Hofstra To Host Debate Between Andrew Cuomo And Cynthia Nixon

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's campaign has agreed to debate his primary challenger, Cynthia Nixon, in an event to be televised from Hofstra University.

Cuomo has declined many other invitations to debate, which his opponent has accepted. Now, he has agreed to a debate to be hosted by WCBS. It will be Cuomo's first debate in 12 years. The debate is scheduled for Aug. 29, two weeks before the Sept. 13 election.

Nixon's campaign agreed to the debate, but chided the way it was set up: they claim that everything was done to Cuomo's specifications. His team picked the venue, her campaign says, the network and the format. Nixon's campaign claims they were given no input, and were told that they could accept the terms or not have a debate.

"We understand this isn’t a level playing field. It hasn’t been since the very beginning," said Rebecca Katz, Nixon's senior adviser, in a statement. "Nothing is easy when you’re an outsider, and it’s even harder when you’re a woman. Cynthia will debate Governor Cuomo backwards and in high heels if she has to."

According to Hofstra, the debate will not be as large of an affair as the presidential debates the school has hosted in the past. Though the debate will be in front of an audience, it will be for students and some invited guests, the school said.

The school will be creating a website in the next few days with more information about the debate.

Photos: Left, courtesy Gov. Cuomo's Office. Right, Drew Angerer/Getty Images