Green Party candidate for governor Howie Hawkins says every debate leading up to the fall election should be televised statewide and that he should be included.
During a teleconference with reporters Tuesday morning, Hawkins said his poll numbers make him a credible candidate.
"We're the only candidate or ticket, besides the Democrats and Republicans, that got our own party by running our own candidates instead of riding in on the coattails of a major party," Hawkins said. "And we're a statewide campaign. We have daily activity. We're not raising the kind of money Cuomo is, but we're raising enough money to put field staff out on the field, and run as serious a campaign as we can."
Hawkins also says he supports the right for any credible candidate to be involved in televised statewide debates, including Libertarian candidate for governor Michael McDermott.
"I think at least in the early debates, the first debate, all qualified candidates on the ballot should be included," Hawkins explained. "And then you should set up objective criteria, including poll numbers, and let the polling show who people want to hear more form in subsequent debates."
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has already accepted invitations to a televised four-person debate in Buffalo, and a radio debate just with Republican Rob Astorino in New York City. Hawkins says he is opposed to the radio debate because he was not invited and it will not be televised.
According to a recently released Siena poll, Hawkins is polling at about seven percent statewide. He still lags behind Cuomo and Astorino, who are polling at 56 and 27 percent, respectively.
