PHOENIX — Election Day will be here in less than three weeks and Arizona gubernatorial candidates are running out of time to make their case.
Both Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs and Republican candidate Kari Lake are making their final push to voters in the last 17 days.
On Saturday, Lake taped a Citizens Clean Elections Commission debate at AZTV, but without Hobbs.
“Unfortunately for the people of Arizona, they weren't able to hear her ideas for the state. That might be a good thing. Her ideas for the state might send us into a ruin,” Lake said on Saturday after taping the Q&A with the Citizens Clean Elections Commission. This one-on-one interview was rescheduled after a debacle with Arizona PBS. The commission surprisingly found out Hobbs committed to a Q&A with the station after it reached out to Hobbs for a debate with Lake.
After taping the Q&A, Lake gave a statement to reporters but quickly left and refused to answer questions from reporters, stating she had another event to attend. She’s slammed Hobbs for running away from reporters in the past.
Hobbs previously said she would not debate Lake, her campaign saying she does not want to debate with “a conspiracy theorist.”
Voters like Veronica Gutierrez have taken notice of Hobbs not wanting to debate.
“I think that also kind of adds to things when people shy away from things,” she said.
Gutierrez said she is not entirely sure who she wants to vote for just yet, but did sway toward Lake at one point.
“It was just the last commercials I saw. I didn't think they were very relatable. I think the whole she's worked two jobs and she knows exactly where you are and I'm like, just because you worked two jobs doesn't mean anything for anyone,” she said.
She said she was a strong Democrat but has switched toward the middle and undecided. She wants to see what candidates’ views are on abortion and how they will relieve inflation.
“I think the deciding factor will be more research on my end to make sure I don’t make quick assumptions and to make sure that I’m well knowledge of what the actual issue is and knowing what each person stance is on that, whether republican or democrat,” she said.
Undecided voter Suzannah Dawson feels the same way. She says she wants to look more into the candidates before deciding who to choose.
“I think for me, it would be having a track record of saying one thing, and if they actually do what they say what they will do,” she said. “I do plan on voting, but I can’t give a yes or no on who it will be but for me, I want to take my time and do my research on who I want to be voting for.”
Lake’s 30-minute one-on-one will air on AZTV on Sunday.
