Republican Senate candidate Jim Risch has agreed to a second debate in October — but that may be the end of the road.

Earlier this week, Risch said he would take part in an Oct. 8 debate in Lewiston. He is also committing to a Oct. 21 event sponsored by a media group headed by KTVB. "Those are the debates that we are doing," Risch told KFXD radio this morning.

This suggests Risch has no interest in taking part in the 10-city October road show orchestrated by Democrat Larry LaRocco and independent Rex Rammell. No surprise there; Risch has pooh-poohed these debates from the outset.

But it also might suggest Risch will again skip The Idaho Debates, a live debate aired statewide on Idaho Public Television and co-sponsored by a broad consortium, including the Statesman. Risch didn't directly mention The Idaho Debates, or the LaRocco-Rammell debate tour. (Disclosure: As vice president of the Idaho Press Club, another co-sponsor of The Idaho Debates, I've been part of a group organizing this fall's debates).

I'll give Risch credit for saying yes to the Lewiston debate. The more debates, the better. Extra credit too for saying yes to a debate outside Boise, and agreeing to a debate that will occur before a live audience and will be televised live. (These two concepts seem lost on the KTVB consortium, which barred reporters from attending its debates this spring, and did not air the events live).

Here's hoping Risch will participate in one more televised debate — especially one that Idahoans can watch, border to border, in real time.