NY governor candidates Hochul, Zeldin agree to debate — but not yet on number

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin have found something they agree on – New Yorkers ought to hear them debate ahead of the Nov. 8 election for governor.

“New Yorkers deserve the opportunity to witness first hand where the two candidates for Governor stand on the issues most important to voters,” Zeldin said in a statement Wednesday.

The GOP standard-bearer has called for five debates – two held downstate, a third in Syracuse, a fourth in either Rochester or Buffalo, and a fifth somewhere else in the state – but it remains unclear how many Hochul will agree to.

“As she has in every election throughout her career, Governor Hochul looks forward to debating Congressman Zeldin this fall,” Hochul spokesman Jerrel Harvey said in a statement Wednesday. “New Yorkers need to hear about Lee Zeldin’s allegiance to the MAGA agenda and far-right record on guns and abortion rights.”

Harvey did not immediately respond to a follow-up inquiry about the number of debates Hochul would take part in. CBS News and PIX 11 have already planned to host one debate apiece.

In 2018, then-Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Marc Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive, had one televised debate. Both Zeldin and Hochul faced off in multiple debates against primary opponents earlier this year.

More debates offer Zeldin, who has been endorsed by the Post, a chance to make up ground in a race where the Democrat Hochul has many built-in advantages — including a two-to-one edge in party registration.

A recent Siena College poll showed Hochul ahead of Zeldin by 14 percentage points and recent campaign filings showed her with $11.7 million to spend compared to just $1.57 million for Zeldin, who will appear alongside former President Donald Trump at a September fundraiser.

But Zeldin says he remains bullish about his chances this November if enough voters are able to hear his message explaining why he should become the first Republican to win a statewide election in two decades.

“As I travel throughout the state,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “New Yorkers tell me that their top issues are rising crime, high cost of living, quality of education, corruption scandals plaguing Hochul, and massive government overreach.”