Hatcher and Molder

Left is Charlie Hatcher and right is Chaz Molder

 Photo: Hamilton Matthew Masters

Fifth Congressional District candidates Charlie Hatcher and Chaz Molder appear poised to debate the issues ahead of the Nov. 3 election, bucking the recent trend of politicians avoiding debates in Tennessee and beyond.

Molder, the Democratic Party nominee who currently serves as mayor of Columbia, called on Thursday for three debates to take place across the 5th Congressional District. He proposed locations in Columbia, Memphis and Martin.

"As a mayor, I don’t wait for an invitation to show up. I listen to folks at church on Sunday morning, around kitchen tables, at the ballfield, and in my office at city hall, whether they voted for me or not," Molder said in a statement. "The politicians who gerrymandered this district gave us a lot of ground to cover. We are the ones asking for the job, so we ought to be the ones doing the traveling. No voter should have to drive three hours to hear their congressional candidates debate. Three debates will give people across this district a chance to hear from both of us in person, close to home."

Hatcher’s campaign told the Williamson Scene that the Republican Party nominee and former state agriculture commissioner is “committed to debating.”

“I’ve been meeting folks where they are in every nook and cranny of this district for months. Voters deserve to hear from the two nominees in this important race,” Hatcher said in a statement. “I look forward to a discussion on the issues at a time and place that works for both candidates throughout the district.” 

When asked if Hatcher is committing to one or three debates, as proposed by Molder, a Hatcher spokesperson responded, “We will do it on a timeline that works for both candidates, not to just one politician's political stunt.”

While no details are available about when and where a debate could take place, or the rules of an agreed-to debate, Hatcher and Molder’s commitment strikes a notably different tone from other state-level races, such as the gubernatorial race, which is likely to see no debates.

U.S. Sen. and Republican gubernatorial nominee Marsha Blackburn refused to debate during the primary election and also refused to debate Democratic nominee Jerri Green, as well as calls for debate coming from independent candidates Lauren Pinkston and David Hatley, all of whom have called for a debate.