Elizabeth Warren pushes for rescheduling post-Sandy debate, Scott Brown doubtful

Elizabeth Warren The final debate of the Massachusetts Senate race was supposed to have been tonight, but yesterday Sen. Scott Brown pulled out of the debate citing the need to focus on Hurricane Sandy, and Elizabeth Warren's campaign shortly thereafter agreed. Brown, however, wanted the debate to be cancelled. Warren believes it should be rescheduled. Here's an emailed statement from her campaign.

"Our focus over the next 48 hours must be on public safety and holding the utilities accountable for restoring power as soon as possible. Elizabeth believes that the final televised debate should occur, and we have contacted the debate organizers and let them know she would be available to participate on Thursday evening."

Brown has not directly ruled it out, but clearly doesn't want to do it, saying it's unnecessary.

'We've already had three debates. I had two radio debates that she didn't participate in,' Brown said in Westport, where he was touring storm damage. He said voters now know where the candidates stand.

'There's only a few days left and we have a very, very busy schedule,' said Brown, who otherwise referred the issue to his campaign staff. The staff has not returned calls today.

He's sounding just a tad defensive there, no? Of course Brown doesn't want a final debate. The last three haven't helped him at all, and a fourth could cause even more damage. At a point in which Warren is opening her lead in polling (the latest from Suffolk has her leading 53-47, up from 48-44 a month ago), a big gaffe from Brown in a debate could be the final nail.

6:06 PM PT: And Brown says it's no go. The Warren campaign sends this statement:

"It is unfortunate voters will not have the chance to hear from both candidates on the important issues facing Massachusetts.  Elizabeth was working with the debate organizers to move forward on Thursday. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, Scott Brown is again ducking questions about his record voting on the side of big oil and billionaires and against equal pay for equal work, against a pro-choice Supreme Court Justice and against  insurance coverage for birth control.  Elizabeth agreed to additional debates that Brown refused in Worcester and the South Coast as well as a forum hosted by the NAACP. Scott Brown doesn't want to have to talk about his record'plain and simple."