During the 2006 campaign, Cantwell received heavy criticism for declining most of the invitations she received to debate McGavick in public forums. Media outlets across the state, including The Olympian and the Yakima Herald-Republic, rebuked Cantwell, claiming she was afraid to confront McGavick, calling it "unacceptable"[29] and "simply not fair." Cantwell agreed to a total of two debates with her opponent in Seattle and Spokane, lasting 60 and 30 minutes, respectively.