The leading candidates in the 8th District congressional race are debating over debates.

Despite weeks of negotiations, Democrat Emily Firebaugh and independent-Republican candidate Jo Ann Emerson haven't reached agreement on a series of debates.

Both candidates fired verbal volleys at each other Thursday via faxes, accusing each other of holding up the debates.

Of the five candidates in the race, only Emerson hasn't agreed to a proposed schedule and format of debate, said Marc Powers, Firebaugh's press secretary.

"We urge Jo Ann Emerson to jump on board and accept the terms that all the other campaigns have already agreed to," he said.

"We need to end this stagnation now and do the one thing that all the voters want us to do: debate the issues in a fair manner," Powers said.

He said the other four candidates had agreed to debate under the non-partisan League of Women Voters' ground rules.

Debates tentatively have been proposed for Oct. 9 in West Plains, Oct. 13 in Cape Girardeau, Oct. 17 in Rolla and Oct. 24 in Farmington.

But Emerson campaign officials said Cape Girardeau is the only debate site that has a League of Women Voters chapter.

Pete Jeffries, Emerson's press secretary, accused the Firebaugh camp of supporting a "one-size-fits-all' debate format.

He said Emerson wants the local news media to serve as debate moderators, but Firebaugh opposes it.

The Emerson camp Thursday proposed holding debates organized by the local chambers of commerce in West Plains, Rolla and Farmington.

"With these proposed debates, the people in each of these communities will decide the exact dates, times, locations and format; and, hopefully, they'll employ their local media as moderators," Jeffries said.

"It's unfortunate that the Firebaugh campaign has obviously been insincere all along about coming to the table and working out the final details," he said.

Firebaugh campaign officials continued to talk of following a League of Women Voters format.

At this point the only debate that both parties seem in agreement on is the one scheduled for Oct. 13. It would be run by the local chapter of the League of Women Voters.

Chris Keuleman, Firebaugh's campaign manager, said all the debates should follow the same ground rules.