District 38 Democrat Responds to Debate Topic | News, sports, jobs

Lisa Hermosillo

House District 38 candidate Lisa Hermosillo has issued a statement to set the record straight on a local legislative debate this fall that did not take place.

District 38 Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, had stated that District 38 Republicans declined to participate in a debate opportunity offered by a local media outlet after learning that Democrats had requested the debate and because they wanted to take the district’s election campaign in a different direction.

Hermosillo, the only NPL Democratic candidate in District 38, said Democrats never contacted the media to help organize a debate. She said that while she reached out to another organization that has hosted debates in the past, the organization chose not to hold a legislative debate.

Another local organization had proposed a primary debate for House and Senate candidates in Districts 38 and 40. According to this group, only one candidate responded positively about participating. Three of four District 40 candidates had scheduling conflicts and one Republican could not be reached. In District 38, where there was a race in the Republican column, Republican Lisa Olson confirmed her participation. Hermosillo was unable to attend and of the three remaining Republicans only Ruby could be reached and he declined.

“It is very frustrating to see how little effort my GOP opponents in the House of Representatives have made to engage in debate throughout the election season.” Hermosillo said. “Voters’ ability to hear directly from their candidates is critical and can have a significant impact on their ability to make informed decisions in November.”