Ariz. Gov. Candidate Won’t Debate, Says Opponent Kari Lake ‘More Interested In Creating A Spectacle’
TO TELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >>> A GUBERNATORIAL RACE, ALSO MAKES A LOT OF NATIONAL HEADLINES, LOOKING TO FLIP ON AND ARIZONA, DETERMINING THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE IN THE STATE THAT MAY VERY WELL DECIDE THE PRESIDENCY IN 2024, WE KNOW ABOUT COUNTING THE VOTE, IN CHARGE OF CERTIFYING WILL MATTER LOT, ARIZONA SECTORS STATE, DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE KITTY HOBBS. — SECRETARY OF STATE. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BACK TO BACK INTERVIEWS WITH YOUR REPUBLICAN OPPONENT KARI LAKE, WE INVITED HER ON AND SHE AGREED BUT SHE DECIDED NOT TO APPEAR APPARENTLY. LET ME START WITH A BACK-AND FORTH YOU’VE
BEEN HAVING WITH THE LAKE CAMPAIGN AND SOME DEBATE ORGANIZERS. YOUR DECISION NOT TO SHARE THIS — DEBATE STAGE WITH HER, ANOTHER ONE COMING UP ON SUNDAY, I’M TOLD IF YOU WANT TO COME THEY WILL MAKE ROOM FOR YOU, ARE YOU AT ALL RETHINKING THAT DECISION >> ABSOLUTELY NOT, I’M FOCUSED ON ALL THE WAYS THAT WE CAN TAKE MY MESSAGE DIRECTLY TO VOTERS AND CONTINUE TO TALK TO VOTERS ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT. RISING PRICES IN ARIZONA, WE WERE HIT REALLY HARD BY INFLATION HERE, OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM AND ADDRESSING THE WATER SYSTEM
AND I AM HAPPY WITH THE SCHEDULE WE HAVE WITH THE REST OF THE CAMPAIGN AND OPPORTUNITIES TO TALK DIRECTLY TO VOTERS. WE ARE FOCUSED
IS CLEAR THAT KARI LAKE IS MORE DISTANT A SPECTACLE IN THE SPOTLIGHT RATHER THAN HAVING A SUBSTANTIAL DISCUSSION ABOUT THE ISSUES AND CANCELING HER APPEARANCE HERE TODAY UNDERSCORES THAT, I’M FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THE VOTERS KNOW THE CONTRACT BETWEEN US, BY BEING ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THE PLANS THAT WE HAVE TO SOLVE THE ISSUES THAT ARE FACING ARIZONANS VERSUS TRAN31’S LACK OF EXPERIENCE OR ANY SUBSTANTIAL PLAN. >> WHAT YOU SAY TO FOLKS WHO SAY I WANT TO SEE IF YOU CAN STAND UP TO KARI LAKE, YOU’RE GOING TO BE THE GOVERNOR, I WANT TO KNOW
THAT YOU CAN STAND UP TO FOLKS LIKE HER? BIGGER I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR ARIZONANS MY WHOLE CAREER IN THE LEGISLATURE, AND CERTAINLY WHEN PEOPLE LIKE KARI LAKE DID EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO QUESTION AND CHALLENGE THE ELECTION RESULTS IN 2020 AND SHOWED THEY WERE WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO OVERTURN THE WILL OF THE VOTERS, WE FOUGHT BACK WITH COURT CHALLENGE AFTER COURT CHALLENGE, I HAD DEATH THREATS AND I STILL SHOULD’VE TO DO MY JOB AND I’M STILL DOING THAT TODAY. THAT IS THE FIGHT I HAVE FOR ARIZONA AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT FOR
THE REST OF THE RACE AND AS GOVERNOR. >> WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE GOVERNOR, WHAT IS THE ONE THING THAT YOU HOPE TO GET DONE? >> WE ARE FACING A LOT OF CHALLENGE IN THE STATE, WE NEED LEADERS WHO CAN BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO SOLVE THOSE ISSUES, FOR THINGS I’VE MENTIONED, AFFORDABILITY, OUR WATER CRISIS, AND WE NEED LEADERS WHO ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON THE ISSUES RATHER THAN FOCUS THEIR ENTIRE CAMPAIGN AND GOVERNORSHIP ON ROYALTIES TO THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND BEING IN A POSITION TO OVERTURN THE WILL OF THE VOTERS IN FUTURE ELECTIONS POTENTIALLY,
THAT IS WHAT IS AT STAKE AND WHY AM RUNNING. >> THE CURRENT GOVERNOR HAS DECENT APPROVAL RATINGS. WHAT WOULD YOU DO, GOVERNOR DUCEY, WHICH POLICIES WOULD YOU CONTINUE IN WHICH ONES WOULD YOU DISCONTINUE? >> I THINK THE GOVERNOR DESERVES A LOT OF CREDIT FOR THE TREMENDOUS ECONOMIC GROWTH THAT ARIZONA HAS EXPERIENCED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, AND BY SOME ACCOUNTS, THE ECONOMY IS DOING REALLY WELL BUT I TALKED TO ARIZONANS EVERY DAY WHO ARE STRUGGLING, AND THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS THAT ARE BEING ENJOYED BY SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT BEING ENJOYED BY EVERYONE. WE NEED TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE ARE HELPING THOSE WHO ARE STRUGGLING THE MOST TO BENEFIT FROM THE GOOD ECONOMY IN OUR STATE, AND I DON’T THINK OUR CURRENT GOVERNOR HAS FOCUSED ON THAT AND CERTAINLY MY OPPONENT DOESN’T HAVE PLANS TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS. >> YOU’RE PROPOSING A TAX CUT, DIFFERENT TAX CUTS, BUT ONE TO TRY TO HELP FOLKS DO WITH THE COST OF LIVING ISSUE. HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH A TAX CUT THAT DOESN’T END UP INFLATIONARY ITSELF, THAT DOESN’T END UP CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROBLEM? >> AND ECONOMIC EXPERT HAS LOOKED AT BOTH OF OUR PLANS,
