John Connolly and Marty Wash decided Wednesday that they want to debate three times on television before the Boston mayoral general election on Nov. 5.
A joint statement released by both campaigns on Wednesday asked media to organize one debate per week between Oct. 14 and Nov. 1, Boston.com reports.
“After discussions between our campaigns, we agree that televised debates will provide an important forum for voters to gain the information they need to make an informed decision in November’s mayoral election,” the statement read.
The last NECN televised debate featured all 12 mayoral candidates on Sept. 9 at Suffolk University.
Both candidates have already hit the campaign trail, most notably Walsh, who pounded pavement yesterday morning at 6 a.m. on three hours of sleep. Connolly was quick to add that he got only a few hours of sleep following Tuesday’s preliminary, too.
During an interview aired on NECN, Connolly said he wants to see more art in Boston and plans to make that a part of his agenda. Yesterday, Walsh said he plans on challenging Connolly on education — a central issue to Connolly’s campaign.
Both outlets will look to broaden their voting bases in the lead-up to the Nov. 5 general election. Walsh received tremendous support from unions and polled particularly well in Dorchester and South Boston. Connolly, meanwhile, received more citywide support — outside Dorchester and South Boston.
Tuesday’s preliminary saw Walsh and Connolly pull away from the field. Walsh received the most votes while Connolly was a close second.
A storyline to watch for as these candidates compete for votes is whether or not Walsh can compete with Connolly across the city. If the 1993 preliminary election is any indication of how the general election might unfold, despite lackluster numbers outside of his strongholds, history may be on Walsh’s side.
Mayor Tom Menino won the 1993 preliminary by nearly 5 percent over James Brett. He carried that momentum into a 29 percent victory in the general election.
Image from CNN/politicalticker.blogs
