Can Duncan Hunter come out & debate?

It happens every congressional election year, like death and taxes. Like father, like son, Duncan Hunter don’t need no stinking debates.

Hunter Sr. was infamous for ducking debates against contenders. Now, his son, and heir to the 60-percent Republican registered 50th Congressional District fiefdom of a seat, is following the same path in daddy’s footsteps.

There’s a delicious irony to this refusal to tell voters directly how he stands since Hunter has been parading around the country as a Donald Trump stooge; sorry, “surrogate.”

Hunter has no problem debating news anchors about how great Señor Trump is for the country. In the last two weeks alone, while ducking the home district debate call, Hunter had plenty of time to appear on Fox News spouting flaky conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton’s health.

Hunter also had lots to say about San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s National Anthem protest just prior to the final NFL exhibition game between the 49ers and San Diego Chargers this month.

“He probably fits in very well in San Francisco,” Hunter said in an interview on the ESPN/ABC podcast, “Capital Games.” “That might be one of the reasons that he’s able to do this or feel confident about it.

“A city like San Diego is too patriotic,” said Hunter, adding that he believes Kaepernick would be out of a job if he played for the Chargers. “I don’t think we’d have a player like him, frankly, I think he’d be booed out or the owners would be forced to not accept someone like him.”

For the record, as with most things Hunter and his buddy Trump say, didn’t happen.

The only boos we hear are from voters who ask why this guy refuses to debate. He’s such an articulate guy even opining on how Trump “misspeaks a lot,” you’d think he’d be eager to debate his opponent and show him what it’s like to get some.

When it comes to his own district, Hunter isn’t exactly a paragon for transparency. He’ll go on ESPN, Good Morning America, Fox and CNN, just won’t go on at the local community center or wherever people would gather for an honest discussion of local issues.

Patrick Malloy campaigns at the Vista Bernie rally in May.

Democrat opponent Patrick Malloy, like so many challengers for the gerrymandered GOP House District before him, has called on Hunter to put up instead of shutting up, although the legions who detest Herr Trump probably wish he would. Hunter’s Trump trolling simply is embarrassingly deplorable, but we digress.

“It has been over three weeks since I challenged Hunter to debate and there was no response from him by the requested date — Sept. 4, 2016,” Malloy said. “This is a disappointment for me, but a tragedy for the voters of the district because they will not have a chance to see in depth the machinations and flaws of the incumbent.

“Hunter spends his time in DC as a noted ‘party animal’ and vaping congressman,” Malloy continued. “He is a further embarrassment not only because he uses his campaign finance dollars as a personal ATM but also because of his slavish support of Donald Trump.”

Malloy criticized the incumbent for not having the “common decency” to respond to the debate challenge.

“This should not surprise anyone given his record and his temperament,” Malloy said. “The media needs to highlight the incumbent’s behavior given the evidence of corrupt behavior and his hiding from the public.”

For his part, Hunter — who doesn’t respond to Grapevine inquiries except for troll comments on Facebook about how this site is part of the, drum roll please, “liberal media” — told Jeff Horseman of the Riverside Press-Enterprise the following:

“I’m a representative of the people. For me to represent them properly, they need to know where I stand on things. I don’t believe in equivocating.”

Apparently, that, like pretty much everything Hunter says, isn’t true because Hunter isn’t interested in debating in front of the people of the 50th Congressional District, telling voters his views. He only goes on national TV shows to defend Trump or talk about ridiculous things like his love of vaping and passing out “free cigars” to active military.

Come on man, child please, all the kool kids at school are saying:

Can Duncan Hunter come out and debate?

What, is he C-H-I-C-K-E-N.