Republican gubernatorial candidate passes on one runoff debate invitation while another televised event continues to be promoted.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei has declined an invitation to participate in a gubernatorial runoff debate sponsored by NonDoc and KSWO, though News 9 and News On 6 continue to promote a separate televised debate featuring Mazzei and Attorney General Gentner Drummond ahead of the Aug. 25 Republican runoff election.
NonDoc reported Wednesday that the Mazzei campaign declined its invitation to participate in a debate with Drummond, whose campaign accepted the invitation. Without both candidates’ participation, the proposed NonDoc/KSWO debate will not move forward as planned.
The decision does not appear to affect another televised debate already on the campaign calendar.
On Wednesday evening, News 9 publicly promoted its Aug. 3 Republican gubernatorial runoff debate, telling viewers that “Gentner Drummond and Mike Mazzei are set to face off” and inviting the public to submit questions for the candidates. The promotional graphic indicated the debate will air at 6:30 p.m. on News 9 and News On 6 and stream online.
The developments mean Oklahoma voters still appear likely to see at least one televised debate before casting ballots in the Republican runoff, even as the campaigns take different positions on invitations from multiple media organizations.
Candidate debates have long been a staple of Oklahoma statewide campaigns, particularly in competitive primary and runoff elections. It is not uncommon for campaigns to accept invitations from some organizations while declining others based on scheduling, format, broadcast arrangements or other campaign considerations.
The Republican runoff election is Aug. 25. News 9 and News On 6 continue to promote their Aug. 3 televised debate featuring Mazzei and Drummond.
