Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), fearing a debate with conservative spitfire Kari Lake may hurt his electoral chances, has unexpectedly refused to show up for a showdown after initially agreeing to at least one.

An empty chair positioned on the stage of a local TV studio was all that remained after the Arizona Democrat backed out of an agreement to appear for perhaps the U.S. Senate contest’s only debate of the election. In a clip circulating on X, an anchor explains both candidates were invited to participate; “Ms. Lake accepted the invitation. Mr. Gallego declined,” he said. Lake had the stage to herself for an hour, and she opted to leave the empty chair on stage to send a message.

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In a statement, Lake said, “Ruben Gallego’s ducking the first debate is just another move from a politician too scared to defend his disastrous record. Arizonans deserve transparency, not excuses, and if he can’t face the voters now, how can they trust him to fight for them in Washington? I’ll never back down from a fight, and I’m ready to show Arizonans what real leadership looks like.”

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Rep. Gallego carries on a fiesty and pugnacious online persona that is out of character with his avoidance of a high-profile debate that may determine control of the U.S. Senate. Reporting by the Arizona Globe suggests that Rep. Gallego may have been unprepared to answer questions after an explosive story outlining the details of his recent divorce, and the Arizona Capital Times explained that Gallego is currently pleading with the state’s Court of Appeals to keep his divorce records shielded from the public. So far, reporters have uncovered that the five-term congressman left his ex-wife while she was pregnant with their child. Revelations about the separation first became public after Gallego began dating Sydney Barron, who at the time was employed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The Washington Free Beacon is currently petitioning to have the records unsealed, arguing to the court that it is in the public interest to know “the court’s findings regarding the reasons for granting the request to dissolve the public act of the appellants’ marriage.” A lawyer for the paper told the court, “At stake here is the right of the press to inform the public and voters’ rights to be informed about a candidate prior to the election, with time to digest and process the information.”

A spokesperson for Ruben declined on Monday to comment when asked about the court dispute and condemned Lake and “her allies and those who amplify her cruelty (who) refuse to respect two people who are just trying to raise a beautiful baby boy together.” Lake shot back that she has “nothing to do” with the Beacon’s lawsuit and that Gallego must have something to hide. “Ruben’s reaction to it means that whatever is about to come out about his behavior during the divorce is very bad,” she told the Times.

Polling has shown Gallego generally ahead in the swing state, which Lake previously lost during her failed 2022 gubernatorial bid. That hasn’t stopped a majority of Senate Republicans from offering full-throated endorsements of the Trump-supporting Lake while MAGA supporters have filled her coffers with millions of dollars in grassroots donations. If she can hold on to the coattails of President Trump – who led Vice President Harris by 3% in a poll released Wednesday – she may find a seat in the Senate.

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