The Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, declined to make a joint appearance with her Republican opponent on a local National Public Radio affiliate in Washington, D.C.
Hashmi and John Reid, the Republican nominee, will appear on the show separately.
Reid has challenged Hashmi to 10 debates, and so far there are none scheduled. Early voting begins Sept. 19 in the statewide contests for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general as well as all 100 seats in the House of Delegates.
“National Public Radio for God’s sake. I mean, can I rig it in your favor any more than to do that?” Reid said in an appearance Thursday on “The Jeff Katz Show” on Richmond’s WRVA radio, where Reid hosted the morning show for eight years.
“Are you kidding? You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re running for statewide office, lady. I’m running for statewide office, I’m not even a politician, I’m willing to do it.”
Voters in Northern Virginia’s 11th Congressional District are set to pick a successor for the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-11th, in a special election, an early referendum on President Donald Trump.
Ava Pitruzzello, spokesperson for the Ghazala for Virginia campaign, said in a statement: “John Reid wants a debate on debates to distract from the fact he wants to defund public education, funnel Virginia taxpayer dollars into expensive private schools, and take Medicaid away from over 300,000 Virginians.”
During the last statewide election cycle in 2021, the lieutenant governor nominees did not participate in a debate or forum.
Reid filled in for a week in September for another conservative talk radio host, John Fredericks. He invited Hashmi to join him live on-air for a “no-notes, Lincoln–Douglas style debate with a neutral third-party moderator,” and she did not accept.
The candidates for attorney general agreed to an Oct. 16 debate sponsored by the Virginia State Bar, and the gubernatorial candidates have agreed to an Oct. 9 debate at Norfolk State University.
https://www.dailypress.com/2025/09/06/lt-gov-debate-lack-of/
