Kansas, Nevada Gubernatorial Candidates Gear Up for Heated Debates

LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 04: Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak (L) talks to Cl
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Katherine Hamilton

Gubernatorial candidates in two of the nation’s top toss-up races are gearing up to square off in public debates ahead of November elections.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt (R) and incumbent Gov. Laura Kelly (D) will go head to head in Kansas in  two debates in September and October, and Nevada candidates Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo (R) and incumbent Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) will be debating in October, with more debate dates soon to be confirmed.

Political analysts rate both gubernatorial races as “toss-ups,” as strong Republican candidates aim to snag governorships from Democrat governors whom the GOP says mimic President Joe Biden’s agenda.

Schmidt/Kelly Debates

Schmidt and Kelly will participate in the Kansas State Fair Gubernatorial Debate from 10:30 a.m. – noon on September 10 at the Peoples Bank and Trust Arena. The second debate, the Johnson Country Bar Gubernatorial Debate, will occur on October 5 at 11:15 a.m. at 1011 College Blvd., Overland Park.

In a release on Monday, Kelly’s campaign claimed she is to participate in three debates, the third being the Kansas Chamber of Commerce Candidate Conversations on September 7. However, Breitbart News learned that the Chamber of Commerce had to ask the Kelly campaign to correct its statement with the media because the event is a forum, not a debate. Schmidt will also be in attendance.

Schmidt’s campaign manager, CJ Grover, said Kelly “cannot run from Kansas voters’ questions” and challenged the incumbent to agree to more debates.

“Attorney General Schmidt will, of course, do the two actual one-on-one debates that she agreed to, consistent with the rules of the hosts. He will also participate in the Kansas Chamber candidate forum, which isn’t a debate,” Grover told Breitbart News on Tuesday.  

“We challenge her to do more real debates where she will have to give an account for the policies that have made the lives of Kansans more difficult every single day. We will be releasing those debates in the coming days,” he continued. 

Kelly’s campaign spokesperson, Lauren Fitzgerald, said in an emailed release that “debates are vital to the democratic process,” adding:

…And every voter deserves to go to the polls knowing where the candidates stand on the issues. Governor Kelly looks forward to letting Kansans hear directly from her on the issues that matter most to them – like funding our schools, fixing our roads and bridges, growing the Kansas economy and strengthening our workforce.

Lombardo/Sisolak Debate

Lombardo and Sisolak are set to debate in Las Vegas on October 2 during a third annual policy and political forum hosted by the Nevada Independent. The nonprofit statewide news site is calling it “the only confirmed gubernatorial debate” so far.

In mid-August, the Lombardo for Governor Campaign announced the Trump-endorsed candidate’s commitment to debates in Las Vegas, Elko, and Reno. The campaign said it would announce specific dates and times shortly. Campaign spokesperson Elizabeth Ray said at the time:

“Steve Sisolak has spent the last three years hiding from Nevada voters and choosing to govern through statewide mandates and oppressive shutdowns. Nevadans have had enough, and Sheriff Joe Lombardo is ready to hold Steve Sisolak accountable for the devastation he has caused Nevada families,” said campaign spokesperson Elizabeth Ray at the time.

“Sheriff Lombardo looks forward to sharing his vision of better schools, safer streets, and a stronger economy with Nevadans in every corner of the state,” she continued.

Sisolak spokesperson Reeves Oyster also released a statement, saying the governor looks forward to “sharing the clear differences between himself and Joe Lombardo on the debate stage.”

“Whether it’s lowering costs for families, strengthening our schools, or protecting reproductive freedoms for all Nevadans, Governor Sisolak looks forward to sharing the clear differences between himself and Joe Lombardo on the debate stage,” Oyster said. “It is unfortunate that Joe Lombardo has yet to accept the previously agreed to debates – it is past time he gives Nevadans across the Silver State a straight answer on the most important issues.”

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