Washington Examiner
· collected 2026-09-07 · by David W. Falls
The article discusses how politicians are increasingly opting out of debates, citing that voters may not care enough about them to punish candidates who refuse to participate. This trend is exemplified by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, who has refused to debate her Republican opponent Rep. Andy Biggs despite criticism for doing so four years ago. According to the article, a strong performance in a debate can only help slightly, while a poor one can harm a campaign, making the potential reward not worth the risk. The Brookings Institution analysis found that the number of debates held in competitive Senate races has decreased significantly over the past decade, from 17 in 2010 to just six in 2022.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) should debate her Republican opponent, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ).
asserted
Hobbs → debate → opponent
I also understand why she won’t.
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she → understand → ?
Four years ago, Hobbs refused to debate Republican Kari Lake during their race for governor.
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Hobbs → refuse → governor
She took plenty of criticism for it.
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She → take → it
Reporters repeatedly pressed her to reconsider.
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Reporters → press → her
Hobbs argued that appearing onstage with Lake would produce a spectacle rather than a useful discussion of the issues.
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appearing → argue → issues
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Then Hobbs won.
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Hobbs → win → ?
The lesson was hard to miss: refusing to debate might generate some bad headlines, but voters may not care enough to punish you for it.
uncertain
voters → miss → it
It is the incentive her decision exposes.
asserted
decision → expose → ?
Why should candidates debate if voters do not care whether they do?
asserted
they → debate → ?
Now Hobbs is running for reelection, and her campaign has announced that she will not debate Biggs.
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she → run → Biggs
Her campaign says face-to-face interaction with Arizonans is more useful than participating in a forum built around short soundbites and political theater.
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interaction → say → soundbites
Hobbs’s campaign has also criticized Biggs for skipping debates and forums.
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campaign → criticize → debates
Yet Hobbs herself has now declined to debate him.
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Hobbs → decline → him
That is difficult to square.
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That → square → ?
If Biggs owed Republican voters a debate during the primary, why does Hobbs not owe Arizona voters one during the general election?
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Hobbs → owe → election
Politicians respond to incentives, and increasingly those incentives favor staying off the debate stage.
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incentives → respond → stage
President Donald Trump made essentially the same decision during the 2024 Republican presidential primaries.
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Trump → make → primaries
He was the dominant candidate and skipped every debate.
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He → skip → debate
His opponents stood onstage arguing with one another while the candidate leading them all decided there was little reason to participate.
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candidate → stand → them
He went on to win the Republican nomination easily.
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He → go → nomination
The calculation is simple: a strong performance may help a little, while a terrible one can damage a campaign overnight.
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one → help → campaign
That may sound cynical, but campaign professionals are paid to win elections, not to preserve political traditions.
uncertain
professionals → sound → traditions
There is evidence that debates have been disappearing for years.
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debates → be → years
A Brookings Institution analysis of the five most competitive U.S. Senate races found 17 debates in 2010.
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analysis → find → 2010
In 2022, only six had been held or scheduled at the time the analysis was published.
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analysis → hold → time
Which raises a harder question: If we really believe debates are important, why do we make refusing them so easy?
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refusing → raise → them
We routinely say candidates should debate.
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candidates → say → ?
Editorial boards say it.
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boards → say → it
Political opponents say it.
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opponents → say → it
Voters say it.
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Voters → say → it
Then a candidate refuses, the election arrives, and many of us vote exactly as we would have voted if the debate had taken place.
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debate → refuse → place
Candidates notice.
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Candidates → notice → ?
Few voters will abandon their views on taxes, abortion, immigration, or education over a debate invitation.
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voters → abandon → invitation
Refusing to debate should carry some political cost.
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Refusing → refuse → cost
Supporters can object, editorial boards can make the refusal part of their evaluations, and reporters can keep asking why a candidate seeking public office will not face an opponent.
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candidate → object → opponent
Without that pressure, debates stop being an expected part of running for office and become just another campaign tactic: participate when the possible reward outweighs the risk and decline when it does not.
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it → stop → risk
For an hour or two, candidates have to occupy the same space.
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candidates → have → space
One can challenge something the other just said.
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other → challenge → something
A moderator can press for an answer.
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moderator → press → answer
…and 16 more, not listed.
