Finally! Denham and Harder agree to terms for rare debate

Hurling insults at one another, Rep. Jeff Denham and challenger Josh Harder have agreed to debate before The Modesto Bee’s editorial board Sept. 20.

Anyone with a computer or a smart phone can stream the event as it occurs on The Bee’s Facebook page, or replay it later.

After news broke on Thursday of the impending forum at The Bee, The Turlock Journal announced that it, too, will host a Harder-Denham forum at a time and place to be determined. “Both candidates have agreed to terms for a debate in Turlock,” the newspaper Tweeted.

Both men have homes in Turlock, the second-largest city in Stanislaus County, after Modesto. The 10th District covers Stanislaus County and the south part of San Joaquin County.

Harder, 32, a Democrat, and Denham, 51, a Republican, for weeks have caustically accused each other of ducking chances to meet and debate in public.

“Harder failed to show,” Denham’s camp said in a release, to recent events hosted by the House church in Modesto and at the farm bureau in San Joaquin County. That’s because the church and farm bureau endorsed the incumbent in the June Primary, says Harder, who requests a neutral location.

Saying Denham “has a lot to answer for,” Harder contends that Denham favors meetings where his people control attendance and screen questions. Harder is nearly halfway into a schedule of hosting 16 of his own meetings with potential constituents.

“I’ll continue to invite Denham to every single one of our town halls, which are free and open to every member of the public that wants to attend,” Harder said in a Thursday release.

“It’s telling that he’s attending The Modesto Bee since they’ve already endorsed him (before the Primary), but refused the San Joaquin Farm Bureau just because they endorsed us,” said Josh Whitfield, Denham’s campaign manager.

In Tweets, campaigns of both men have questioned the other’s honesty and courage in the debates flap.

Denham, first elected in 2010, is among several Republicans under scrutiny by political experts, some expecting that a blue wave could wash enough out of office to allow Democrats to regain majority control of the House. Others say newcomers like Harder aren’t strong enough to overcome GOP incumbency.

The debate hosted by The Bee is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 20 and can be viewed on The Bee’s Facebook site. Likely topics include water, health care, immigration and campaign finance.

Mike Dunbar, The Bee’s editorial page editor, will moderate the forum with questions from members of the paper’s editorial board.

Garth Stapley: 209-578-2390

This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 12:23 PM.