The State Column reported Dec. 22 that GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich challenged former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney to a debate between just them lasting 90 minutes without a moderator, but the latter declined. The former House speaker is not happy about the onslaught of negative ads aimed at him, which he generally blames Romney for. It's nothing new for one candidate to throw down the gauntlet to another candidate over having a debate without a moderator, and/or when other major candidates are still vying for the Commander-in-Chief post.
In 2008, Clinton challenged Obama to a debate without a moderator
The race for the last open Democratic presidential nomination was a rough and tumble spectacle between Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and then Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., which drug out well into 2008 before the latter would prevail. Clinton wanted a change in the normal format to where the two would go at it without a moderator in the spirit of the Lincoln-Douglas-style debates, according to CNN.
But the soon-to-be Democratic nominee, accused of "ducking" debates, declined her invitation, saying to Fox News personality Chris Wallace, "I'm not ducking one. We've had 21. We want to make sure we're talking to as many folks possible on the ground taking questions from voters."
Third party presidential candidate Perot challenged GOP nominee Dole in 1996, excluding Clinton
During the 1996 election season, Reform Party candidate Ross Perot challenged the GOP presidential nominee, former Kan. Sen. Bob Dole, to a debate between just them in St. Louis while on "Good Morning America." Perot cited words to a song in doing so, "I'll be there, and so I say to Bob Dole, 'Meet me in St. Louis, Bob Dole, tell me you'll be there," as reported by CNN/Time AllPolitics.
Perot was not happy about the prospect of being excluded from the debates with President Bill Clinton and Dole, who refused the offer. Clinton easily won a second term though, capturing 379 electoral votes to Dole's 159, while Perot got none and only 8.40 percent of the popular vote, according to National Election Results.
Gingrich has already called out Obama to seven Lincoln-Douglas-style debates
The former House speaker has shown a penchant for challenging his rivals to one-on-one debates this year alone, whether they be from his party or not. Even though he has yet to secure the GOP presidential nomination, that hasn't stopped him from calling out the president not just for one debate where no moderator is around to interfere with the exchanges, but seven Lincoln-Douglas-style debates if he gets the GOP nomination, as reported by ABC News' The Note.
Earlier this month, Gingrich and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman squared off in New Hampshire in the spirit of the Lincoln-Douglas format with just a timekeeper. One could safely bet that Gingrich would take on Obama even now at this juncture, given his "I'll take on all comers" attitude.
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