MY PLAN AND TRAN31’S PLAN AND MY PLAN DOES HELP TO ADDRESS INFLATION AND HELP PUT PEOPLE BACK TO WORK AND PUT MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS, TRAN31’S PLAN IS DESCRIBED AS ADDING JET FUEL TO A FIRE AND MAKING INFLATION WORSE, ADDITIONALLY THE TAX CUTS SHE HAS PROPOSED WOULD CRIPPLE OUR CITIES AND PARTICULARLY THEIR ABILITY TO PROVIDE PUBLIC SAFETY. >> IF YOU ARE ELECTED GOVERNOR, WILL YOU STOP GOVERNOR DUCEY’S CHANGE IN THE WAY INCOME TAX WORKS IN ARIZONA, OR ARE YOU GOING TO LET THAT GO THROUGH? >> IT HAS GONE THROUGH AND THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO FEASIBLE
WAY TO REVERSE IT. AND SO NOW, I THINK WE ARE THERE AND THAT’S — WE ARE NOT GOING TO TRY TO REVERSE IT, WE WON’T BE ABLE TO DO THAT? BECAUSE THE BORDER. AND ABORTED THE PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT, AND THE IMMIGRATION CONTRIBUTE TO THE INFLATION ISSUE AND CERTAINLY A PROBLEM IN ARIZONA WITH A LABOR SHORTAGE. WHAT DOES YOUR BALANCE LOOK LIKE. HOW DO YOU FOCUS ON SECURING THE BORDER AND AT THE SAME TIME MAKE ARIZONA WELCOMING TO LEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE LABOR SUPPLY. >> YOU AND I BOTH KNOW, THIS IS LARGELY A
FEDERAL ISSUE, AND MY FOCUS AS GOVERNOR WILL BE WORKING WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS THAT ARE BEST FOR ARIZONA AS THE BORDER STATE. AND WE HAVE HAD DECADES OF INACTION ON THE ISSUE, WE NEED COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM THAT PROVIDES A FAIR PATH FOR CITIZENSHIP AND ONE THAT EMBRACES OUR DREAMERS. AND INCENTIVIZES LEGAL IMMIGRATION AND WILL CERTAINLY GO A LONG WAY TO HELPING WITH INFLATIONARY ISSUES IN ARIZONA RELATED TO SUPPLY-CHAIN AND LABOR SHORTAGES. I THINK THAT IS CRITICAL. IT TAKES AN ACT OF CONGRESS. >>> IN TERMS OF BORDER SECURITY AGAIN WE NEED
MORE FEDERAL RESOURCES, I WILL PUSH THE ADMINISTRATION TO DO THAT AND HELP SECURE THE BORDER. AND ALSO GIVING OUR TAXPAYER RESOURCES, NOT ON POLITICAL STUNTS LIKE THE $12 MILLION THAT GOVERNOR DUCEY SPENT TO STACK SHIPPING CONTAINERS OF THE BORDER BUT ACTUALLY PUTTING THE RESOURCES INTO THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE HARDEST HIT, AND MAKING SURE THOSE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS HAVE THE RESOURCES TO KEEP THEIR RESOURCES TO KEEP THEIR HUMIDITY SAFE, AND 2 HAVE SUPPORTED MY PLAN BECAUSE IT IS A GOOD PLAN. >> YOU WILL LIKELY HAVE A REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE, MAYBE SOMETHING SURPRISES BUT THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO.
YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO COME UP WITH A NEW ABORTION LAW IF IT IS NOT CODIFIED AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, ARE YOU PREPARED TO SUPPORT AN ABORTION LAW THAT YOU DON’T AGREE WITH BUT IT IS THE BEST THAT YOU COULD GET PAST IN THE LEGISLATURE, OR DO YOU PREFER TO GO ANOTHER WAY >> THE LAWN ARIZONA IS A 15 WEEK MAN, I’VE ALREADY SPOKE NOT THAT I THINK IT IS TOO EXTREME, AND THE ROUTE WE ARE GOING TO END UP GOING IS TO PASS A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT THAT I KNOW THE MAJORITY — >> A BALLOT
REFERENDUM? >> YES, THAT HAS TO GO TO THE VOTERS I KNOW MOST VOTERS SUPPORT ACCESS TO SAFE LEGAL ABORTION, CERTAINLY WITH REASONABLE EXCEPTIONS, FOR RAPE AND INCEST, AND I’M READY TO LEAD THE CHARGE ON THAT. >> BOTTOM LINE, NO INTEREST WORKING WITH THE LEGISLATURE IS LONG AS YOU ARE FOCUSED ON A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO THE VOTERS, IS THAT FAIR? >> I THINK THE LEGISLATURE HAS MADE IT CLEAR THEY ARE NOT REPRESENTING THE WILL OF THE VOTERS AND WHAT THE MAJORITY OF ARIZONANS SUPPORT ON THE ISSUE OF ABORTION AND THAT THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO BE MORE
FOCUSED ON ADDING NEW RESTRICTIONS RATHER THAN MAKING SURE THAT WOMEN IN ARIZONA CAN GET THE HEALTH CARE THAT THEY NEED. >> SECRETARY OF STATE, KATIE HOBBS, THANK YOU FOR COMING ON AND TAKING OUR QUESTIONS. STAY SAFE ON THE TRAIL. I MENTIONED, TRAN31’S TEAM AGREED TO JOIN US BACK TO BACK IN AND TOLD US THEY HAD A SCHEDULING CONFLICT, AT THE
