Senate candidate Jon Bruning accuses opponent Don Stenberg of trying to follow 14-year-old daughter on Twitter (VIDEO)

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A debate between a pair of Republican Senate candidates in Nebraska took a weird turn on Tuesday, when one accused the other of trying to follow his 14-year-old daughter on Twitter.

At at the debate in Gering, Neb., Jon Bruning, the state's attorney general, accused his opponent, treasurer Don Stenberg, of requesting to follow his daughter on the social messaging network.

"Let me ask you this, Don," Bruning said. "This Sunday, my daughter walks in, and says, 'Don Stenberg's trying to follow me on Twitter.' My daughter's 14 years old. Now you tell me ... I'd like to know, why does a 62-year-old man want to follow a 14-year-old girl on Twitter? I'd really like to know. She said, 'Dad, that's kind of creepy.'" ( According to Stenberg's Wikipedia page, he is 63.)

Bruning's daughter's account is protected, meaning she has to approve requests to follow her.

"Quite honestly, I don't do my own Twitter," Stenberg said, blaming a campaign aide for the attempted follow. "Dan Parsons does it for me. We've got thousands and thousands of folks, and as soon as we get done here, I'll call Dan and make sure that's taken off. I don't think it's appropriate."

In an interview after the event, Parsons told the World-Herald that it could have happened "inadvertently."

"We use several search engines to follow people, and we follow thousands," Parsons said.

Earlier in the debate, Stenberg criticized Bruning for supporting the nomination of Democratic U.S. attorney general Eric Holder.

A third candidate, state Sen. Deb Fischer, did not attend. The incumbent, Democrat Ben Nelson is not seeking re-election to a third term.

Video of the awkward exchange between Bruning and Stenberg was uploaded to YouTube by  American Bridge 21st Century, a progressive PAC.

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