Kennedy spokesman Will Keyser said, We will consider any debate when the Senate is out of session. The Senate is expected to end its business this week.

A consortium of media outlets is already having preliminary discussions regarding sponsoring a live television debate between Kennedy and his GOP opponent, Jack E. Robinson. Libertarian Carla Howell, the most visible of several other candidates, is making a strong push to be included.

But Kennedy may benefit from the lack of public interest in a race he is overwhelming favored to easily win, some pundits say.

What does Ted Kennedy have to gain by debating? said University of Massachusetts-Amherst political science professor Jeffrey Sedgwick. Neither of his challengers have passed the political credibility threshold, so Kennedy can ignore them with impunity.

Unlike the 1994 Senate race between Kennedy and Mitt Romney - which had two debates - this race lacks a competitive and hard-fought battle, Sedgwick said.

But Howell said, Maybe he (Kennedy) is afraid to defend his record. He's afraid that people will be presented with a choice over him.

Meanwhile, Robinson - abandoned by the Republican Party apparatus after he was hit with a series of personal controversies - has all but disappeared from the radar screen.

Although Secretary of State William Galvin's office routinely hears from candidates who request materials such as election rules and voter lists, he hasn't heard a word from Robinson.

And Howell, who said she's received the support from Republicans who choose not to vote for Robinson, considers his campaign dead.

Robinson concedes he hasn't received a dime in campaign contributions in the last month, but said his unorthodox campaign is plugging along. And if I need more money, I'll write a check myself, he said.