Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has agreed to a debate after receiving pressure from his general election Republican opponent, Blake Masters, in Arizona’s U.S. Senate race.
KPNX’s Brahm Resnik announced Friday afternoon that Kelly had agreed to an Arizona PBS debate, which will be sponsored by the state’s Clean Elections Commission (CEC).
UPDATE @SenMarkKelly agrees to participate in @AZCCEC-sponsored U.S. Senate debate with @bgmasters on @azpbs Oct. 6. #AZSEN pic.twitter.com/2ieWfDYPAU
— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) September 2, 2022
Kelly’s commitment came hours after Masters called him out for failing to RSVP for weeks.
“Today is the *last day* for Senator Mark Kelly to agree to our October 6 debate. He’s had 14 days now and already blew through one deadline,” Masters tweeted Friday morning. “PBS is gonna throw you softballs, Mark! What are you waiting for?”
Remember: I’ve proposed 4 debates. I’d do more even more if Kelly would agree to it. 1-2 hours live on stage and it’ll be clear which of us will better represent AZ. And they know it: that’s why they’re scared of debates, and prefer to hide behind expensive scripted TV ads.
— Blake Masters (@bgmasters) September 2, 2022
Masters added that he proposed four debates with the Democrat and is open to more if Kelly signs on.
“1-2 hours live on stage and it’ll be clear which of us will better represent AZ. And they know it: that’s why they’re scared of debates, and prefer to hide behind expensive scripted TV ads,” he wrote.
As ABC News reported, Kelly’s campaign previously shared its intention to attend the debate “pending some final discussions with the hosts,” which apparently have taken place. The scheduled matchup was posted to the CEC website Friday.
Masters has blasted Kelly as a radical in a moderate’s clothing.
“The problem with Mark Kelly is that he pretends to be moderate. He ran as a moderate. Well, he’s in the U.S. Senate voting just like Bernie Sanders,” the rising Republican star said at a Save America rally in July.
“He is a rubber stamp vote for the Joe Biden-Chuck Schumer agenda, and what do we have to show for it? A wide-open southern border and inflation that’s the worst it’s been in 40 years.” Masters added.
Earlier in his remarks, Masters highlighted the Democrat’s radical voting record:
He has voted for all the crazy spending that has caused this massive inflation. Mark Kelly voted to legalize abortion nationwide up until the moment of birth. Think about how radical that is. And this after promising Arizonans that he was going to be an independent, that he was going to be a moderate. And you know what? He lied.
While Kelly has pledged to meet Masters on the debate stage next month, the same cannot be said for the state’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Katie Hobbs. Her Republican opponent, former Fox 10 Phoenix anchor Kari Lake, has committed to an October 12 matchup, but Hobbs, Arizona’s secretary of state, has yet to accept. As ABC 15 reported, CEC established a Friday deadline for Hobbs to RSVP.
Lake emphasized the importance of debate and suggested Hobbs is not confident with her own platform, according to the outlet.
“If you are not comfortable enough with your plans for the state, stand on a stage, talk about what you want to do for Arizonans, then frankly you shouldn’t be running for governor,” she added.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.