The Association of Washington Business on Thursday announced a gubernatorial debate between U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Rob McKenna in the lead up to the governor’s election, but Inslee’s campaign said that they haven’t yet agreed to it.
Inslee spokeswoman Jaime Smith said the campaign was determining Inslee’s schedule and has not yet committed to any debate invitations. McKenna’s campaign said that the debate is on their calendar.
“It’s extremely disappointing that AWB would issue an announcement without confirmation from us first,” Smith wrote in an email. “If they want to schedule an event for McKenna, that is their choice, but at this point there is no debate scheduled.”
The business organization sent a release Thursday announcing the June 12 debate in Spokane, saying it would be moderated by Austin Jenkins, the Olympia correspondent for the Northwest News Network.
AWB spokeswoman Jocelyn McCabe noted that the organization has hosted gubernatorial debates since 1992.
McCabe said her group had been working with both campaigns since November, and had told the Inslee campaign that they needed to make an announcement.
“So we made an announcement,” she said. “We’re having a debate.”
Inslee, a Democrat, and McKenna, a Republican, are vying to replace Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire, who is not running for a third term.
In December, the Inslee campaign called for six debates with McKenna.
Smith said the campaign has received several invitations and was “fully committed to a series of debates.”
Randy Pepple, McKenna’s campaign manager, questioned that commitment. “He’s clearly not ready to talk about the issues,” Pepple said. “I’m not sure why he challenged Rob McKenna to debates.”
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