Hobbs declines to head-to-head debate against Lake

PHOENIX (AP) — Democrat Katie Hobbs declined Friday to participate in a head-to-head debate against Republican Kari Lake in the race for Arizona governor, requesting the candidates be interviewed individually instead.

The Citizens Clean Elections Commission, which organizes debates in races up and down the ballot, said it would consider the request, which was submitted hours ahead of a deadline for Hobbs to decide whether or not to participate. Lake has committed to debating.

The Hobbs campaign said the commission’s raucous Republican primary debate was fodder for late-night comedians, and she doesn’t want to participate in another spectacle. Lake and three other Republicans talked over each other and resorted to name calling during the forum this summer.

Lake, a former television news anchor, called Hobbs a “coward” for refusing to debate.

Hobbs, the secretary of state, also declined to participate in a head-to-head debate against Democrat Marco Lopez ahead of her overwhelming victory in the Democratic primary.

Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly and Republican Blake Masters both agreed to a televised debate sponsored by the commission on Oct. 6. It will be moderated by Ted Simons, a seasoned moderator and longtime host of Arizona Horizon on the Phoenix PBS station.