(CNN) The South Carolina Senate debate scheduled for Friday night between Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and his Democratic challenger Jamie Harrison has changed formats after Graham rejected Harrison's request to take another Covid test. CNN has reached out to both Nexstar Media Group and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the sponsors of the debate, for a comment on this development. The announcement comes after Harrison issued a statement on Thursday stating he would not debate in person if Graham -- the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who attended an October 1 hearing with Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican who tested positive for the virus last week -- did not get a Covid test. In the statement, Harrison said he, the moderators and the panelists all agreed to get tested and questioned why Graham would not. "If Sen. Graham will not take a coronavirus test, I cannot responsibly debate in person tomorrow night and allow politics to put my family, my campaign staff, Sen. Graham's staff, and members of the media at unnecessary risk," the statement said.

Source: CNN October 09, 2020 22:54 UTC