Republican nominee for Governor and state Treasurer Stacy Garrity called on Governor Josh Shapiro today to participate in seven public gubernatorial debates ahead of the upcoming election.
Garrity is pushing to hold one debate in each of Pennsylvania’s distinct media markets. The challenge comes after the Shapiro campaign publicly indicated a willingness to discuss a debate schedule, stating on the record that the governor looks “forward to engaging with the Garrity campaign directly on any good faith efforts to do so and continue making the choice in this election clear.”
Garrity stated that she completely agrees with the goal of making the political choices clear to voters, despite her deep policy disagreements with the incumbent Democrat.
“The Shapiro Campaign says they want to engage with our campaign in ‘good faith’ to make ‘the choice in this election clear,’” Garrity said. “While Josh Shapiro and I disagree on many topics, we could not agree on this point more. Every voter should have the opportunity to learn where we stand on issues, what are our visions for the future of the Commonwealth, and what experience we bring to the table to lead 13 million Pennsylvanians for the next four years.”
According to the Garrity campaign, several outlets and organizations have already sent inquiries expressing interest in hosting a debate. Campaign officials noted that formal debate negotiations have not officially begun, but they expect talks to start soon now that both campaigns are publicly on the record supporting a faceoff.
Garrity emphasized that a widespread, multi-market debate schedule is necessary to ensure voters nationwide and across the state have direct access to the candidates’ platforms.
“Pennsylvania is at a crossroads and, as I say in nearly every speech, we need to decide what type of state we want to be,” Garrity said. “Public debates will give the voters of Pennsylvania the opportunity to make this decision with the most information possible. That is why I am calling for seven debates, one in each media market of the Commonwealth. I look forward to hearing Josh Shapiro’s response and I hope he will join me in making his case to the voters of Pennsylvania.”
No official dates, locations, or hosting organizations have been finalized by either campaign at this time.
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