TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Florida A&M University (FAMU) announced Thursday it canceled what was supposed to be a televised gubernatorial debate between Rep. Byron Donalds and former Rep. David Jolly.
The debate was supposed to take place next week for one hour and be livestreamed across Spectrum News digital platforms for free. The university said the students were being let down.
“Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University is disappointed that our students will not have the opportunity to hear from the candidates for Governor in a televised debate hosted on our campus this election season,” FAMU said in a statement.
Florida Politics:
Soon after the university announced the public debate, Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly declined general election debates with Republican candidate Byron Donalds.
Jolly said in the statement that the current campaign environment and “bad faith” led to the decision, leaving the FAMU debate in limbo. That limbo is now over, and the debate won’t occur.
However, a spokesperson for FAMU said students’ interest in hearing from the candidates is still strong.
Instead of a debate, FAMU’s Student Government Association (SGA) is inviting the gubernatorial candidates to engage with students before the general election.
“Each candidate will be offered an equal opportunity to share their platform, priorities, and vision for our state,” the statement read.
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