harris went on.

Harris noted that both Koster and Donnelly had committed to the debate, and should have kept that commitment to all voters, "whether they are eighteen or eighty."