Posted on 09/03/2022 10:01:47 AM PDT by SoConPubbie
On Friday, with just hours to go before the deadline to commit to the Arizona Clean Elections Commission, Sen. Mark Kelly agreed to debate Republican challenger Blake Masters. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs declined to debate Republican candidate Kari Lake.
Despite the fact that Kelly set the terms for the debate, Arizonans will at least have an opportunity to see both candidates go toe to toe.
Hobbs, who also skipped the Democratic Party’s Primary debate, rejected any terms for a debate, insisting on separate interviews instead, to ensure that she will not have to share a stage with Lake.
Hobbs made her demands in a letter to the Citizens Clean Election Commission on Friday.
Lake called Hobbs a “coward” for bailing on the debate.
“13 days ago, I offered up the sweetest debate offer in history,” tweeted Lake. “@katiehobbs waited until 2 hours before the official @AZCCEC deadline & denied my offer. She has disdain for us, Arizona. She thinks we are beneath her.”
13 days ago, I offered up the sweetest debate offer in history. @katiehobbs waited until 2 hours before the official @AZCCEC deadline & denied my offer.
She has disdain for us, Arizona.
She thinks we are beneath her.We’re going to beat her like a drum in November, folks. https://t.co/cdbgHt38Ty
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) September 2, 2022
When the Arizona Daily Independent reached out to the Masters’ campaign for a statement on Kelly’s acceptance, staffer Katie Miller, former Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary, snapped in an email, “You mean how they changed the rules for him?”
Presumably Miller is referring to the request by Kelly for a traditional debate in which candidates are given an opportunity to present opening and closing comments and answer the moderators’ questions uninterrupted.
The Republican Party Gubernatorial Primary debate, with its free-flowing format, provided little information for voters as the candidates talked over each other much of the time.
“Senator Kelly looks forward to continuing the tradition of participating in this general election debate so that Arizonans can see this contrast firsthand and hear about his record of working across the aisle to deliver results that lower costs, create jobs, and support hardworking Arizona families and small businesses,” a Kelly spokesperson told AZFamily.com.
Hobbs, Arizona’s top elections official, skipped the traditional Clean Elections’ debate for the Democratic Party Primary, claiming to be suffering from COVID-19, only to hit the campaign trail days after. As a result, her little-known opponent Marco Lopez, was allowed time to share his vision with Arizonans uninterrupted.
Still, with the Democratic Party intent on handing the nomination to Hobbs, who has been found on two separate occasions in courts of law to have acted in a racist manner, Lopez didn’t stand a chance in the primary.
It remains to be seen how Arizona voters will react to Hobbs’ ducking yet another debate. “Hobbs’ challenge is she is seen as a relatively weak candidate who would be a weak Governor,” said one political observer, “being too scared to go toe to toe with Kari Lake, who Hobbs routinely dismissed as unfit for Governor, will only feed that narrative.”
Media carries their sludge for them. Hobbs is a Soros agent and Kelly is a gun grabbing statist who squats when Schumer tells him to. He just doubled the IRS. Media always discusses what the Democrats tell them to.
Kari Lake, Have a Public Debate with an empty chair, see George Putnam
After this response by Kari Lake to a reporter, I can see why her opponent does not want to debate her.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/09/02/kari-lake-blasts-reporter-2020-election-question/
It is no wonder her plodding dullard opponent, Hobbs, does not want to debate Lake. Lake is incredibly bright and articulate and knows her way around a loaded question to disarm it and point it back at her debate opponent. Hobbs will be following Biden’s strategy and is headed for her basement for the campaign and let the media manage her campaign PR.
I really want to see Kari Lake on the debate stage, next to an empty podium labeled “Hobbs?”.
Kari Lake is lovely, too!!!!
Hobbs is the SOS. She can duck the debate and add little tweak to the Dominion code to compensate for any vote loss.
Have a stand-in for Hobbs answering questions with quotes and stats from her record.
Kari needs to set up the debate and do the Empty Chair thing. Great PR.
Put a chicken in the chair.
I live in Arizona. I know she is secretary of state.
I am reminded of the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail where brave Sir Robin ran away ...
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