Please Follow us on Gab, Minds, Telegram, Rumble, Gettr, Truth Social, Twitter, YouTube

Last night, WTIC hosted a pre-convention debate between Republican Gubernatorial candidates Ryan Fazio and Betsy McCaughey; Erin Stewart declined to join.

Stewart has taken a lot of heat on social media for declining to participate in not just last night's debate, but also tonight's debate.

Stewart's camp told the Centinal they have simply "honored the decision not to participate in any debates pre-convention" based on the "state party’s guidance" issued in February.

"The Mayor has been out every night hitting multiple RTC’s, holding delegate meet & greets across the state, and hosting biweekly live streams where anyone can ask her questions," John Healy, Senior Advisor, Erin For CT. "Frankly, I don’t know of another Republican frontrunner who has been more accessible than Erin."

"As you know, with 1100 delegates as our focus we can have far more productive Q&A in those intimate settings, on the phones, or one-on-one, than ever could happen in a debate with three candidates," he continued. "Because of that, every conceivable minute between now and next Friday has been meticulously scheduled."

"No disrespect is intended to the hosts at all," promised Healy. "We are just being consistent with the position we have long communicated."

"When a primary is decided by just 1,100 delegates, debates matter," said Dominic Rapini, former candidate for Connecticut Secretary of State. "Most delegates will never have meaningful personal access to every candidate. A debate is where candidates show their values, defend their principles, and prove they’re not afraid to stand publicly for what they believe."

Republican voters also expressed frustration at Stewart's unwillingness to appear on the debate stage prior to the convention, telling the Centinal:

• "she really only cares about the RTC's hand-picked delegates, not all of the Republican voters"
• "it sends the clear message: I only need the "Club's" approval"
• "there's no accountability for delegates to actually go out there on behalf of their constituents, and do the due diligence to learn about the candidates"
• "the "Club" picks the delegates that pick the candidates, not the People; that means it's lacking full representation"

The Centinal has requested a copy of the February CT GOP guidance and will update this article accordingly.

You can watch TONIGHT's debate hosted by the Connecticut Republican Assembly and Common Sense News and Entertainment here:

You can also listen to last night's debate between Fazio and McCaughey here:

‘NO AD’ subscription for CDM!  Sign up here and support real investigative journalism and help save the republic!'