After Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell challenged Democrat Amy McGrath to one "socially distanced, Lincoln-Douglas style debate," she asked for three face-offs, The Hill reports.
The former Marine combat pilot, who is looking to unseat McConnell in November, suggested that one debate focus on healthcare and the second on the economy. It is unclear what topic the two would take up during a third debate.
"I welcome debating you face-to-face to ensure Kentuckians can hear real solutions for the crisis ahead. In the spirit of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, I am calling for three debates to be held in different regions so voters across the commonwealth have the opportunity to hear from the candidates," McGrath penned in a letter to McConnell on Thursday. "The debates should focus on issues that are most important to Kentuckians during this national emergency."
On Wednesday, McConnell proposed one debate that would be televised throughout the state of Kentucky.
His spokeswoman Katharine Cooksey told The Hill that he already accepted an invitation to the Kentucky Farm Bureau forum and on Thursday accepted an invitation from Gray Television for a debate against McGrath.
"Senator McConnell has now accepted two debates and encourages the McGrath campaign to do the same. Kentuckians are much more interested in hearing from each candidate about the issues than an ongoing argument about the terms which make Amy McGrath comfortable enough to show up," Cooksey said.
It is unclear if McGrath will accept the invite to the Gray TV debate.
McConnell is running for his seventh term in the Senate, where he's served as the GOP leader since 2007 and the majority leader since 2015.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.