Democratic congressional candidate Dana Balter is calling for a more robust debate schedule in the race for the 24th Congressional District.
Balter used incumbent Rep. John Katko’s (R-Camillus) own words against him as she criticized what she calls a limited debate agreement. She recited an excerpt from an interview aired on WRVO's The Campbell Conversations in 2014, when Katko asked for more debates in a race against then-incumbent Dan Maffei.
"In his solo interview with the Campbell Conversations in 2014, he said of Maffei, 'We’re just going to have to keep asking him. I think the hallmark of democracy is fair, honest and open debate',” Balter said.
Balter said Monday that sounds a lot like John Katko in 2018. The two campaigns have agreed to four debates, all in Syracuse. Three of the debates will be televised and pre-recorded. Balter has suggested debates in all four counties of the 24th District, Onondaga, Oswego, Cayuga and Wayne counties.
An email from the Katko campaign pointed to 10 forums they say offers candidates a chance to answer questions from the public. But Balter said these are not events that both sides had agreed to or discussed.
"Some of them we didn’t even know about. And my understanding is that, with the exception of the disability rights forum, is that they are not joint appearances," Balter said. "We will not be on stage, side by side, answering the same questions and talking to voters.”
Balter said voters in the four-county district deserve to have debates or forums in their own community, in front of live audiences, and not just at pre-recorded events in Syracuse.
Editor's note: WRVO Public Media has hosted debates with the candidates in the 24th District in 2014 and in 2016. Both candidates were invited to appear on The Campbell Conversations for a debate this year as well. The Balter campaign accepted the invitation, while the Katko campaign declined. As a result, Balter will join host Grant Reeher for a solo interview on The Campbell Conversations later this month.
