Senate candidate McFadden plans paid time to re-air Franken debate

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike McFadden really wants Minnesotans to see him debate Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken.

So much so that McFadden is paying to re-air his first -- and so far only -- debate with Franken on Twin Cities television in its completion on Saturday. The debate took place on Oct. 1 in Duluth at 8 a.m.

"We are going to paying to air this debate so that we make sure that Minnesotans have a chance to see it," said spokesman Tom Erickson told the Star Tribune.

McFadden, a Sunfish Lake businessman making his first run for office, had long hammered on Franken for a series of debates. He even aired two television ads focusing on debates.

In the end, Franken and McFadden agreed to three debates. The first one was in Duluth last week. They will not debate again until Oct. 26, just days before the Nov. 4 election. Public polls show McFadden trailing Franken. Some show the Republican behind by double digits.

Erickson said the campaign plans to air as much as the one-hour debate as they can fit into their 58 minute time slot.

"We were so confident in Mike's performance we decided to just air the debate," he said.

"We're happy that more Minnesotans will learn about investment banker Mike McFadden's support for tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, that he would undermine Minnesota jobs by building the Keystone Pipeline with Chinese steel and that last year when it came time to answer tough questions about Syria Mike McFadden blinked," said Ryan Furlong, Franken campaign spokesman.

The station's time slot -- it will run from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m on Saturday on WFTC -- can be bought fairly inexpensively. It will cost the campaign about $5,000, according to Federal Communications Commission files.

"It's a bargain," Erickson said.

Still, it is unusual for a campaign to buy up so much time to air anything, much less a debate.

In a clip prepared as a trailer for the airing shows McFadden in his best light and Franken in his worst. See that below.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken, left, and Republican challenger Mike McFadden enjoy a laugh before their debate, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014, in Duluth, Minn./ source: Jim Mone, Associated Press