Paladino Agrees To Debates, Cuomo Remains Silent

By: Bobby Cuza

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With Election Day less than two weeks away, there's an outside chance voters could see the two major party candidates for governor go head to head before going to the polls.

Republican Carl Paladino has accepted another invitation for a one-on-one debate with Democratic rival Andrew Cuomo. He accepted the invitation from WABC.

Upcoming Debates On NY1

NY1 is hosting two more debates between the candidates for Senate.

Tomorrow night, we'll bring you the only live, televised debate between Democratic incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand and Republican Joseph DioGuardi.

And on Sunday, October 24th, we'll bring you the only debate between Democratic incumbent Charles Schumer and Republican Jay Townsend.

Both debates start at 7 p.m.

Earlier this week, he also agreed to similar initiations from NY1 and its upstate YNN stations.

"He [Paladino] has to do something to catch up. And the only way he can do it, and have some credibility, is with a debate. So he’ll keep on asking for a debate," said Political Consultant George Arzt.

In a statement, Paladino says he's ready to expose Cuomo's true record, adding, "I will accept all legitimate debate invitations, whether they are a one-on-one debate or a forum with all candidates...I hope Andrew will finally appear on NY1 to defend his record."

NY1 has reached out to Cuomo, who has yet to respond.

If he agrees, the NY1 debate would be held in Buffalo on October 28th.

Cuomo has said Monday night's debate, with all seven candidates for governor on stage, served its purpose. He also said his campaign originally pressed for a one-on-one debate with Paladino.

A new poll out Wednesday shows the Buffalo businessman trailing Cuomo by 37 points. However, the Paladino camp says he’s closer than the numbers indicate. They also point out that polls showed him losing in the Republican primary, only to see him win in a landslide.

Meanwhile, the Democratic candidate on Wednesday picked up the endorsement of the Empire State Pride Agenda.

The organization cited Cuomo’s commitment to fighting for civil rights and achieving equality for all New Yorkers.

Officials also praised his record as attorney general, saying "Andrew Cuomo has been a great champion for the LGBT community, working closely with the Pride Agenda to fight transgender discrimination in employment...and to defend our state’s policy of fully respecting the legal marriages of same-sex couples performed out of state"

Paladino has been criticized recently for comments considered unfriendly to the gay community.