Pressed on debates, Democrat Katie Hobbs again defends avoiding Kari Lake
Democrat Katie Hobbs repeatedly defended her decision not to debate Republican Kari Lake in Arizona's gubernatorial race, as the election draws near.
Democrat Katie Hobbs was grilled Wednesday over her refusal to debate her Republican opponent in Arizona's gubernatorial race, a decision she struggled to explain.
With less than a week until the election, the Democratic Secretary of State is locked in a tight race with challenger Kari Lake and was interviewed on "CNN This Morning."
Hobbs has given various reasons for not debating Lake, listing an already "set" schedule, to not wanting her pro-Trump opponent to make a "spectacle."
Arizona gubernatorial candidates Katie Hobbs, left, and Kari Lake, right, stump ahead of their showdown next month. (Reuters)
CNN co-host Don Lemon pressed the Arizona Democrat to explain again why she refused to debate.
"I have to ask you…Why not debate your opponent? If you believe your opponent has issues and is spreading conspiracy theories about a stolen election and so on and is not being truthful with the people of Arizona, why then not get on the debate stage and debate her?" Lemon posed.
Hobbs put the blame on Lake, saying her opponent "was not interested in any kind of substantive conversation" but only in "creating a spectacle." Hobbs also argued she didn't want to give her "election denialism" a "platform."
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs has dodged debating her opponent Katie Lake. (CNN/Screenshot)
Lemon wasn't satisfied with that answer. He pleaded with the Democrat to consider how much "easier" it would be to "knock down" her opponent's election claims if they shared the debate stage.
"But if you were in the same space as her, wouldn’t it be easier to knock it down in front of everyone…?" he began.
The morning show host then hammered her for "not confronting" Lake.
"It seems like it would be an easy fix if you stood up on a debate stage and confronted her about these issues?" he suggested.
FORMER BIDEN AIDE TAKES SHOT AT KATIE HOBBS FOR REFUSING TO DEBATE GOP OPPONENT KARI LAKE
Former U.S. President Donald Trump (L) embraces Arizona Republican nominee for governor Kari Lake, who he has endorsed, during a campaign rally attended by former U.S. President Donald Trump at Legacy Sports USA on October 09, 2022 in Mesa, Arizona. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Hobbs doubled down on her decision, calling it her "campaign strategy."
"Look, we're six days out from the election, and our campaign strategy is our campaign strategy. So we're moving forward. I’m continuing to make my case to the voters of Arizona," she told CNN.
The Democrat proposed voters didn't need to see her debate to vote for her in the upcoming election.
"Whether or not we debated in this race, is not going to decide this election. So we made a decision, didn’t want to be a part of her spectacle and she won’t answer these tough questions to real reporters. She only talks to fake news outlets," Hobbs declared.
However, she was given another opportunity to change her answer by co-host Poppy Harlow.
TUCSON, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 07: Arizona Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs speaks at a press conference calling for abortion rights. ((Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images))
KATIE HOBBS CAMPAIGN AD FEATURES 3 ‘REPUBLICANS’ WHO HAVE DONATED THOUSANDS TO DEMOCRATS
"But, Secretary, it’s not just her that you wouldn’t debate. You also did not debate your Democratic primary opponent, Marco Lopez. Why?" she asked.
Hobbs again downplayed the importance of debating, saying she was "miles ahead" in the Democratic primary and "won handily."
"In the primary I was focused on the general election, I was miles ahead of my opponent, I won handily, it wasn't an issue. We're six days from the election and this is, this is the decision we made," she repeated to the journalists.
Flabbergasted, Harlow asked the candidate if she "ever debated" her political opponents running for office.
Hobbs conceded she had but dug her heels in over choosing not to do so now.
Governor choice among Arizona voters in a Fox News Poll from October 26-30. (Fox News)
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The Democrat has received pushback from other media outlets and members of her own party for deciding not to debate her opponent.
Lake has taken a slight lead over Hobbs in the past month, according to the latest Fox News poll. While Hobbs enjoyed the upper hand in August (47-44%) and September (44-43%) now 47% of respondents say they will cast a ballot for the Republican, versus 46% for the Democrat.
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