Patriots of Norman County Group to Host Sheriff Debate, but Incumbent Thornton Unlikely to Appear

Ada, MN — A highly anticipated debate between Norman County Sheriff Jeremy Thornton and challenger Tim Boe is set to take place this Saturday, September 24^th at the Ada Events Center, but the debate might be very one sided as the incumbent Sheriff has never committed to attending. In a conversation with Sheriff Thornton this week, he revealed that he never received a formal invitation nor has been contacted by the group putting it on. Instead, he noted that received a flyer for the debate in the mail, but the flyer did not contain any contact information or even a return address.

The group putting on the debate calls themselves the Patriots of Norman County, but little is known about the organization. R & J News reached to one it’s members, but received no information about the group in return, nor did they comment on whether or not Sheriff Thornton was confirmed to attend.

An Eventbrite page for the debate stated:

“The Patriots of Norman County have given considerable consideration to how to make this year’s sheriff debate fair for both candidates. Two months and one week prior to September 24, 2022, both candidates received an invitation via certified mail to the debate. Which is a standard debate procedure. The majority of candidates are invited two weeks in advance to debates and expected to appear.”

The Eventbrite page also stated that the debate would be moderated by an outside party, a military police officer with the North Dakota National Guard named Hannah. A Q & A session is also planned. The debate is scheduled to begin at 3:30pm.