Let’s start off with a debate challenge:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has challenged his Republican opponent, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, to a televised debate focused on health care. Soon after the governor’s challenge Sunday, Topinka’s campaign responded that she’ll debate him, but on ethics and integrity.

And move to more allegations about corruption.

Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka said Saturday a “pattern of intimidation” exists in Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration and said the governor has to take responsibility for it.

Topinka, Republican candidate for governor, cited lawsuits filed recently by two former state workers, both of whom said they suffered retaliation after refusing to carry out orders they thought were illegal.

“I think you see a pattern of intimidation, a pattern of `you will even break the law if we tell you to and you will do it or you will be fired or you will be hurt,”‘ Topinka said.

And the AP did a piece about how both Blagojevich and Topinka are about the same when it comes to gay rights except for maybe this one item.

When it comes to gay rights, where Blagojevich and Topinka diverge is in offering health benefits to partners of the nonunion gay employees under their control. Thousands of unionized state employees already were entitled to them.

Blagojevich issued an administrative order in May extending the benefits as of July 1 to the employees he oversees and encouraged the state’s other constitutional officers to do the same. They all have except for Topinka, said Department of Central Management Services spokesman Justin DeJong.

Topinka said the state can’t afford the benefits or “anything else right now.” The Blagojevich campaign hopes that shows how the two are different.

It does, says Kara Borden, a gay 29-year-old graduate student from Chicago.

“That’s actually something, an action that has been taken,” said Borden, who doesn’t identify with either party and votes solely based on a candidate’s platform.

And Erickson/Adrian had a piece on dueling fax campaigns:

With a mere five months to go before Election Day, the candidates for governor are slugging it out via fax machine.

The Blagojevich campaign has created a near-daily fax alert called “Topinka Watch,” which is aimed at feeding questions to reporters about Topinka’s latest actions — or inactions.

Similarly, Topinka backers have unveiled something called “Rod Squad.” It includes a logo of the governor out for a jog and is designed as a sort of “truth squad” for all things Blagojevich.

· Topinka’s inspector general defends himself.