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Wells is the only candidate running to represent New York’s 22nd Congressional District who is refusing to participate in a debate, but his opponents aren’t letting him get away with it easily.
One of Wells’ primary opponents had this to say about him: “Because he’s a self-funded candidate, he’s hoping money can overwhelm any kind of public discourse or dialogue.”
Wells’ website is STILL devoid of any policy positions one month out from the primary elections, and local Republicans are showing increasing frustration with his cowardice.
“Wells’ plan to buy his way to Congress clearly isn’t working,” said DCCC Spokesperson Nebeyatt Betre. “Upstate New Yorkers won’t accept a candidate who is too scared to answer basic questions.”
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Syracuse.com: Steve Wells hides from debates in Congress race; ‘They don’t want to be asked hard questions’
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Cazenovia businessman Steve Wells, backed by Republican leaders in the 22nd Congressional District’s primary campaign, has rejected invitations to debate his opponent before the Aug. 23 election.
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“He’s completely ducking the debates and any public vetting of the Republican ticket,” said Brandon Williams, the Cayuga County tech executive challenging Wells.
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Wells has already been criticized by some Oneida County Republicans for ducking questions about Donald Trump at a meeting last month, and refusing to clearly state whether he supports or opposes abortion rights.
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Committee members asked six questions, but Wells didn’t provide direct answers before cutting off the meeting, she said.
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“He doesn’t know policy,” Wilmot said. “He never answers a direct question with a ‘yes or no.’ Nobody knows where he really stands on anything. He just literally thinks it’s his turn. He’s not a conservative by any means.”
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Conole, who won the backing of local and national Democratic leaders for the primary election, said all candidates should participate in public debates and forums to be accountable to voters.
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He said Wells has taken a deliberate strategy to duck that responsibility.
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“I think it’s a complete disservice to the voters of Central New York,” Conole said of Wells. “He’s running a multimillion-dollar, self-funded campaign and staying in the shadows.”
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Conole said he’s surprised that Wells has remained mostly silent on the issue of abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision last month to overturn Roe v. Wade.
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“It’s crazy because this is the most fundamental shift on women’s rights that I’ve seen in my lifetime,” said Conole, who supports abortion rights. “This is the first time in our country’s history that an individual right has been taken away.”
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