Republican nominee Bob McDonnell challenged his Virginia gubernatorial opponent, Creigh Deeds, to a series of 10 debates leading up to the November election. The Deeds campaign responded today by calling for a debate schedule similar to the 2005 race between Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore.

In a letter to Deeds this morning, McDonnell campaign manager Phil Cox proposed the debates begin with the already-scheduled July 25 event in Deeds' home of Bath County and end Oct. 20 on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Other dates proposed incorporate invitations the campaigns have received, including a CNN event in Washington, D.C., and a YouTube/WJLA-TV/Politico event in Arlington.

"I hope Creigh will agree that Virginians deserve to hear from the two candidates for Virginia's highest office directly, and together, as often as is possible," McDonnell said this morning. "I look forward to receiving Creigh's positive reply to this proposal for a formal series of ten gubernatorial debates."

This afternoon Deeds spokesman Jared Leopold responded by saying Deeds is "eager to compare" their records and that he "participated in numerous debates and joint appearances in the primary."

"The Deeds campaign will work with community and news organizations and the McDonnell campaign to schedule a series of debates, so that all Virginians have the opportunity to hear the stark differences between the two candidates," Leopold said. "We expect the number of debates to be in line with precedent from the 2005 Kaine-Kilgore and Deeds-McDonnell debate schedules."