Journalists’ Roundtable: 9-09-22: AZ Governor Debate and more

The conflict surrounding the next gubernatorial debate is heating up. Blake Masters received three endorsements from former Arizona governors for his Senate campaign. These topics and more is covered on the Journalists’ Roundtable, with special guests Bob Christie of the Associated Press, Steve Goldstein of KJZZ and Laurie Roberts of the Arizona Republic & azcentral.com.

This week’s topics include:

• Clean Elections Gubernatorial Debate
• Voting Patterns for governor
• Governor Tax Plan
• Doug Logan
• Blake Masters’ Endorsements
• Attorney General’s Injunction

Hobbs v. Lake Debate

The Clean Elections Committee recently declared that the two gubernatorial candidates should have a real debate instead of a town hall session.

Is this making a difference or is this just hardening each side?

Bob Christie: “It can kind of go both ways as a lot of these things do. I think Kari Lake’s attacks on Hobbs for being a coward, was what she’s repeatedly said, for not wanting to do the debate can resonate. On the other hand, Hobbs has got a point. She says the last debate was a laugh fest and made Arizona a laughing stock in the United States.”

Steve Goldstein: “I think Hobbs is afraid of elevating Lake to some extent. She thinks that’s going to normalize her in some way.” Since she did not take the chance to debate Marco Lopez, she might really not be used to the format and it could potentially be harder for her to face Lake with that kind of juxtaposition.

The Endorsements of Blake Masters

Laurie Roberts: “I don’t think it was too surprising to anyone. It is surprising in that they would choose to support someone who is a clear election denier, who has said that the election was a rotten mess and that Donald Trump should be in office had it been a fair election. But that’s the nature of politics; it’s a tribal game at this point.”

It’s one thing to come out and support a candidate, but it’s another thing to endorse a candidate.

Steve Goldstein: “It’s somewhat predictable, because do we really even know that much about Blake Masters other than the fact that he’s a guy who’s written some strange things in the past?”