Hochul Says She'll Debate Zeldin In Race For Governor's Seat

LONG ISLAND, NY — Debates between gubernatorial hopefuls could be coming soon: Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said Monday that she will debate her opponent in the upcoming election, Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin.

According to a report by13WHAM.com, a Rochester-based television station, Hochul announced during a question-and-answer session after a press briefing that she will debate Zeldin.

While she did not give an exact date, she said the debate and forum schedule would be released by the end of the week, "within a couple of days . . . That will be all clarified. I know there's a lot of interest," she said.

Last week, Zeldin held a virtual statewide press conference blasting Kathy Hochul for her "continued refusal to accept any televised debate requests."

During the event, he said: "We both owe it to the voters as part of this process to have multiple debates. I believe we should have at least five. It’s almost like Kathy Hochul wants to have a debate at 3 p.m. the day before an election that's not televised. I mean, she’s not saying how many, where, when. There are many requests that are sitting there in her inbox right now, and it's not hard for her to start saying 'yes.' The voters of New York deserve it."

In June, Zeldin was declared the winner of the GOP primary to vie for the New York State governor's seat against incumbent Hochul, who won the Democratic primary, giving her a chance in the Nov. 8 election to become the first woman to serve a full term as New York's governor.

"Are you with me when we stand up for real New York values, our hard-earned values that we've had since Seneca Falls all the way to Stonewall," she said. "Are you with me? Because I'm with all of you."

Zeldin has said it's time for change.

"This is a rescue mission to end the attacks on our safety, wallets, freedoms and kids’ education. Losing is not an option," he said in his acceptance speech. "Kathy Hochul has now been warned that the people of New York are coming for her job at the ballot box this November. "