ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Republican congressional candidate in a liberal Minneapolis district wants one last debate after Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison called him a “low-life scumbag” in a debate last week.

GOP candidate Chris Fields held a Capitol news conference Tuesday to accuse the three-term incumbent of ducking a final debate in north Minneapolis.

Ellison told reporters after a separate, unrelated Capitol news conference that the debate is off. He says it wasn’t going to illuminate the issues.

The candidates have debated three times. They last met on KFAI community radio last Thursday, where Ellison lashed out at Fields as a tense encounter devolved into a spat over personal family matters.

Ellison apologized in a statement later that day, saying his incivility was “beneath my personal standard as a public official.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)