PENN YAN — Democratic congressional candidate Tracy Mitrano challenged Rep. Tom Reed Tuesday to five live debates between now and November.
The Reed campaign’s response was not a hopeful one for Mitrano.
“To suggest that the congressional race warrants more debates than even the race for president shows that Tracy is a grandstander looking only for public attention to pacify her own ego,” said Reed campaign spokesman Matt Coker, who did not signal how many, if any debates Reed would agree to.
“Campaigning during this pandemic, our top concerns should be the health and safety of the voters and getting them the information they need to pick the best candidate,” Mitrano said in a prepared statement.
“These should be civil, productive debates on the many issues affecting voters, and they should be carried live on television with recordings available online through election day,” Mitrano said.
Mitrano called on Reed, R-Corning, to debate her in each media market in New York’s 23rd congressional district: Binghamton, Elmira-Corning, Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester.
“Public health and social-distancing precautions should determine if there is an in-person audience for the debates,” Mitrano said.
Mitrano agreed to schedule debates on dates when Reed was in the district.
The two debated just twice when Mitrano ran against Reed in 2018. One was in Olean and the other in Corning.
“Both were in the final days before the election. Reed set all of the terms, including dates and location,” Mitrano said. “Debates should be accessible to everyone across the district, not limited to his hometown or cherry-picked by one opponent.
“During this time of crisis, people want to understand who’s really helping, who’s not, who speaks for me and who doesn’t,” she added. “That’s what the voters want and deserve.”
Coker said Reed “is focused on results. He is protecting the interests of New Yorkers during these unprecedented times while remaining accessible to voters as evident by having held over 270 town halls. In time, voters will see they can’t trust radical liberal Tracy Mitrano.”
The Mitrano campaign also got a boost from the endorsement of the New York State United Teachers, which stated “government support for public schools, colleges and hospitals has never been more critical.”
NYSUT President Andy Pallotta said, “We need elected officials who will stand up for teachers, school-related professionals, medical professionals and those they serve. We believe this slate of candidates can best deliver for the New Yorkers who will rely on them in the halls of power.”
NYSUT represents more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. This is the first time they have endorsed Mitrano.
“As a former teacher myself, this is a very meaningful endorsement,” said Mitrano. “NYSUT members deserve to have representatives who will see that they get the government support they need, especially now as we grapple with the question of reopening schools during a pandemic.”
NYSUT-endorsed candidates receive grassroots support from NYSUT members, including phone banks, knocking on doors, knocking and distributing campaign literature. The union also makes contributions from donations through VOTE-COPE, the union’s non-partisan political action committee.
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @RMillerOTH)
