KNOXVILLE, Tenn — State Rep. Gloria Johnson has accepted an invitation by WBIR to take part in a debate in her race against incumbent Sen. Marsha Blackburn.
Blackburn and her campaign staff, however, have failed to respond to WBIR's invitation, which appears to be part of a pattern regarding the Tennessee media on the Republican's part.
Other media outlets including The Tennessean report they've also tried to set up a debate without success from the Blackburn campaign.
Johnson, a Knoxville Democrat, and Blackburn, of Middle Tennessee, face each other on the Nov. 5 ballot. Blackburn is seeking a second, six-year term. Johnson has represented parts of Knoxville in the state House for several terms.
WBIR reached out to both campaigns Aug. 27 to appear on a live debate ahead of early voting, which starts Oct. 16 in Tennessee.
WBIR set a Sept. 6 deadline to hear back. Johnson accepted; Blackburn's campaign didn't reply.
Channel 10 followed up with an inquiry Sept. 6 but did not hear back.
Channel 10 has hosted other candidate debates through the years to inform voters about the people who want to represent them.
WBIR also has a weekly public affairs program, "Inside Tennessee", on which it frequently invites and hosts officeholders. Johnson has appeared several times in past years. Blackburn and her people haven't responded in the past to invitations to appear on the show.
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The Tennessean newspaper, based in Nashville, also invited the Senate candidates to debate. David Plazas, the paper's director of opinion and engagement, wrote about the paper's efforts Sunday in a Perspective piece in the News Sentinel, owned by the same media company.
"Our network -- which spans all three Grand Divisions and includes newsrooms in Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis -- approached Blackburn's campaign in 2023 to invite her to participate in a debate, town hall or forum," Plazas wrote Sunday.
"Despite a few promising initial exchanges, a few months ago, her campaign stopped answering texts and emails requesting a "yes" or "no".
"Without her participation, key potential civic patterns backed away from producing any event."
Tennessean political reporter Vivian Jones, responding to a tweet last week by Blackburn criticizing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris for not holding a press conference, noted that "Sen. Blackburn has never notified press of campaign stops nor has she held a campaign press conference this cycle. Her campaign staff has yet to respond to my inquiries sent via DM, email, and text."
Veteran journalist David Carroll of WRCB-TV in Chattanooga, chimed in, "Same here."
It's worth noting Blackburn did participate in debates during her first Senate run in 2018 against former Governor Phil Bredesen, including one held in the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center at the University of Tennessee.
WBIR is committed to informing voters as best it can on the candidates running for public office. We anticipate speaking on air with Johnson about her run for Senate in the coming weeks.
