Less than a week after Nevada voters and media outlets from the Wall Street Journal to Slate overwhelmingly praised Dr. Joe Heck’s debate victory, the Catherine Cortez Masto campaign ruled out any additional debates in this hotly contested U.S. Senate race.

While the Heck campaign consistently pushed for debates in Las Vegas, Reno and Elko to be broadcast statewide, the Cortez Masto campaign continued to dither, even objecting to the Nevada Broadcasters Association (NVBA) president as a moderator. The participation of the NVBA would have enabled every television and radio broadcast outlet in Nevada, including Spanish-language media, to carry the debate.

“Not unlike their candidate, who thinks bipartisan means agreeing with her, the Cortez Masto campaign was never serious about negotiating debates,” said Heck spokesperson Brian Baluta. “And that reason was evident in the last debate where Dr. Heck demonstrated his superior knowledge of the issues and solutions-oriented approach to the challenges facing Nevada, whereas Cortez Masto offered nothing but empty partisan attacks.”

The Cortez Masto campaign had rejected multiple options to hold debates in Reno and Elko that would be broadcast statewide. As the Reno Gazette-Journal’s Seth Richardson reported last month (9/28/16):

Debate talks in Reno have stalled with early voting less than one month away. Cortez Masto initially proposed one on political journalist Jon Ralston’s show at the KNPB studios, but the cancellation of his show left that request moot.

The Heck campaign countered with a request for a Reno debate moderated by Nevada Newsmakers host Sam Shad, who records from Reno. The Cortez Masto campaign has not publicly responded to that request.

The findings of the KLAS debate focus group make it clear why Cortez Masto did not and does not want to schedule more debates.

KLAS Audience Response Near Unanimous “Heck Won The Debate“ “Let’s get to the big question, and the big answer, who did the audience think won, and this one is lopsided. Catherine Cortez Masto picked up one vote. Joe Heck, 10 of the 14 said he won it.”

Focus Group Says Overwhelmingly: Dr. Heck More Trustworthy “11 out of 14 saying Joe Heck is more trustworthy.”

KLAS Group Member: Dr. Heck Did A Better Job Hitting On The Issues “Catherine Cortez Masto actually was on the defensive a little more, she was a little more aggressive towards Joe Heck, and I really didn’t see any need.”

KLAS Focus Group Praises Dr. Heck’s Debate Performance “Heck had a more complex understanding of it, maybe understood the nuances and subtleties better and I felt that was respectable.”

Focus Group: Dr. Heck Won The Healthcare Debate 14-0 “All of you reacted very well to Joe Heck. Not so much to Catherine Cortez Masto.”

KLAS Focus Group Member On Dr. Heck’s Performance “Immigration. His answer on immigration was well put.”

Jon Ralston: Joe Heck Is A “Top Quality Candidate… Knows Issues Encyclopedically“ “he’s very very good out there on the stump. He’s very good on issues, he knows them encyclopedically, much better than most congressman, I think he might be the only one who read all 2700 pages of the “Affordable Care Act.”

Kevin Wall On #NVDebate: Catherine Cortez Masto Unfit To be A United States Senator “Catherine Cortez Masto to me did not help her cause, she came off as abrupt, she interrupted, she jumped right in, didn’t wait to be invited into the conversation. And when she did she went right to the Democrat talking points.”

Wall Street Journal’s Kate Bachelder Odell: “Perhaps as thanks, Mr. Reid selected Ms. Cortez Masto to inherit his seat; it clearly wasn’t because of her policy acumen or political skill. At a debate Friday in Las Vegas, Ms. Cortez Masto unloaded this free association about Mr. Heck’s plan to repeal the mandates and penalties in ObamaCare: “We’re not talking about preventive care anymore. The premiums are going to skyrocket under his plan. That’s the difference here, you know, again, he’s a typical Washington politician.” Voters understand that premiums are already skyrocketing—thanks to ObamaCare. Mr. Heck suggested a tax credit to help Americans buy insurance in the private market. Ms. Cortez Masto proposed nothing.” Slate’s Jim Newell: “…Heck—whether one agrees with his policy preferences or not—was just more fluent on federal issues. This was a gap Heck exploited well during a later section of the debate when the candidates were allowed to pose questions to each other. ‘What, if anything, should the United States do to combat China’s territorial assertion in the South China Sea especially in light of the recent Hague decision?’ Heck asked. Cortez Masto had no answer to this question, beyond pointing out that we needed a steady, non-Trump commander in chief to “hold China accountable.” Fair enough. It still would have been nice to hear a United States Senate candidate explain her thoughts on the territorial dispute in the South China Sea.” # # #