After weeks of brushing off a potential debate between herself and Republican challenger Lee Zeldin, Governor Kathy Hochul has finally named a time and place she is willing to debate, before their Nov. 8 election.
The Hochul campaign said Wednesday it is willing to do just one debate against the Long Island congressman, assuming he agrees to meet her at Pace University on Oct. 25 for an hour-long contest hosted by Spectrum News NY1 ahead of the Oct. 29 start of early voting.
“Gov. Hochul looks forward to highlighting the clear contrast between her strong record of delivering results and Lee Zeldin’s extreme agenda,” her campaign spokesman Jerrel Harvey said in a press release.
The Zeldin campaign responded to the offer with criticism, and without committing to the NY1 debate, while noting Zeldin alreaady accepted two debate offers.
“This is absolutely unacceptable just how much contempt Kathy Hochul has towards New Yorkers that she is trying to pathetically get away with just one General Election debate over a month after absentee ballots start going out. We should have a live, televised debate right now,” Zeldin said in his statement.
With first mail in ballots scheduled to be sent out September 23, Zeldin has already accepted outstanding debate invitations from PIX 11 and CBS2, while pushing Hochul to agree to face off for those and up to three times more.
“Zeldin is proposing that CBS2 and PIX11 schedule debates anyways and if Hochul is a no-show, then the debate can just proceed without her and with an empty podium,” reads the Zeldin response. “Voters should have the opportunity to hear where the candidates stand before they vote, not after.
“Even in the Democratic Party primary, Hochul had multiple debates! She owes it to the voters as part of this process to have multiple debates throughout the state about the issues most important to them.”
The number of debates have been up in the air for weeks and both candidates have made it clear what topics they are willing to discuss once the cameras start rolling.
Zeldin has campaigned hard on attacking Hochul over rising crime, inflation and alleged corruption while she has blasted the Long Island rep over his positions on abortion, gun control and voting against certifying the 2020 presidential election results.
“While Zeldin continues to push his far-right plans to ban abortion and roll back commonsense gun safety laws, Gov. Hochul remains committed to building a stronger, safer and more affordable New York,” Harvey said in the press release.
Hochul seems to be following in her predecessor’s footsteps, disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who also agreed to do a single debate against his 2018 GOP nominee Marc Molinaro after repeatedly having his face slapped onto a giant chicken.
“The campaign will announce additional public forums and speaking engagements that the governor will participate in ahead of November,” reads the press release.
PLEASE Congressman Zeldin, for the sake of any New Yorker hopeful that you can save our state, do exactly that! Debate with or without this Governor we are chained to… but answer the questions that her liberal’s want to hear the answers to first.
Let them hear your common sense approach to gun control, abortion, etc….THEN…tell them your plans to save NYS from skyrocketing crime, staggering inflation, and so many other issues that are causing so many residents to leave the state.
For those of us that may not be able to relocate, we hope for change. We hope you will win in November!
It dosen’t matter, New York is a loser state, like all the North East.
Wouldn’t be a debate, it would be a shouting match with governor ( if you want to call her that) Hochul doing the yelling. True the debate(s) should take place long before any mail in ballets are out there. New York State you need to shed this excuse of a governor and elect someone who actually cares about you. What you have now is a no.