Republican Bruce Blakeman on Monday accused Gov. Kathy Hochul, the Democratic incumbent, of dodging debates in the New York governor’s race.
Blakeman, the Nassau County executive and GOP nominee for governor, said PIX11 and CBS have invited the candidates to debate, but claimed Hochul has so far repeatedly declined to take part.
“Kathy Hochul seems to believe that if she avoids enough debates, New Yorkers will forget she’s the worst governor in America,” Blakeman said in a statement.
“Unfortunately for her, New Yorkers don’t have short memories — especially when they’re paying the highest taxes in the nation, watching electric bills skyrocket, and seeing their neighbors flee the state,” he said.
Blakeman also challenged Hochul to defend her record publicly. “If Kathy Hochul believes she’s done such a great job, she should come out from behind the curtain, step onto the stage, and make her case to the people of New York,” he said. “I’m ready to put my record of stopping a $150 million tax hike and making Nassau County the safest county in America up against hers.”
Hochul’s campaign pushed back Monday, saying the governor does plan to appear in at least one debate.
“As the campaign confirmed back in February, the governor is going to debate and looks forward holding Bruce Blakeman accountable for raising costs, undermining safety, and enabling Donald Trump,” Hochul campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said.
Hochul, who is running for a second four-year term, is under no legal obligation to participate in a debate.
Candidates for governor who take part in the state’s public campaign finance program must participate in one debate.
Blakeman opted into the program and is accepting public matching funds.
Hochul, who has a $21 million campaign war chest, is not accepting public matching funds..
The New York State Public Campaign Finance Board said its sponsored debate will be canceled if only one candidate is willing to participate.
In the 2022 campaign, Hochul participated in only one debate against Republican gubernatorial challenger Lee Zeldin, currently the US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, whom she defeated by a closer-than-expected 6 percentage points.
That debate took place on October 25, just a few days before early voting began for the Nov. 8 election.
Polls currently show Hochul leading Blakeman by varying margins ahead of the November 3 election.
