Press release:
More than 1,000 constituents have signed an online petition demanding that Chris Collins debate his Democratic challenger Nate McMurray. A further 150 signatures have been collected in person at events across the district.
The McMurray campaign reached out to Chris Collins' office with a formal request for debate but received no response.
Western New York hasn't had a debate between their candidates for the House since Chris Collins challenged Kathy Hochul in 2012. American democracy is a marketplace of ideas. Debates between candidates running for elected office are crucial to a functioning democracy.
Nate McMurray does not believe that elected officials get to hide from the people they serve.
McMurray said, "I hope one of the local news stations will host a debate between us. The people of the district want this debate. We hear it at every event we go to.
"We see it from how quickly the petition broke 1,000 signatures. It's the right thing to do and it's the only way for the voters of NY-27 to make an informed decision in November."
I’m not opposed to a debate
I’m not opposed to a debate however the attendees should be registered voters in the district and be evenly divided between liberals and conservatives. Left wing nut jobs have a way of showing up at Collis’ events. It’s tough for conservatives to show up since we WORK