FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APRIL 24, 2008

Mike Livingston won the Republican nomination in the Second Congressional District and immediately challenged his opponent, Chaka Fattah, to a series of debates on issues facing the district.

“The Second District has not had a seriously contested Congressional election in more than a decade,” Livingston said. “I challenge Rep. Fattah to a series of debates on the issues facing our district, including education, crime, the energy and housing crises, tax policy, and national security issues. These debates could be sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the Committee of Seventy, or other nonpartisan organizations, and would be held at a time and place of our mutual choosing. Rep. Fattah has a national reputation as an expert on urban policy, so the debates are sure to be informative, entertaining, and well-attended.”

In challenging Fattah to debate, Livingston said that he expected domestic issues, notably taxes, crime, and education, to be the central themes of his campaign. “In speaking with people throughout the district, I have found that the same items–personal safety, the quality of schools, worries about high taxes and declining home ownership–come up time and time again. My approach to these issues differs from that of Rep. Fattah, but I hope that we can have a frank and constructive debate about them.”

Livingston also thanked voters and poll watchers who came out to support him in the April 22 primary. “It took a little bit of courage to brave the long lines of Obama and Clinton supporters and vote for a hometown candidate on a day when there were no Republican contests to speak of. I am grateful for your support, and will do my best to be worthy of it” he explained.