Governor Andrew Cuomo has accepted invitations to two general election debates.
Both debates are scheduled for mid-October, and will be hosted by print and radio outlets only. The first is set to be hosted by The Buffalo News and WNED-WBFO in Buffalo and the second by WNYC New York Public Radio and the Wall Street Journal in New York City.
The Buffalo debate was proposed as a four-person debate, including Republican Party, Green Party and Libertarian Party candidates. The New York City debate was proposed as a one-on-one between Cuomo and Republican challenger Rob Astorino.
In response, a spokeswoman for Astorino accused Cuomo of avoiding a televised debate.
In a statement, spokeswoman Jessica Proud said, “This is more games from Andrew Cuomo. Despite their claims, there have been no negotiations between the campaigns. We have called for at least one televised debate between the two major party candidates, as is custom in every election from President of the United States on down. It’s clear Governor Cuomo is terrified to go one-on-one with County Executive Astorino on television. Is it because he doesn’t want people to see his face when he’s asked about his role in the Moreland corruption scandal? The people of New York deserve better.”
Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins also accepted his invitation to participate in the Buffalo debate, but took issue with his exclusion from the downstate debate. Hawkins said in a statement, “The law should be changed so that if you want to run for office in New York State, you have to agree to participate in a series of public debates with all candidates who meet the legal requirements to be on the ballot.”
On who should be invited to participate, Cuomo recently said, “The two campaigns are working out the specifics with the other campaigns. You know, there’s a question, you have candidates who are legally on the ballot. Who should be invited? Who should not be invited?” Cuomo said. “My position is, I don’t know how you exclude people who are legally on the ballot.”
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