The Arizona Clean Elections Commission canceled its solo interview with Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake on Wednesday, just a few hours before the event was set to be aired on Arizona PBS. The commission said it was postponing the interview after it was “surprised” to learn that Lake’s opponent, Katie Hobbs, who had previously declined the commission’s invite to debate Lake onstage, planned to do her own solo interview with PBS. “This decision is disappointing, especially following the multiple attempts on behalf of all the partners involved in producing this year’s General Election debates, to organize a traditional gubernatorial debate,” the commission said. “The commission’s commitment and obligation under state law is to produce unbiased, fair opportunities for candidates to speak to voters.” Usually, if a candidate turns down a debate, the commission holds a Q&A with the candidate who agreed to debate. Lake alleged that PBS and Arizona State University did a “backroom deal” with Hobbs, while Hobbs said she wasn’t sure why PBS offered her the sit-down. “I’m not interested in being a part of Kari Lake’s spectacle or shouting match,” she told AZ Central.
