A debate scheduled between North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik and challenging Democrat Paula Collins on Sept. 26 will not happen because Stefanik never responded to the invite.
Collins agreed to the debate. Stefanik did not respond by the Aug. 1 deadline to RSVP.
The debate would have been part of a series of forums being organized by a consortium of Capital Region news organizations — the Albany Times Union, WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, WMHT Public Media and WNYT NewsChannel 13 with its My4 affiliate.
The Stefanik-Collins debate was scheduled for Sept. 26 at the Channel 13 studios. It would have had journalists moderating with questions from reporters and the public.
Stefanik Senior Advisor Alex Degrasse claimed on Monday that Collins did not qualify for the debate “because she doesn’t live in Upstate New York.”
Federal law only requires candidates for Congress to live in the state they are running to represent, but not within the district they’re seeking to represent. Times Union Executive Editor and Vice President Casey Seiler said the news organizations did not have a residency requirement for their debates outside of what is already dictated in the law.
“The campaigns don’t get to set their own debate criteria unless they want to stage their own debates,” he said.
Collins lives in New York City part-time — that’s where her legal office is. She also owns a home in Petersburg, which is currently in the NY-21 district, though that property will be excised from the boundary in 2025, when a state redistricting takes effect. She’s also been renting a monthly efficiency apartment in Canton, which is used as an apartment and campaign office.
Stefanik has not lived in the district since a 2022 redistricting. Her home in Schuylerville was just barely excised from the district then; the new lines in 2025 will put her home back inside NY-21.
Collins said she was looking forward to debating on Sept. 26.
“I think it’s time that we talk about the issues, rather than picking at random things about where people live,” she said.
Congress has to make crucial decisions on funding broadband expansion, reforming immigration and dealing with the environmental impacts of climate change, Collins said. She accused Stefanik of not addressing those issues.
Coming from a background in law and special education schools, Collins said she thinks on her feet. She claimed that Stefanik doesn’t like to go unscripted.
“Often, the comments that are made in the press are not really her words. They come from Alex DeGrasse,” Collins said.
Asked to respond to this, DeGrasse only said Collins is going to be “crushed at the ballot box.”
“The desperate sick NY Democrats are so deranged and unethical that they imported the radical cannabis NYC Democrat attorney Paula Collins who has never voted in Upstate NY to run against Elise Stefanik,” DeGrasse wrote.
Collins said the Sept. 26 debate is still in her calendar and she was wondering if she should still show up.
“It ain’t much of a debate if it’s just one candidate on the stage, alas,” Seiler said.
“We would definitely work to make it happen,” Seiler added, in the case that Stefanik agrees to the debate. But he said it’s been “radio silence” for more than a month.
The consortium sent out debate invites in early late June and early July.
Seiler said he found it “unfortunate” there will not be a debate.
“We believe voters are best served by hearing elected officials and those seeking to become elected officials discussing the issues and facing tough questions,” he said.
Mountain Lake PBS anchor Thom Hallock said his station is planning a NY-21 debate in the near future, with invitations being sent to the candidates sometime this week.
Last debate
It’s been four years since Stefanik last participated in a debate.
In 2022, Stefanik skipped a debate with Democrat Matt Castelli. The two never met on the debate stage. In 2020, she debated Democrat Tedra Cobb twice. Three debates had been scheduled, but Cobb would not agree to the third because there was disagreement between the two candidates on the venue for the debate. In every election dating back to Stefanik’s first election in 2014, there have been several debates among larger slates of candidates.
Debate organizers have also faced challenges scheduling events with other candidates.
“(Stefanik) is not the only candidate that has either not replied or has sent the message that they are not interested,” Seiler said.
A U.S. Senate debate scheduled between Democratic incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand and challenging Republican Mike Sapraicone will also not happen after neither candidate agreed to meet. Sapraicone’s campaign never responded to the invitation and Gillibrand’s campaign said that its debate schedule has been set, though no debate involving the senator has been publicly announced, according to the Times Union.
In the nearby Capitol region 20th Congressional District, incumbent Democratic Rep. Paul Tonko agreed to a debate with the consortium, but Republican challenger Kevin Waltz did not respond.
Independent candidate
NY-21 independent Scott Lewis is still fighting in court to gain access to the Nov. 5 ballot.
He is currently not on the ballot, but he’s attempting to sue NY-21 political committee leaders and the state Board of Elections after his petition was initially denied. Lewis said on Monday that an appeal for his case to be heard is set for Sept. 6 and that he is filing a case in federal court, too.
Collins is representing the people Lewis is suing in a state Supreme Court case.
Election Day is Nov. 5.