Trudy Busch Valentine warns democracy is in 'crisis' while Eric Schmitt skips U.S. Senate debate

In the first debate for Missouri's U.S. Senate race, Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine said the greatest threat facing the country was climate change and argued “we need rules that are the same all over America regarding our ability to vote.”
Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who last week accused Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine of dodging debates, refused to show up for the first debate of Missouri’s U.S. Senate campaign on Friday.

Organized by the Missouri Press Association as part of its annual convention in Lake Ozark, Valentine, Libertarian Party candidate Jonathan Dine and Constitution Party candidate Paul Venable shared the stage with an empty lectern that was reserved for Schmitt. Mark Maassen, executive director of the Missouri Press Association, said this is only the second time since 1988 that a major-party candidate has refused to attend one of the organization’s debates.