ORLANDO, Fla. — Update as of August 3:
U.S. Congressman Patrick Murphy announced he was withdrawing from the debate. In a statement, "Over the last week, I have heard from many people, including survivors of domestic abuse, that Alan Grayson's continued presence in this race is an insult to the countless Floridians whose lives have been affected by this kind of violence. When a survivor of domestic abuse comes forward, we owe it to them to listen with an open heart. Alan Grayson has refused to address these issues. Alan Grayson's words and actions have disqualified him from public service, and I cannot in good conscience give him a platform to promote himself and his campaign. As a result, I will not participate in any forums or debates with Alan Grayson."
WFTV/WRDQ VP and General Manager Paul Curran released a statement following Murphy's announcement:
"We are extremely disappointed with Congressman Murphy’s decision to back out of his commitment to debate Congressman Alan Grayson on August 12
th
in prime time on WFTV. The debate was the only one scheduled between the two leading Democratic candidates for the critically important U.S. Senate seat before the August 30
th
primary. Ultimately, the voters of Florida are the big losers here as they will be deprived the chance to hear Mr. Murphy and Mr. Grayson share their vision of Florida’s future."
Alan Grayson's campaign manager, Michael Ceraso, released a statement on Murphy withdrawing from the debate.
"Alan Grayson, like all of us, is a flawed individual. But he's always been driven to help as many people as he can, especially the most vulnerable. The media, in its attempt to cover his often-controversial style, hasn't always been able to draw a complete picture of the man. Whether it is these allegations, or just his record of legislative accomplishment, the whole story isn't being told.
Patrick Murphy is exploiting this very personal family struggle for his own political gain. And while Patrick has actually been caught lying about himself and what he's done, Alan has discussed these and any other allegations openly with the press. For the rest of the campaign, he will continue to do that. The same cannot be said for Patrick Murphy.
Pam Keith was unequivocal today about her willingness to debate Alan Grayson alone, or with Patrick Murphy. Perhaps Patrick Murphy has an issue debating with anyone in this primary, whether it's Alan Grayson, or the only woman in the race."
Previous story:
Channel 9 Eyewitness News brings Central Florida voters an exclusive one-on-one debate between Florida's two leading Democratic candidates for United States Senate on Friday, August 12th at 7:00 p.m.
and
have agreed to sit down and answer key questions on the issues that impact Central Florida, before the
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"The race for the
seat in Florida will be one of the most watched in the country. This is an important opportunity for our viewers to hear directly from the leading Democratic candidates on where they stand on the key issues facing our region, our country and the world,” said Paul Curran, vice president and general manager of WFTV Channel 9 and WRDQ TV-27. "Our expectation is that both candidates will use this forum to better educate the voting public on their vision for the future.”
moderates the debate which includes national security concerns, economic issues on national and state levels, Florida’s environment and gridlock in Washington, D.C.
"Channel 9 Eyewitness News is dedicated to important issues," said Matt Parcell, Channel 9 news director. "Electing the next U.S. senators is a vital component to the success of our state and region," he added.
The program is a special edition of
, WFTV’s weekly public affairs program and will take place inside the WFTV studios. The debate will also be available for viewing online at
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WHAT: Central Florida Spotlight Debate
WHO: Channel 9’S Greg Warmoth, U.S. Representative Patrick Murphy (FL-18) and U.S. Representative Alan Grayson (FL-9)
WHEN: Friday August 12th, 2016
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: WFTV Channel 9. The debate will also be streamed in its entirety
.
About Channel 9 WFTV:
The ABC Affiliate is part of Cox Media Group and ranks as Central Florida’s number one local television station. The station also operates its website,
.
About Cox Media Group:
Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps. Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America’s leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings. The company’s operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 60 radio stations, six daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 31 million TV viewers, more than 3.5 million newspaper readers, and more than 14 million radio listeners. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at
.
Cox Media Group
