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The campaign of Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Ed Tinsley is continuing its push to get Democratic opponent Harry Teague to agree to attend forums in each county in the district.
Today, the Tinsley campaign released an undated video of Tinsley hand-delivering a letter making the forum challenge to Teague’s campaign headquarters in Hobbs. You can watch the video by clicking here.
Teague wasn’t at the office on the day the video was recorded — a campaign staffer told Tinsley he was in Las Cruces — but Tinsley delivered the letter to a Teague staffer during a friendly encounter. Tinsley said on the video that it was the third time he visited Teague’s office.
Bradley Foster, who at the time was Teague’s campaign manager but has since been fired, accepted the letter from Tinsley. He didn’t respond to the challenge other than saying that the campaign appreciated the invitation.
Since Tinsley delivered the letter, the Teague campaign has issued no formal answer or directly responded through the media. Teague’s campaign has said only that it has agreed to attend three debates and looks forward to more because Teague is “eager” to debate Tinsley.
“It has been almost two weeks and my Democrat opponent has not offered the courtesy of a response. This is appalling,” Tinsley said in a statement released by his campaign. “… I offer Harry Teague a chance to stand side by side with me and talk to the voters in our district about the issues that are important to New Mexicans. Let’s lay it our there in an open forum.”
Tinsley said Teague “does not want to meet with the voters because his agenda is out of touch with Southern New Mexico. Harry has brought in outsiders to run his campaign and it is controlled by the liberal Democrat leaders in Washington, D.C.” He said Teague will spend his personal fortune to “try and buy himself a job in Congress,” and pointed out that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is chipping in for TV advertising.
“The voters of New Mexico want accessible and accountable leadership, but all Harry can promise them is millions of dollars in slick television advertising,” Tinsley said.
Tinsley also indirectly responded to what has become the Teague campaign’s most common attack on him — that he doesn’t live in the district. Tinsley owns a ranch in Capitan and a home in Santa Fe. Though he says he spends most of his time at the ranch, Democrats have said otherwise.
“My family has been living in Capitan for more than 50 years,” Tinsley said. “I understand the people of Southern New Mexico and I am the best person to represent them in Congress.”
The Teague campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
