Doug Mastriano has issued the following press release:
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania/September 9, 2022 – Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano, today sent a follow-up letter to his opponent, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, announcing that he has reserved a date, a venue, and a moderator for one of two debates he is proposing.
This follows an initial debate challenge Mastriano sent by letter to Shapiro on August 16, which the Attorney General failed to answer. The letter laid out a plan for two “open media” debates co-sponsored by the two campaigns to allow a fair debate without the undue influence of partisan mainstream news outlets. Each campaign would choose one of two dates and locations, and a moderator for each debate.
In today's letter, Mastriano informed that he had chosen Saturday, October 22 for one of the debates, and reserved space at The Penn Harris Hotel in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, which accommodates up to 1,000 guests. Mastriano also announced his selection for a debate moderator, Mercedes Schlapp, a prominent national Latina leader, a Senior Fellow at the CPAC Foundation, and the former Director of Strategic Communications at the White House.
"If you’re up for a fair debate," Mastriano wrote, "we have begun the planning process for you to meet me at Penn Harris on 22 October …. I am sure you will agree that Pennsylvania voters deserve to witness fair gubernatorial debates – which is why our campaigns should collaborate to deliver that for them. If I don’t hear back from you, I can only assume that you are reluctant to debate me – which would be a real disservice to the people of Pennsylvania.”
Following her invitation to serve as a debate moderator, Mercedes Schlapp said, “I look forward to serving as a debate moderator for the most important governor’s race in the country this fall. As a concerned parent, I have a lot of important questions to ask the candidates about their plans for the future of schools, the economy, and crime in communities across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
To learn more about Mastriano for Governor, please visit www.doug4gov.com/plan. You can follow Doug Mastriano on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
