Hochul, Zeldin agree to Tuesday debate

Zeldin hot on Hochul's heels

New polls show that the race for governor of New York is closer than the Democrats would like. Republican Lee Zeldin is closing in on Democrat Kathy Hochul.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul and her Republican challenger, Lee Zeldin, will face off in their first head-to-head debate on Tuesday, with just over two weeks to go before Election Day.

The debate will air Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News channels from a forum at Pace University.

"I repeatedly called on @KathyHochul to accept multiple broadcast debates across NY," Zeldin said in a tweet on Sunday. "Her 1st & final offer was to have only 1 debate this Tuesday on Spectrum over a month after the start of absentee voting. On many levels, NYers deserve so much more than what Hochul weakly offers."

Jerrel Harvey, a spokesperson for Hochul rebuffed Zeldin's claims, arguing that Zeldin was actually avoiding voters.

"After months of hiding, we’re glad that Congressman Zeldin has finally agreed to participate in Tuesday's debate. Governor Hochul looks forward to highlighting her strong record of delivering results and exposing Lee Zeldin’s dangerous lies," Harvey said in a statement.

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The race between Hochul and Zeldin has been tightening in recent weeks with a recent poll from Qunnipiac University showing Hochul leading by just four points.

Crime is dominating the campaign, with 28% of New Yorkers ranking it as the most urgent issue facing the state, followed by inflation and protecting democracy.