MT-Sen: Republican Rosendale calls off debate with Jon Tester - then challenges him to five

Matt Rosendale, the Republican challenger for Montana's U.S Senate seat, challenged Democratic Senator Jon Tester to a series of five debate - after facing criticism for dropping out of a scheduled debate on Father's Day.

Here's what happened

Rosendale wrested the GOP nomination from retired state Judge Russ Fagg, and although it appeared that he had agreed to a debate with Senator Tester on Father's Day, he called it off and elicited a scathing critique from his competitor.

"After agreeing to Sunday's debate in Whitefish, Matt Rosendale has decided at the last minute to bail, and duck Montana voters," Tester said in a statement. "Whatever the excuse is, it's disappointing."

"In Montana, your word is your bond, and when I agreed to a debate, I meant it," Tester tweeted.

"That’s why I’ll still be heading to Whitefish this weekend," the senator added. "Looking forward to spending Sunday morning discussing issues that matter to Montanans."

In response, the Rosendale campaign challenged Tester to five debates, including two fall debates hosted by MTN News and Montana PBS that they had already committed to.

Here's a local news report about the debate debacle:

Rosendale will get a boost from Donald Trump Jr. who is slated to come to Montana and put his fundraising ability behind the Republican campaign.

Tester's seat is widely considered as one of the weakest the Democrats hold, and Republicans see it as an opportunity to pick up a seat for the Senate in a district that President Donald Trump won easily in the 2016 election.