Reports have circulated confirming that Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum has accepted the invitation to two debates being held in October. One will be hosted by Leadership Florida in Davie, and the other one will be hosted by Univision 23 in Miami. In addition, the Mayor is insisting that Congressman Ron DeSantis commit to a third debate.
In response, Congressman DeSantis doubled down and said that he'd even commit to more debates.
Scott Arseneaux, a senior advisor for Gillum, commented that "Florida voters deserve the chance to hear from Mayor Gillum and Congressman DeSantis about the critical issues facing our state. Mayor Gillum looks forward to sharing his vision for Florida that lifts people up, with higher wages, more money for schools, and affordable health care. We hope that Congressman DeSantis will join us, though it's unclear whether he'll be able to answer a single question about his non-existent campaign platform."
DeSantis then argued that he "definitely want to do debates. It's very, very important, particularly for a candidate like Andrew who nobody thought could win the primary. He did not face scrutiny of his record. He didn't face a single dollar in negative advertising, I don't think. I had $17 million between U.S. Sugar and Putnam. So I think it's very important that Floridians have a clear sense of our visions for Florida, our leadership."
