Sen. Scott Brown (R) and Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren are in a standoff over whether to release their tax returns.
The debate began on Tuesday after The Boston Globe requested that both candidates in the Massachusetts Senate race release six years worth of tax returns, including the filings that were due this week.
Warren’s campaign expressed its willingness to release two years of her tax returns, under the condition that Brown does the same. Brown's campaign said he is considering whether to release any tax returns, according to ABC Boston.
Brown has criticized Warren for calling for higher taxes on millionaires without revealing whether she voluntarily paid a higher income tax rate on her state tax return. In Massachusetts, taxpayers can choose to pay a rate of 5.85 percent, rather than the standard rate of 5.3 percent.
Brown's critique came after Warren and other Democrats criticized the senator for voting against the Buffet Rule this week, which would increase tax rates for the rich.
Warren and Brown have sparred over a number of other issues during their closely watched Senate race, including President Barack Obama’s contraception mandate, which would require employer health plans to cover the cost of birth control.
Recent polls show the candidates in a tight race. Warren has been leading Brown in fundraising, but Brown has a war chest that topples Warren's.
10 more election stories from beyond the presidential field:
Judge: Tea Party Held To Standard Of Political Campaigns [The Daily Sentinel]
Hoekstra, Durant About Even In Senate Cash On Hand [The Detroit News]
George LeMieux's Senate Campaign In Trouble [The Miami Herald]
Kirsten Gillibrand Has $9.1 Million In Campaign Cash For November Race [The Journal News]
Rick Scott's Opinion On Jeff Atwater's Possible Senate Bid [Tampa Bay Times]
SC Ballot Drama: Who's Got Problems? [Fits News]
Gov. Walker Returns $170,000 In Campaign Donations To PAC [Associated Press]
Scott Brown Taps Evil Empire [Boston Herald]
Elections Chief Announces 'Simplified' Voter ID Process [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Court Says Arizona Can Demand Voter ID [Reuters]