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 Minnesota's U.S. Senate candidates have agreed to a schedule of five debates.
And for the first time in many years, the Minnesota League of Women Voters was rejected as a sponsor of one of the debates that would have aired on KSTP-TV.
Three of the debates will be sponsored by an organization called Debate Minnesota and there will be one each on public radio and public television.
The League of Women Voters was rejected largely because it planned to air its debate on KSTP-TV.
The League has a 30-year history of sponsoring televised debates in Minnesota, including Gubernatorial and Senate debates on KSTP-TV in 2006.
Sources with knowledge of the debate negotiations said Al Franken's campaign objected to appearing on a debate on KSTP-TV, primarily because the station is owned by the Hubbard family, which has donated campaign money to Republicans.
Franken said he doesn't know why the debate was rejected.
"I wasn't in those negotiations so I'm not sure who was against that or if anybody was against that," Franken said.
A League of Women Voters spokeswoman expressed disappointment in being excluded, pointing out that no debates are being sponsored by a grassroots voting organization.
Hamline University Professor David Schultz said rejection of the League debate is unusual.
"They've sort of been the organization that's had a reputation for doing non-partisan, fair debates," he said.
Franken did appear in a KSTP-TV debate during the DFL endorsement process, but can't explain why the latest debate was rejected.
"I don't know. I was not sitting in on the negotiations. There were all kinds of negotiations. There were negotiations and I'm sure there were all kinds of factors, but we decided on five debates," Franken said.
A Franken campaign spokeswoman has denied that the debate was rejected because of KSTP-TV.
The Norm Coleman and Dean Barkley campaigns had no official comment, saying they’re bound by a confidentiality agreement.
The Hubbard family has donated money to Republicans but they have also donated to many Democratic and Independent candidates over the years.
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