Democrat Katie Hobbs will not debate Republican Kari Lake in the race to be the next governor of Arizona, Hobbs’ campaign announced Sunday.
Hobbs announcement comes after Arizona’s election commission declined her campaign’s request to reformat the debate into an event that wouldn’t have the two candidates facing off. The commission voted down Hobbs’ proposal last week and gave her campaign a week to work with Lake’s campaign to make minor changes to the debate format.
“Unfortunately, debating a conspiracy theorist like Kari Lake – whose entire campaign platform is to cause enormous chaos and make Arizona the subject of national ridicule – would only lead to constant interruptions, pointless distractions, and childish name-calling,” Hobbs campaign manager Nicole DeMont said in a statement. “We must respectfully decline the invitation” to debate.
