Cassidy Refuses April 28 Louisiana Senate Debate on Moon Griffon Show, Calls It ‘Biden Basement Strategy’

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) — Though his campaign has not officially responded to a debate invitation for late April, Sen. Bill Cassidy said in a radio interview he is refusing to take part in the April 28 Louisiana Senate debate on the Moon Griffon Show.

Cassidy's argument is that a 9 a.m. debate is not a good time for working Louisiana voters to tune in. However, the move puts Cassidy in an awkward spot: he spent weeks publicly pressuring his opponents to debate, and now he’s the one turning down a debate invitation.

According to KEEL News, Cassidy told reporters the mid-morning timeslot is a problem because most people are at work or at school when the debate would air. When KEEL pointed out the debate video would be available to watch online later, Cassidy pushed back: “How many people will actually go back and watch that?”

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Cassidy Compares Morning Debate to Biden’s Basement Strategy

Cassidy didn’t hold back in explaining why he sees the format as a non-starter.

“Having a debate in the mid-morning when people are at work or at school is a little bit like the Joe Biden campaign strategy, hiding in the basement and hoping nobody notices,” Cassidy told KEEL.

The comparison is notable. Cassidy’s opponents have used similar “hiding” language against him in other contexts, and Moon Griffon wasted no time pointing that out.

"Cassidy says Letlow is hiding from the public. He came on my program for over a decade. After his guilty vote on Trump he has not come on my program for over five years," Griffon said in response to Cassidy. "I just wonder what he and Biden have been talking about in the basement they’ve been hiding in for all these years.”

How the Debate Standoff Got Here

The debate fight in this race has been anything but simple. Cassidy fired the opening shot in early March, publicly challenging Letlow to a series of statewide televised debates ahead of the May 16 Republican primary. He accepted invitations from Louisiana Public Broadcasting in Baton Rouge for an April 16 debate, as well as proposals from KTBS-TV in Shreveport and Nexstar Media.

Letlow’s response: she’d debate, but only on the Moon Griffon Show. Her campaign said the debate “should happen on a conservative platform where Republican voters are already tuned in.” She also declined the LPB debate, citing a House session scheduled for that day.

Cassidy pushed back on Griffon’s show as a venue, saying “his listenership is pretty small” and arguing a primetime televised debate would reach far more voters.

Then Griffon announced he’d host the April 28 debate. Letlow confirmed she’d be there. Fleming confirmed too. The Cassidy has not responded to the invitation, though his comments to KEEL News indicate he won't be accepting it.

"I am extremely disappointed in Cassidy's decision," said Joe Cunningham, brand manager for NewsTalk 96.5 KPEL, which is Griffon's flagship station and will be the venue for the debate. "We are in the planning stages, but we have determined we would make space and video available to any news outlet that asks for it. Considering the multiple polls floating around in this race, you would think that the Senator would understand Moon's conservative listeners across the state are exactly the voters he needs to convince to stick with him."

LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan had already flagged the dynamic before Cassidy’s latest move, noting that Cassidy’s drive to push for debates in the first place signals something about where his campaign stands.

“When you have an incumbent that is challenging his adversary to a political debate, that’s an indication that he is very worried about his own electoral chances,” Hogan said.

Fleming Has Said Yes to Every Debate

John Fleming has taken the opposite approach from both of his opponents, agreeing to appear at every debate on the table. He confirmed for LPB, KTBS, and the Moon Griffon Show.

“For the people to decide, they need to see the candidates lined up against each other,” Fleming told reporters.

Hogan noted that Fleming’s willingness makes sense strategically. Candidates trailing in the polls have more incentive to get on stage. Fleming has trailed in polling released by both the Letlow and Cassidy campaigns, but his own internal polling through JMC Analytics shows a closer race.

Hogan also raised the risk Letlow takes if she skips the televised debates. “It has the potential to hurt her, if they spend the debate time beating up and attacking the person who isn’t there,” he said.

What’s at Stake Before the May 16 Primary

Political analyst Clay Young described the race as still wide open. “You see this as being a really bunched-up race,” Young told WAFB. “I think that Fleming has performed a lot better than people would have thought weeks ago when Congresswoman Letlow got the endorsement. Senator Cassidy has a lot of money in his war chest, but Fleming is holding his own.”

The top two finishers in the May 16 Republican primary advance to a June 27 runoff. The winner of that race will face one of three Democrats, Nick Albares, Jamie Davis, or Gary Crockett, in the November general election.

Cassidy says he’s still open to debating on his terms. He has proposed three statewide primetime televised debates and told KEEL he’s ready to go whenever his opponents agree to them.

KEEL also pressed Cassidy on his history of avoiding debates. When Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins challenged him in a previous Senate race, Cassidy declined to debate. Cassidy argued the situations aren’t comparable.

“At that time, I was 20 points ahead. In this race, we are all a little bit closer. Clearly in that race, the people of Louisiana had already spoken,” he said.

With both Letlow and Fleming confirmed for April 28 and Cassidy declining, Louisiana Republican primary voters may have to decide whether the senator’s objections to the format hold up, or whether this looks like a candidate who demanded debates until one was actually scheduled.