Former State Rep. Kirsten Engel (D) was reportedly confirmed to attend last Thursday’s livestreamed debate in Casa Grande against Juan Ciscomani, who overwhelmingly received the Republican nomination in August’s primary election.
The Sept. 22 event was set to be one of the few opportunities for voters to hear the two candidates discuss issues face to face.
The moderator showed up.
Ciscomani showed up.
And plenty of Pinal County voters tuned in.
Engel, however, was missing.
Her absence from the Casa Grande event prompted a group of people in chicken costumes to attend an Engel “meet and greet” with young voters on Friday night. Some of the chickens carried signs asking, “Where Was Engel?”
Engel’s Friday event at Club Congress in downtown Tucson was not within CD6.
Ciscomani advantaged Engel’s no-show at the debate by demonstrating his ease and confidence in discussing issues such as border security, the economy, and energy reliance in a rapid fire manner, as Engel’s absence meant Ciscomani had no breaks between the moderator’s questions.
WATCH CISCOMANI AT CASA GRANDE CD6 FORUM
Afterward, Ciscomani said he was assured by event host that Engel had agreed to participate in the well-publicized forum. Yet no one from Engel’s campaign provided a heads up that she decided to skip it.
Interestingly, the next announced debate between the CD6 candidates is slated to be conducted by Arizona Public Media on Oct. 4. Engel is confirmed, according to her campaign, but Ciscomani reportedly had not received a formal invitation as of Thursday night.
Engel’s campaign later responded to inquiries by insisting the candidate was never confirmed for the Sept. 22 event in Casa Grande. A campaign statement then put the blame on those hosting the event.
“After receiving initial outreach from the Casa Grande Dispatch almost eight weeks ago, Kirsten’s calendar was still up in the air,” according to a written statement released by the campaign. The statement went on to say Engel was “not provided with any further details from the group leading up to the event.”