The debate over debates has started. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Benson says fellow Democrat Pat Shea won't meet him in a debate before the May 14 state Democratic Convention.

Benson, a constitutional scholar, is mostly unknown in the party. Party leaders have never met him, and he hasn't run for office before. Shea is the leaders' consensus candidate, a former state party chairman who ran for governor in 1992 but lost the Democratic primary election.Benson asked Dave Jones, state party chairman, to coordinate a debate between himself and Shea. Jones called Shea and asked if he wanted to debate Benson before the convention. "Pat said he saw little need. That's what a convention is, a chance for the delegates to meet the candidates one-on-one. Pat said he'd be happy to debate John should John survive the convention," Jones said.

Since he can't debate Shea before the convention, Benson said he's going on the radio talk show circuit to let citizens know what values he stands for. He also asked state and county Democratic delegates to call Shea's headquarters and demand that Shea meet him in debate.

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