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Only 1 candidate appeared on televised Arizona democratic gubernatorial debate
Marco Lopez, who once served as governor on Nogales, criticized his primary opponent, Katie Hobbs, for not appearing on the debate. A similar debate was held for four GOP gubernatorial hopefuls on June 29.
PHOENIX - Only one of two people vying for the Arizona Democratic Party nomination for governor appeared on a televised debate on June 30.
Prior to the debate, officials with Arizona State University said only Marco Lopez confirmed that he will attend the debate, which was aired on KAET-TV (PBS).
According to the station's website, KAET is part of Arizona State University.
Marco Lopez, who once served as the mayor of Nogales, is running against Secretary of State Katie Hobbs for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. A third candidate, former state lawmaker Aaron Lieberman, suspended his campaign in May.
During the debate, which turned into a discussion between Lopez and moderator Ted Simons, Lopez repeatedly called out Hobbs for her decision to not appear on stage with him.
Besides the criticism, moderator Ted Simons asked Lopez questions on a number of issues, including abortion, school vouchers, and border security.
Debate comes one day after GOP gubernatorial debate
The Democratic gubernatorial debate came just one day after a debate between four people running to be the Republican Party nominee for governor: Kari Lake, Scott Neely, Karrin Taylor Robson, and Paola Tulliani-Zen.
Term limits bar current Republican Gov. Doug Ducey from running again in 2022.
Related Story: Sparks fly as Republican candidates for Arizona governor take part in debate
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(Related Video) Arizona GOP gubernatorial hopefuls square off in televised debate
The candidates battled it out during the debate, as moderator Ted Simons guided them through a variety of topics, including border security, education, election integrity, the recent state budget, and the latest abortion decision, in which all said they are pro-life.
Much of the hour-long debate came down to Lake and Taylor Robson, both of whom hurled insults, with Robson calling Lake "Fake Lake," and Lake focusing on Robson's voting record.
"We do need someone who’s a grownup, and someone who calls names is not a grownup," Lake said later.
Development attorney Karrin Taylor Robson called for leaving behind the 2020 election and focusing on the future while former news anchor Kari Lake doubled down on the lie that former President Donald Trump lost because of fraud as the Republican candidates for governor squared off in a raucous debate Wednesday.
According to the Arizona Secretary of State's website, there are a total of eight people running for the Republican nomination for governor, including three write-in candidates. The write-in candidates are Patrick Finerd, Carlos Roldan, and Alex Schatz.
The eight candidates listed on the website includes Matt Salmon, who announced his decision to end his campaign on June 28. Salmon has since endorsed Taylor Robson's campaign.
Another GOP candidate for governor, Steve Gaynor, announced on April 28 that he has suspended his campaign for governor. He is listed on the Secretary of State's website as a withdrawn candidate.
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Primary to take place in August
The 2022 Primary Election is set to take place on August 2, according to the Secretary of State's website. The general election is on Nov. 8.
Related Story: Arizona governor's race: A look at who's vying for the spot and their plans if elected